Photo by Erin Nelson
Hoover’s Kaitlyn Raines (24) pitches in a game against Tuscaloosa County at Hoover High School’s Jim Brown Field on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. Photo by Erin Nelson.
Here's a look back at the last week in Hoover and Spain Park high school sports.
BASEBALL
The Hoover and Spain Park baseball teams renewed their rivalry last Tuesday night, as Hoover won 10-9 on Camdyn Teague’s walk-off hit in the seventh inning. Teague finished with 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Cade Carr had a pair of hits, including a double, and 2 RBIs. Mason Blasche hit a double and a triple. Caid Finn was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Will Lawrence drove in a run as well. Alberto Gomez threw 3 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits.
For Spain Park, Jacob Tobias led the offense with 3 hits and 3 RBIs in the contest. Cole Edwards had a big game as well, going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles and 2 RBIs. Evan Smallwood knocked in a pair of runs and Richard Moon drove one in as well. James Battersby was also 2-for-4 with a double and Clay Spencer hit a double. JR Thompson threw 6 innings, allowing 4 runs (1 earned) on 7 hits with 5 strikeouts.
Spain Park got a measure of revenge Wednesday, beating Hoover 7-6 in walk-off fashion as well. Matthew Widra drew a bases-loaded walk to win the game. Edwards went 2-for-3 with a couple RBIs, while Spencer was 3-for-5 with a double and Battersby and Thompson each knocked in a run each. Tobias threw 6 innings, allowing 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits with 8 strikeouts.
Hoover hosted Madison Central of Mississippi on Saturday, picking up an 8-1 win. Blasche continued his strong play, hitting a home run and driving in 4 runs in the game. Teague was 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles as well. Finn drove in a pair, while Andrew Pitts had 2 hits and an RBI as well. Carr hit a double. Samuel Schmidt threw the complete game, allowing a run on 2 hits with 8 strikeouts in 7 innings.
Spain Park won both games it played Saturday, shutting out Florence 6-0 and beating Huntsville 8-2. In the first win, Spencer hit a double and knocked home a pair of runs. Battersby had 2 hits and 2 RBIs, while Smallwood and Widra each knocked in a run as well. Lucas Thornton threw the complete game shutout, surrendering just 4 hits and striking out 7 batters.
In the second game, Edwards and Battersby drove in a pair of runs each to lead the offense. Smallwood had a pair of hits and knocked in a run, Spencer drove in a run and Ryan Cole and Chapman Blevins hit doubles. CJ Gross threw the complete game, striking out 7 hitters.
SOFTBALL
The Spain Park softball team began play last week with a 3-1 loss to Thompson. Ella Ussery pitched well for the Jags, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits over 6 innings. Charlee Bennett stole 3 bases for the team as well. Thompson’s Dailynn Motes hit a home run, driving in a pair. Chalea Clemmons threw 6 1/3 innings, allowing a run on 3 hits with 8 strikeouts.
Hoover suffered a tough loss to Hartselle on Tuesday, falling 3-2 in 10 innings. Hartselle’s Blayne Godfrey hit the go-ahead home run in the 10th inning and threw 6 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. For Hoover, Olivia Christian threw all 10 innings and Lindsey Westhoven hit her first career varsity homer in the contest as well.
Spain Park grabbed a 3-1 area win over Chelsea on Tuesday. Maggie Daniel hit a double and a triple and drove in 2 runs. Ella Reed threw the complete game, setting a personal best with 17 strikeouts in her 7 innings. She allowed a run on 4 hits in the stellar outing. For Chelsea, Maia Harris allowed 3 runs in 4 2/3 innings, while Julie Amacher threw 2 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or run.
Hoover had another marathon game Wednesday, beating area foe Tuscaloosa County 8-7 in 12 innings. Bella Foran had the game-winning RBI, in addition to hitting a home run late in the game as well. Carolyne Hecklinski registered a 4-hit game, going for a double and an RBI as well. Mac Stribling had 2 hits and drove in 3 runs, while Ki Davis scored 3 times. Kaitlyn Raines pitched well, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings of work. Tuscaloosa County’s Alyssa Faircloth threw the first 9 innings, striking out 14 while allowing 2 runs (1 earned).
Spain Park hosted the Jag Classic over the weekend. On Friday, the Jags beat Southside twice, 3-2 and 19-1. In the first game, Reed threw the complete game, allowing 2 runs on 4 hits with 8 strikeouts over 7 innings. Spain Park blew past Southside in the second game, 19-1. Ussery had a huge game, going 2-for-3 with a triple, a homer and 5 RBIs at the plate. In the circle, she threw 5 innings and limited Southside to a run on 3 hits. Flannery hit a double, a homer and drove in 3 runs. Klara Thompson hit a double and drove in 2 runs, Daniel was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, and Caroline Charles was 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored.
Spain Park suffered a 2-1 loss to Brooks in 9 innings on Saturday, ending its tournament run. For the Jags, Daniel registered 2 hits and drove in the team’s lone run. Reed pitched well, throwing 9 innings and allowing 6 hits, striking out 12.
SOCCER
The Hoover girls soccer team fell to Oak Mountain 3-0 last Monday.
Hoover’s girls got back in the win column Tuesday, beating Tuscaloosa County 10-0. Nneka Udeh notched a hat trick for the Bucs, as Brooklyn Gernenz, Julie Cooke, Elise Marquardt, Sage Thomas, Peyton David, Allie Sanderson and Brooke Nettles all scored a goal as well.
Hoover’s boys earned a 4-0 win over Tuscaloosa County as well. Meanwhile, Spain Park’s boys finished in 3-3 draw with Vestavia Hills.
Hoover’s boys blew past Austin 5-1 on Friday. Reese Kearney put the Bucs on the board early with a goal, as they held that lead at the halftime break. The Bucs took over in the second half, as Kearney scored on a penalty, Sam Whitlock scored on a Bear Gregory assist, Henry Patterson notched a penalty kick goal and Tyler Wiggins fed Hadi Saad for the final goal.
Hewitt-Trussville’s boys picked up a big 3-1 win over Spain Park on Friday. Spain Park’s girls earned a 3-0 win over the Huskies.
GOLF
Last week, the Hoover boys golf team finished second at the Kickoff Classic at Twin Bridges in Gadsden.
TENNIS
The Hoover boys and girls tennis teams beat Hewitt-Trussville last Tuesday, the boys winning 9-0 and the girls winning 6-3. In the girls match, juniors Kristina Hwangpo and Abby Gobbels fell in a tight doubles match, 9-7. The Bucs won five of six singles matches for the overall win, though. In the boys match, senior Anthony Hill and junior Jackson Plugge rallied to win 8-5 after trailing 5-2. The Bucs otherwise dominated the match.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Hoover and Spain Park outdoor track and field teams competed in the King of the Mountain Invitational at Vestavia Hills last Saturday.
For Hoover, RJ Torbor won the 110-meter hurdles, running the race in 14.97 seconds. Atouri Robinson was victorious in the long jump, reaching 21 feet, 9.25 inches. Bradley Shaw won the discus throw as well, with his toss going 145-4.
Cannon Peters was second in the 800-meter run, Denver Cash was second in 110-meter hurdles, Jeffrey Lopez was second in javelin and Michael Nixon finished second in shot put.
For Spain Park, Christian Johnson won the boys pole vault, clearing the bar at 14 feet. On the girls side, Delaney Vickers finished second in the 800-meter run.
A few Spain Park athletes competed in New Balance Nationals in Boston last week. Keith Warner finished in the top 90 overall in the 1,500-meter and 1-mile runs. The 4-by-mile relay team was 25th and the 4x800 team was 49th.
Want to see something else mentioned? Feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.
