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HS Sports Update: Huskies baseball advances to quarterfinals

by ,

James "Nick" Nicholas

BASEBALL

The Hewitt-Trussville baseball team pulled out a tight series win over Oak Mountain in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs over the weekend.

Game 1: Oak Mountain 3, Hewitt-Trussville 0

Oak Mountain registered just two hits but scored all its runs in the second inning, as the Eagles knocked off Hewitt-Trussville 3-0 in the first game. Jackson Kimbrell led off the second inning with a solo home run to put Oak Mountain on the board. The Eagles’ second run came across on Jack Wilson’s fielder’s choice and a third run scored on a balk.

Jake Rivers stepped up on the mound for Oak Mountain, as he struck out 11 batters in a six-hit shutout. Michael Fowler pitched well for the Huskies, as he struck out 13 in 6 1/3 frames.

Game 2: Hewitt-Trussville 3, Oak Mountain 2

Hewitt-Trussville rebounded from the Game 1 defeat and hung on for a 3-2 victory in the second game of the series. The Huskies dented the scoreboard first with a pair of runs in the first inning, as Kerrigan Edmonson scored on an error and Hudson Boren drove in a run with a fielder’s choice.

Oak Mountain scratched runs across in the sixth and seventh innings to close the gap, but the defensive play of the game came in the bottom of the seventh. With the tying run on third, Edmonson fielded a ground ball at first base and fired the ball to home plate, where catcher Julian Sauger fielded the short hop and made the tag to prevent the Eagles from tying the contest. Keith Lanum had three hits in the game for Hewitt.

Jared Waites went 6 1/3 innings for Hewitt-Trussville, as he struck out nine and allowed two runs on two hits. Skyler Jones earned the final two outs to notch the save. For Oak Mountain, Hansen McCown went the distance, striking out seven.

Game 3: Hewitt-Trussville 4, Oak Mountain 2

Jones’ complete game effort on Saturday lifted Hewitt-Trussville to a 4-2 win over Oak Mountain in the decisive third game of the first-round Class 7A playoff series. Jones allowed just four hits and two runs (one earned) on the afternoon to lift the Huskies to the quarterfinals.

For the Huskies, Edmonson, Tyler Mauldin, Zach Defnall and Sauger drove in runs. This weekend, Hewitt-Trussville will travel to Florence this weekend for the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

Oak Mountain’s season ends with a 30-9 record, good for only the third season in program history with 30 wins in a season.

SOFTBALL

Hewitt-Trussville

The Hewitt-Trussville softball team dominated Mortimer Jordan 11-0 last Monday. Crystal Maze led the Huskies offense, as she went 2-for-2 with a home run, three runs batted in and two runs scored. Molly Cobb doubled and drove in three runs as well, as she also pitched five scoreless innings on the mound, allowing four hits and striking out nine. Anyce Harvey went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Hewitt-Trussville picked up another big win on Tuesday, as the Huskies celebrated their five seniors with an 11-1 win over Prattville. Two of those seniors, Hannah Borden and Cobb, hit home runs on their special evening. Maddie Katona, Kailey Walters and Hayden Neugent were also honored. Neugent pitched well, allowing just two hits and a run with 10 strikeouts in five innings. Hannah Dorsett stood out as well, as she went 3-for-3 with three RBIs. ‘

Hewitt-Trussville capped off the regular season over the weekend at the Hoover Classic, where the Huskies made a run to the quarterfinals of the tournament. Hewitt-Trussville began pool play on Friday with a 4-4 tie with Gardendale. The Huskies trailed 4-2 before Borden hit a two-run home run to tie the game in what would be the final inning. Hewitt then notched an 11-3 victory over Hale County. Borden homered again, and her and Maze each had two RBIs in the game.

Hewitt concluded pool play on Saturday morning with an 8-2 loss to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, as the Huskies got their runs on solo homers by Kenleigh Cahalan and Maze. Hewitt began bracket play after that with a 15-0 win over Homewood. Cobb led the offense, as she went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and four RBIs. Borden homered again and drove in three runs. Maze doubled and had two RBIs. KK Hughes allowed just one hit in three scoreless innings.

Hewitt-Trussville then picked up a 4-3 win over Hartselle. Borden’s two-run homer gave the Huskies a 4-1 lead in the third inning, before Hartselle’s fifth inning rally fell short. Hewitt’s run came to an end with a 3-1 loss to Pelham in the quarterfinals.

This week, Hewitt-Trussville plays in the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament at Spain Park. The Huskies begin play on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Vestavia Hills.

Clay-Chalkville

Mountain Brook picked up its second consecutive win on Tuesday with a 17-6 win over Clay-Chalkville. The Cougars actually held a 6-4 lead until the Spartans posted 11 runs in a huge fifth inning to break the game open. Turner Cole led the Spartans offense with three hits and five RBIs in the contest. Sara Frances Berte tallied a pair of doubles and drove in four runs. Maggie Reaves and Ellie Pitts each racked up three hits, while Pitts pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings as well. For Clay-Chalkville, Rachel Smith went 4-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI.

This week, Clay-Chalkville plays in the Class 6A, Area 12 tournament. The Cougars begin play on Tuesday at 5 p.m. against Pinson Valley at Pell City.

Pinson Valley

The Pinson Valley softball team earned a convincing 13-2 win over Locust Fork last Monday evening. The game was tight through four innings, but the Indians combined for nine runs over the final two frames to put the game out of reach. Anna Sullivan homered for the Indians, while Shauna Clevenger drove in three runs. Mollie Peoples and Graci Graves each knocked in a pair of runs. Ka’Mya Hampton went the distance in the circle, allowing two hits and two unearned runs while striking out seven.

Pinson Valley celebrated its five seniors with a 10-0 win over Shades Valley last Tuesday. Hampton led the offense with a pair of hits, including a double, and three RBIs. Peoples, Jordan Walker and Savannah Mayes each drove in two runs. Hope Cole was dominant in the circle, allowing three hits and striking out nine in six innings of work.

Pinson Valley capped off the regular season at the Hoover Classic over the weekend. The Indians began pool play on Friday with a 2-0 loss to Hatton and a 4-0 loss to Chelsea. They rebounded on Saturday morning to earn a 9-6 win over Oak Mountain. Kylie Hicks and Walker each homered for the Indians and drove in two runs. Pinson Valley’s run came to an end in bracket play in a 5-2 loss to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa. Hampton hit a two-run homer in the game.

This week, Pinson Valley plays in the Class 6A, Area 12 tournament. The Indians begin play at 5 p.m. Tuesday against Clay-Chalkville.

SOCCER

The Hewitt-Trussville boys soccer team (9-7-3) finished its season last week by splitting a pair of games against Class 7A, Area 6 opponents. The Huskies beat Spain Park 4-3 in penalty kicks on Monday, thanks in part to two goals from Eric Besse, but lost to Mountain Brook 3-1 on Wednesday in a contest it had to win to advance to the playoffs.

The Hewitt-Trussville girls soccer team (7-7-2) wrapped up its season with a 5-0 loss to Vestavia Hills on Tuesday and a 6-0 victory over Altamont on Friday. Kelly Dunn and Lizzy Hurst scored two goals apiece in the Lady Huskies’ win.

In related news, boys and girls head soccer coach Nick Holt announced via Twitter this past week that he has accepted a coaching position with the North Carolina Fusion, a professional soccer team in Winston Salem, and won’t be returning to Hewitt-Trussville next year.

TRACK AND FIELD

The Hewitt-Trussville track and field teams competed over the weekend at the Class 7A, Section 3 meet. The boys finished third, while the girls finished fourth. Individual event winners included:

The Huskies will compete this Thursday to Saturday at the state meet in Gulf Shores.

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