The Reset: Eagles fall in final four

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Over the course of the year, 280 Living will keep you up to date on the various local high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.

BASKETBALL

The Oak Mountain boys basketball team fell to Lee-Montgomery last Thursday in the Class 7A semifinals, putting an end to the best season in Eagles’ history. Click here for a recap of the game and the postseason run.

BASEBALL

Briarwood

The Briarwood baseball team began last week with a big 14-1 win over Pelham on Tuesday evening. Wesley Helms, Carson McKinney and Tyler Waugh all hit home runs in the game, with Waugh driving in five runs in the contest. Hundon Arnold got the win on the mound, pitching five innings and allowing one unearned run on three hits. He also struck out six batters.

Briarwood fell to Chilton County 10-3 on Thursday evening. Blake McKenna registered a pair of hits and drove in a run. 

Briarwood split a pair of one-run games on Saturday to cap off the week. The Lions picked up a 6-5 win over Spain Park, going ahead for good with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Parker Hutson drove in two runs in the game for the Lions. Briarwood surrendered four runs in the seventh inning and fell to Hueytown 5-4 in the second game of the day. Andrew Jones had a double and two RBIs in the contest. Drew Daniel allowed an unearned run on three hits in four innings on the mound.

Chelsea

Last Tuesday, the Mountain Brook baseball team hosted Chelsea and ran away with a 13-3 victory. The Spartans combined to score eight runs over the second, third and fourth innings to effectively put the game away early. For the Spartans, Davis White homered and drove in two runs. Brock Payne had three hits and three RBIs, Will Yarbro also drove in three runs, and Alex Gauld went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. 

Chelsea got back on track Wednesday with a dominant 9-0 showing against Wetumpka. The Hornets scored runs in four of their six offensive innings, with Jackson Webster contributing two RBIs. Reid Gongwer was stellar on the hill, as he allowed just one hit in the complete game effort. He also struck out eight. 

Chelsea swept both ends of a doubleheader on Saturday. In the first game, the Hornets blew out Oxford 10-0. Carter Frederick had a great day overall, starting with a double and four RBIs in that game. Logan Shores and Hunter Anderson each contributed two RBIs as well. Connor Ball was dominant on the mound. He allowed just one hit and struck out 11 batters in six innings. Chelsea also beat Chilton County 5-1. Adam Reaves drove in a pair of runs while Frederick allowed one run on two hits and struck out eight.

Oak Mountain

Last Tuesday, the Oak Mountain baseball team knocked off Spain Park 9-4. Spain Park scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but Oak Mountain took the lead for good with five runs in the second. The top of the Eagles’ order did most of the damage. Davis Gillespie went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs, Mitchell Pierce drove in three runs, and Jake Rivers was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Rivers also got the win on the mound, going five innings and allowing four runs (one earned) on two hits.

Oak Mountain fell to Helena 10-3 on Thursday evening. The Eagles fell victim to a big first inning by Helena and never recovered, as the Huskies put seven runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning. Offensively, Parker Campbell had three hits and an RBI for the Eagles. Luke Smith and Grant Sutton each pitched 1 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Oak Mountain swept a doubleheader on Saturday, In an 8-3 win over Oxford, Parker Campbell drove in two runs, while Connor Adams pitched the complete game. In his seven innings, he allowed three runs on four hits and struck out seven. The Eagles finished the day with a 10-1 win over Chilton County. Pierce and Campbell each brought home two runs and Stone Evers was strong on the mound. Evers allowed a run on five hits in six innings of work, also punching out five batters.

SOFTBALL

Briarwood

The Briarwood softball team earned its first win of the season last Tuesday in a 17-3 rout of Dallas County. The Lions broke out for 10 runs in the first inning and never looked back. Caroline Campbell led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs. Sygourney Bell also drove in three runs at the plate. Cameron Fountain did not allow a hit in 3 1/3 innings of work.

Chelsea

The Chelsea softball team started last week off on the right foot with a 6-0 win over Thompson on Tuesday. All six of the Hornets’ runs came in the fourth inning, after starting pitcher Abigail Bryars held Thompson’s offense to just one hit over the first three innings. Tyler Erwin threw the final four innings, not allowing a hit and striking out six batters. Offensively, Brooke Burback hit a two-run home run, while Landry Holt drove in a pair with a double. Karson Rich also brought home a run in the big inning. 

Oak Mountain earned a 9-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday. The Eagles broke a scoreless tie with four runs in the fourth inning and cruised from there. Riley Sullivan and Sarah Katona had big nights at the plate, as both homered and drove in three runs. Maggie Matuszak went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs as well. Lacy Marty got the win in the circle. She went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and an unearned run while striking out five.

Chelsea traveled to play in the Auburn Tournament over the weekend. On Friday, the Hornets dominated both of their pool games. In a 10-0 win over Providence Christian, Olivia Bergert hit a home run and drove in three runs. Carly Taylor also homered and knocked in two runs. Bryars and Erwin each pitched two innings and allowed just one hit. The Hornets beat Alabama Christian 10-2 in the second game. Erwin hit a two-run homer in the game and threw all five innings. Bergert drove in two more runs and Holt doubled and knocked in three runs.

On Saturday, the Hornets won their first bracket game before falling in the second. Chelsea beat Russellville 6-4 on a two-run walk-off home run by Burback, following a comeback from a 4-0 deficit. Also in the game, Holt doubled twice and drove in two runs, while Erwin threw five innings and allowed just two hits and no runs and struck out six. Chelsea’s run ended in a 4-3 loss to eventual champion Wetumpka. Holt had a double and two more RBIs in the contest.

Oak Mountain

The Oak Mountain softball team picked up a win last Tuesday, knocking off Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 8-5. The Eagles tied the game in the fifth inning on a Grace Hummel single, and Emily Hart hit a three-run home run as the next batter to give the team the lead for good. Sarah Katona drove in four runs for the Eagles, with a two-run home run in the second inning and a two-run single in the seventh.

Oak Mountain earned a 9-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday. The Eagles broke a scoreless tie with four runs in the fourth inning and cruised from there. Riley Sullivan and Katona had big nights at the plate, as both homered and drove in three runs. Maggie Matuszak went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs as well. Lacy Marty got the win in the circle. She went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and an unearned run while striking out five.

SOCCER

Briarwood

Briarwood’s boys soccer team held off Chelsea in its only match of the week on Feb. 29. Briarwood and Chelsea battled back-and-forth but the Lions came away with the 3-2 win. The Lions are now 5-3 on the season. 

The Briarwood girls team fell to Mountain Brook 2-0 on Feb. 28. The Lady Lions are sitting winless at 0-5 on the season. 

Chelsea

Chelsea’s girls soccer team earned head coach Jonathan Hammett’s 200th career win Feb. 27. Chelsea battled to a 2-1 win over Cullman in its only contest of the week. The Lady Hornets are back over the .500 mark with a 2-1 record.

Chelsea’s boys soccer team battled with Briarwood but lost in the end. The Hornets lost 3-2 on Feb. 29 to drop to 3-3 on the season. 

Oak Mountain

The Oak Mountain girls soccer team went 2-0 on the week to improve to 10-0-1 on the season. Oak Mountain won by a large 7-0 margin on Feb. 25 at Bob Jones. Oak Mountain then beat Enterprise 4-1 on Feb. 28 to finish out the week. The Lady Eagles have outscored opponents 40-4 during the season so far. 

Oak Mountain’s boys team had an up-and-down week. Oak Mountain dropped a tough contest on the road at Spain Park 4-2 on Feb. 25. The Eagles redeemed themselves with a narrow victory over Northridge 1-0 on Feb. 27 before losing to Enterprise on Friday night, 4-2. 

TENNIS

Briarwood

Briarwood’s boys tennis team won in straight sets twice during the week, improving to 2-1 on the season. Briarwood won 9-0 over Oxford on Feb. 25 and then again over Chelsea 9-0 on Feb. 27. The Lions also won the Shelby County Tournament over the weekend.

The girls team also went 2-0 on the week. The Lady Lions won 8-1 over Oxford to start the week on Feb. 25, and then won by a slim 5-4 margin over Chelsea on Feb. 27. The Lady Lions came up just short finishing as the runner-up in the Shelby County Tournament over the weekend. 

Chelsea

The Hornets dropped to 0-3 on the season with a loss to Briarwood. The boy’s tennis team was swept 9-0 in the match on Feb. 27.

The Lady Hornets tennis team came up short against Briarwood on Feb. 27. Chelsea fell to 1-2 on the season after a 5-4 loss.

Oak Mountain

The Lady Eagles earned a season-opening win with a near sweep of Leeds. Oak Mountain won only dropping one set to Leeds in the 8-1 victory. 

Grace Qian defeated Thompson, Pelham and Briarwood during the Shelby County Tournament to win one-seed singles. Qian and Lacee Sheaffer beat Briarwood, Westminster and Thompson, by a tie-breaker, to win the top doubles for the Lady Eagles. 

GOLF

Briarwood

Briarwood's boys golf team beat John Carroll to open the season on Feb. 25. 

— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.