The Reset: Jags beat rival Oak Mountain
Over the course of the year, the Hoover Sun will keep you up to date on the various Hoover and Spain Park high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
BASEBALL
Hoover
The Hoover baseball team pulled out an 8-5 win over Thompson on Tuesday in a Class 7A, Area 5 contest. Daniel Swatek, Sonny DiChiara and Preston Moore all drove in a pair of runs for the Bucs. Swatek went 3-for-4 with a double.
The Bucs completed the sweep of Thompson on Thursday with two more wins. In a 3-2 win over the Warriors, Peyton Wilson’s two-run single in the fifth inning proved decisive. Griffin Lape pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed just two unearned runs in the first inning. Hoover dominated the second game of the day, 11-0. DiChiara homered and knocked in two, and Will Pratt worked around five hits in four innings of work.
Hoover won both games it played as part of a Saturday doubleheader. The Bucs began the day with a 6-0 win over Oxford. DiChiara and Moore each drove in two runs in the game and Connor Campbell pitched the complete game shutout, allowing nine hits but striking out nine batters along the way.
The Bucs then used a nine-run fourth inning to beat Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, 12-6. Wilson homered and knocked in three runs, while Nolan Hammonds drove in three as well. Evan Veal registered three hits and a pair of RBIs.
Spain Park
The Spain Park baseball team notched a 3-1 win over Pell City on Tuesday. Colton Ledbetter registered a pair of hits, including a double, and an RBI in the contest. Sam Dozier allowed a lone unearned run in a complete game effort, as he allowed six hits and struck out five.
Spain Park picked up another win on Wednesday, outlasting Gardendale, 5-4, in eight innings. Colton Ledbetter’s two-run triple in the eighth inning lifted the Jags to the win. Dozier notched a pair of hits and drove in a run as well. Starting pitcher Noah Burns was solid, as he went 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits.
The Jags swept Class 7A, Area 6 foe Huffman in a Thursday doubleheader, defeating the Vikings 20-1 and 19-5. Over the two games, Brody Richey drove in a combined 12 runs. In the first game, Ledbetter and John Kennington had three RBIs apiece, while Jarrod Kennington surrendered two hits and an unearned run in four innings on the mound. In the second game, Dozier went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and three RBIs.
SOFTBALL
Hoover
The Hoover softball team fell to Tuscaloosa County, 5-2, in a Class 7A, Area 5 game on Thursday. The Bucs surrendered three runs in the final inning, as the Wildcats broke open a tie game. Hannah Presley went 2-for-2 with a home run for the Bucs.
Spain Park
The Spain Park softball team dominated Huffman, 22-0, on Tuesday in a Class 7A, Area 6 team. Kate Campbell pitched a perfect game in three innings, retiring all nine batters she saw and striking out eight of them. She was also 2-for-3 at the plate. Caroline Wooley smacked a pair of home runs and drove in four runs, while Alexis Anderson also homered. Bailey Bowers doubled and brought home two runs.
On Thursday, the Jags picked up a critical win over Area 6 rival Oak Mountain. In the 3-2 win, Lindsay Parker went 3-for-3 with a pair of run-scoring hits. Annabelle Widra went the distance in the circle, as she went seven innings and allowed two runs on seven hits, with eight strikeouts.
SOCCER
Hoover
The Hoover girls soccer team fell to Spain Park, 3-2, on Tuesday in a tight contest. The Hoover boys soccer team fell to area foe Vestavia Hills, 3-0, on Thursday. On Saturday, the boys team tied Mill Creek (Georgia), 1-1.
Spain Park
The Spain Park girls soccer team pulled out a critical, 3-2, win over Hoover on Tuesday. Spain Park’s boys beat Pelham 2-1 on Wednesday. Logan Bradley scored his first goal as a member of the varsity team to equalize the score in the first half. Brooks Rice scored near the end of the first half to give the Jags the lead for good. Goalkeeper MJ Dimbo made five saves in the win.
On Thursday, the girls team knocked off Gardendale, 4-0.
Both Spain Park teams took on Mill Creek (Georgia) on Friday. The girls notched a 2-1 win and the boys grabbed a 6-3 comeback victory. The Jags trailed 3-0 and scored the game’s final six goals to pull away. Rice registered a whopping four goals in the game, while Reece Eberhardt scored the other two. Justin Fisher grabbed the win in goal.
TENNIS
The Hoover girls tennis team fell to Vestavia Hills, 8-1, on Monday. No. 2 seed Angie Morales won her singles match for the Lady Bucs and improved to 9-1 on the season.
GOLF
The Spain Park girls golf team won the Athens Invitational on Thursday. Caroline Waldrop led the team with a 73 to make the all-tournament team. Marilyn Steed shot 76 and Caroline McCabe finished at 81.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Hoover outdoor track and field teams competed in the Mobile Challenge of Champions over the weekend. For the girls, Michelle Nkoudou finished second in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.31 seconds. Chakiya Plummer won the 300 hurdles in 43.23. The 4x400 relay team came home third in 3:56.31, while the 4x800 team won the event in 9:40.56. Riley White was second in the pole vault, clearing 11 feet, 6 inches.
For the boys, Marion Humphrey won the 110 hurdles (14.15) and 300 hurdles (36.75). The 4x800 relay team was second in 8:11.98. J’Marri McCall won the long jump with a distance of 22-11.25 and James Courson won the pole vault (16-0).
The Spain Park outdoor track and field teams hosted the Spain Park Classic on Saturday. For the girls, Sydney Taylor came home third in the 200-meter dash in 28.43 seconds. MacKenzie Culpepper won the 800 with a time of 2:28.33. The 4x400 (4:36.62) and 4x800 (10:32.93) relay teams won their events. Anna Collins placed third in the pole vault (7-6) and Katelyn McClure won the discus toss (107-10.5).
On the boys side, Kameron McDaniel won the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.65 seconds. Jacob Warner was third in the two-mile run, with a time of 10:08.14. Steven Pate was third in the discus toss (127-0). Matthew Gray won the shot put event (47-1.75).
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.