Bucs split with Hewitt-Trussville on Friday

HOOVER – Nothing was settled on Friday night between the Bucs and Huskies.

In the first round of the Class 7A playoffs, the Hoover High School baseball team split a doubleheader with Hewitt-Trussville, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3 on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Hoover took the first game, 4-2, scoring all four runs in the first inning. But Hewitt-Trussville responded in the second game, as Carson Skipper struck out 13 hitters in an 8-1 Huskies win.

“They’re really good and I didn’t expect anything less from them in Game 2,” said Hoover head coach Adam Moseley.

Game 1: Hoover 4, Hewitt-Trussville 2

A pair of first-inning home runs is all the Bucs needed in the first game of the series. Peyton Wilson and Preston Moore teed off for two-run home runs, as the Bucs jumped out to a 4-0 lead before an out was recorded in the bottom of the first inning.

Sanford was hit by a pitch to set up Wilson’s blast and Sonny DiChiara followed with a single before Moore launched the first pitch he saw over the left field fence. The Huskies were fortunate to get out of the inning with just the four runs having scored, as the Bucs loaded the bases later in the inning but came up empty.

“It’s good and bad,” Moseley said. “Really, I thought we should’ve gotten more that inning. But it was good to have (the four runs), for sure.”

Scott Elgin was able to make that lead stand for the duration. He allowed just five hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings of work. Sonny DiChiara and Griffin Lape combined to close out the seventh.

“It’s crazy. Two years ago, he threw against the same team, and gave up 10 runs without getting an out,” Moseley said. “To see him go into the sixth like he did was special.”

Max Garvey, Sam Sanford and Daniel Swatek tallied the only other hits for the Bucs in the game.

Following the first-inning runs, Hewitt-Trussville starter Michael Fowler settled into the game. He threw 4 2/3 innings, allowing six hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Tyler Mauldin got the Huskies on the board with an RBI single in the third inning. Keith Lanum’s RBI single in the fourth made it 4-2.

“What you have is two really good teams getting after it,” said Hewitt-Trussville head coach Jeff Mauldin. “I thought our kids handled the adversity early well. Our pitcher settled down and was able to get to the fifth inning. We bounced back, scored a couple runs and had some opportunities, we just didn’t get the big hit.”

Game 2: Hewitt-Trussville 8, Hoover 1

Hewitt-Trussville rebounded in a big way in the second game, putting up five runs in the third inning and cruising to the 8-1 win behind a stellar performance from Skipper. He struck out 13 hitters and allowed just five hits in the complete game.

“We bounced back really well and showed our character and how resilient we can be,” Jeff Mauldin said. “We’re happy to be playing tomorrow for sure.”

An error and a walk set up Jacob Bishop’s two-run double to begin the scoring in that big third inning. The next two Hewitt hitters walked and Preston Jones cleared the bases on a single and ensuing error.

Hoover got its only run of the game on an RBI single from Moore in the fourth.

The Huskies added on two more in the fourth, as Tyler Mauldin and Bishop collected back-to-back bloop hits to score runs. Lanum’s single in the fifth scored Caden Kirk to extend the lead to 8-1.

Connor Campbell started the game for Hoover and went three innings, allowing five runs on five hits.