Sam Chandler
Chelsea Girls Soccer
Chelsea's Kailey Littleford (8) dribbles during a match against Mountain Brook on Feb. 26, 2019, at Mountain Brook High School.
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.
BASEBALL
Briarwood
The Chelsea baseball team swept a doubleheader against Briarwood on Thursday, winning by scores of 3-1 and 8-1. In the first game, both teams notched a run in the first inning before the Hornets broke through with two decisive runs in the fourth inning. Garrett Frye hit a sacrifice fly and was followed by Jacob Tinnell’s RBI double. Bennett Horton earned the save by working the final three innings in scoreless fashion.
JT McGregor and Frye combined to no-hit Briarwood in the second contest, with Briarwood’s lone run coming on a Carson McKinney bases-loaded walk. Horton did his damage offensively in that contest, registering a triple among his two hits and racking up four RBIs. Nolan Forehand and Carter Frederick drove in two runs apiece.
The Lions dropped a pair of contests over the weekend. On Friday, Briarwood was unable to make its brief lead stand up in a 7-6 loss to Hewitt-Trussville in nine innings. Parker Hutson drove in a pair of runs for the Lions in the game. Helena scored nine runs in the third inning on Saturday and held on for an 11-8 win. Sam Hamner notched three hits for the Lions.
Chelsea
The Chelsea baseball team swept a doubleheader against Briarwood on Thursday, winning by scores of 3-1 and 8-1. In the first game, both teams notched a run in the first inning before the Hornets broke through with two decisive runs in the fourth inning. Garrett Frye hit a sacrifice fly and was followed by Jacob Tinnell’s RBI double. Bennett Horton earned the save by working the final three innings in scoreless fashion.
JT McGregor and Frye combined to no-hit Briarwood in the second contest, with Briarwood’s lone run coming on a Carson McKinney bases-loaded walk. Horton did his damage offensively in that contest, registering a triple among his two hits and racking up four RBIs. Nolan Forehand and Carter Frederick drove in two runs apiece.
Chelsea split a doubleheader on Saturday, falling 3-2 to Prattville before rebounding to edge out Northview 2-1. Prattville notched a pair of runs in the first inning and held the lead until Chelsea scored its two runs in the sixth on a two-run double by Tinnell, who also went 5 2/3 innings in relief for the Hornets before Prattville walked off with a run in the eighth inning. In the second game, Forehand made two runs of support stand up, as he allowed just a run on three hits in the complete game effort.
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain baseball team began its week by defeating Pelham 10-8 last Tuesday evening. Luke Percer had two hits and drove in three runs to lead the Eagles. Hansen McCown pitched five innings to earn the win. Jackson Kimbrell and Landon Cato each had two RBIs as well.
Oak Mountain notched a 9-4 win over Spain Park on Thursday. Kimbrell earned the win for the Eagles, as he allowed two hits and two runs (one earned) in five innings of work. Dylan Fraser, Hunter Hall and Jack Wilson all had two hits and two RBIs in the contest. Cato had two RBIs as well. Lane Willis led the way for the Jags, as he tallied a pair of hits and three RBIs on the day.
Spain Park enacted a measure of revenge on Friday, with the Jags beating Oak Mountain 2-1. Both teams notched runs in the first inning, but Carter Sidor’s run-scoring double in the sixth inning proved the difference for the Jags. Linden Samaha went the distance on the mound for the Jags, allowing just one run on three hits.
Oak Mountain notched a doubleheader sweep of Pelham on Saturday, winning 9-3 and 11-1. In the first game, Kimbrell and Cato each drove in a pair of runs to lead the offense, while Boston Smith and Blake Sandidge combined for the solid effort on the mound. In the second game, Kimbrell homered among his three hits and scored three runs as well. Caleb Ragland earned the win, allowing an unearned run on three hits in five innings of work.
SOFTBALL
Briarwood
The Briarwood softball team began last week with a 14-5 win over Homewood on a chilly Tuesday afternoon. The Lions scored in six of the seven innings and cruised to the win. Taylor Wheat led the charge offensively for the Lions, as she hit her first home run of the season. Wheat went 4-for-5 with six RBIs on the night. Blakley Watts also drove in three runs for Briarwood. Caroline Campbell went the distance in the circle, allowing five unearned runs on three hits while striking out nine. For Homewood, Jakaria Byrd drove in two runs.
Briarwood’s offense was clicking again on Thursday in a 15-1 win over Pleasant Grove. Cameron Fountain led the way offensively, as she went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Watts had a four-hit game and scored four runs. Wheat, Campbell and Julia Vincent all notched two RBIs.
Chelsea
Spain Park jumped out to an early lead and went on to win 9-2 over Chelsea on Thursday. Caroline Wooley homered and knocked in two runs in the game, while Bailey Bowers doubled and had three RBIs. Maddie Majors drove in a pair of runs as well and Annabelle Widra went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Olivia Bergert had an RBI for Chelsea.
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain softball team picked up its first win of the season last Tuesday with a 16-7 victory over Clay-Chalkville. M’Kiyah Mitchell had a huge game, as she went 3-for-5 with a double and six RBIs. Hannah Atwood doubled, tripled and drove in four runs, while also going the distance in the circle.
Oak Mountain fell to Helena 8-3 on Wednesday afternoon, as the Huskies’ seven runs over the second and third innings were too much for the Eagles to overcome. Dawn Autry and Abi Brown each notched two hits for the Eagles in the contest.
The Eagles earned a hard-fought 9-8 win over Prattville on Thursday. Oak Mountain put up five runs in the first inning and held an 8-1 lead after four innings, but Prattville tied the game with four runs in the seventh. Brown’s RBI single in the eighth lifted the Eagles to the victory. Atwood homered and drove in three in the contest, while Mitchell doubled and had five RBIs.
TENNIS
The Briarwood tennis teams had a strong week last week. The boys defeated Pell City 9-0 and the girls won 8-1, while both teams swept Shades Valley 9-0. On the boys side, each player remains unbeaten at each singles and doubles position. Both teams are now 4-0 on the year.
SOCCER
Briarwood
The Briarwood boys soccer team defeated John Carroll 3-0 in its Class 4A-5A, Area 7 opener on Tuesday and downed another area opponent, Indian Springs, 1-0 on Friday.
Lions senior Logan Frost scored his 100th career goal in the win over Indian Springs. Briarwood is now 9-0-1 on the season and will play in the Birmingham Metro Tournament this week.
The Lions girls soccer team fell to John Carroll 6-2 on Tuesday but beat Indian Springs 7-1 on Friday to earn its first win of the season. Briarwood will play at Mountain Brook on Tuesday and host Spain Park on Friday.
Chelsea
The Chelsea boys watched a three-goal lead slip away in a 5-4 loss to Class 6A, Area 7 opponent Helena on Tuesday. The Hornets led 4-1 in their area opener before the Huskies rallied to score four unanswered goals.
But Chelsea rebounded later in the week, earning shutout wins over Talladega, 10-0, and Park Crossing, 4-0. Lando Nichols scored three goals in the win over Park Crossing, while Matt Reinsch added two assists. This week, the Hornets (7-4) will compete in the Birmingham Metro Tournament.
The Chelsea girls beat Helena 11-1 in their 6A, Area 7 opener on Tuesday and defeated Homewood, the top-ranked team in 6A, 4-3 on Thursday. The Lady Hornets are now 8-0 on the season. This week, they’ll host Oak Mountain on Tuesday and play at John Carroll on Thursday.
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain girls soccer team improved to 10-0 on the season with a pair of 2-0 wins last week. The Eagles beat Trinity Presbyterian on Thursday and Auburn on Friday. This week, they play at Chelsea on Tuesday and host Hoover on Friday.
The Oak Mountain boys soccer team notched a 2-0 victory over Class 7A, Area 5 rival Hoover on Friday, handing the Bucs their first loss of the season. Cody Wells and Patrick Guffey both scored in the win.
The Eagles fell to Enterprise 3-0 on Saturday. Now 6-3 on the season, they will play in the Birmingham Metro Tournament this week.
TRACK AND FIELD
Oak Mountain High School senior Trey Allen won the national high jump title on Saturday at New Balance Nationals Indoor in New York City. Allen, the Class 7A state champion, leaped 6 feet, 10.75 inches to clinch the crown. He has signed with the University of Louisville.
Oak Mountain also found local success on the oval over the weekend at the King of the Mountain Invitational, hosted by Vestavia Hills.
Nicole Payne won the girls 100- and 200-meter dashes, running 12.04 seconds and 24.57 seconds, and Evie Bell won the girls 1,600 meters in 5:23.31. Harrison Dimick finished first in the boys discus with a throw of 148 feet, 6 inches.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
