End to season 'heartbreaking' for Lady Bucs
The Hoover softball team was eliminated from the postseason in the Class 7A North Central Regional at Tuscaloosa’s Sokol Park over the weekend.
In a tough regional that featured four solid teams, the Lady Bucs lost to Spain Park in the opener, bounced back to defeat Oak Mountain, and fell to Vestavia Hills to end their season.
“It’s heartbreaking,” head coach Lexi Shrout said. “Just because you know how many hours and the time that the girls have put in of being a family and being a team and their discipline and all that.”
Hoover was the runner-up in the Area 5 Tournament, and drew Area 6 champ Spain Park in the regional opener. The game started over two hours later than scheduled on Friday night, and things didn’t get better for the Lady Bucs.
A rough second inning sent the Lady Jags to an eight-run lead that would be too much to overcome, as Hoover fell 10-2.
But Hoover responded in an elimination game against Oak Mountain, jumping out to a quick lead with three runs in the first inning and added on three more in the sixth, to take an 8-2 win. The game began just after 10:30 p.m. Friday and ended just after midnight.
The Lady Bucs reconvened Saturday morning and took on Vestavia Hills, after the Lady Rebels lost in walk-off fashion to Spain Park in a game resumed from the night before.
Vestavia proved too much, as Hoover dropped the contest, 7-0. The result sends the Lady Rebels and Spain Park to the state tournament.
“It’s a very tough regional, and that’s not an excuse, but we have four very qualified teams that any of us could have gone. I think Spain Park and Vestavia will represent us well,” Shrout said.
Hoover finished Shrout’s second season with a record of 44-17-1, and have advanced to regionals in both years.
“We had 19 freshman in our program this year and we have a lot of young talent coming through, so I think it’s looking bright for Hoover softball.”
The young talent will be needed, as the Lady Bucs face the departure of a solid senior class, which includes Katie Jalbert, Shelby Lowery, Morgan Jalbert, Hannah Nicholson, and Abby Grace Praytor.