Photo courtesy of Hoover Baseball
The Hoover High School baseball team won its fourth area championship in a row on Wednesday, April 17, 2019.
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 picked up an area win last Tuesday with a 6-0 shutout of Thompson. Cole Baker was nearly unhittable for the Bucs, as he allowed just five hits and a walk while striking out eight. Jack Henry Milligan drove in a pair of runs, while Peyton Wilson tallied three hits and an RBI.
Hoover wrapped up the area title on Wednesday with a 4-1 win over Thompson. Robby Ashford went 2-for-4 with a double and a homer to lead the Bucs and Daniel Swatek went the distance on the mound, only allowing a seventh-inning run.
This week, the Bucs wrap up the regular season on Monday with a doubleheader against Smiths Station. On Friday, Hoover begins its Class 7A first-round playoff series against Vestavia Hills.
Spain Park
The Spain Park baseball team began last week with a 6-3 win over Pell City on Monday. The Jags put up four runs in the first inning and never surrendered the lead. Jack Poist led the offense, as he went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in on the afternoon. John Poist picked up three hits.
The Vestavia Hills baseball team secured its state playoffs berth with a 4-3 walk-off win over area foe Spain Park on Tuesday evening. Colton Lewis singled to score Ben Saway in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Rebels to the win. Lewis allowed three runs (one earned) in 4 1/3 innings on the mound as well, with Grant Cherry and Graham Duncan combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief. John Poist was 3-for-3 with an RBI for the Jags. Eli Copenhaver pitched six innings for Spain Park, allowing three runs (two earned) on one hit.
Spain Park capped off the area schedule on Wednesday by picking up its first area win, a 2-1 victory over Vestavia Hills. The Jags struck for a run in the first and responded with another run after the Rebels tied the game in the fourth inning. Lane Willis went 2-for-2 with an RBI for the Jags and Linden Samaha went the full seven innings, allowing four hits, one run, one walk and struck out four. Garrison Cherry was solid on the mound for the Rebels as well, as he allowed two runs on five hits and fanned nine.
The Jags ended the season with a 20-14 record. Seniors on the team included John Poist, Colby Mills, Braden McNees, Will May and Willis.
SOFTBALL
Hoover
The Hoover softball team began play last week on Tuesday with a 3-2 loss to Brookwood, as the Bucs were unable to overcome Brookwood’s three-run first inning. The Bucs plated their runs on solo homers by Jordan Moore and Hannah Presley.
Hoover picked up a thrilling 11-10 area win over Tuscaloosa County on Wednesday afternoon. After losing the lead in the top half of the inning, Presley hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to put the Bucs ahead for good. The Bucs offense was buoyed throughout by a pair of three-run home runs by Katie Norris and Moore. Eva Guenster also went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.
This week, the Bucs wrap up the regular season. On Tuesday, they host Southside-Gadsden and Central-Phenix City on Thursday. Over the weekend, they will host the Hoover Classic.
Spain Park
The Spain Park softball team locked up the Class 7A, Area 6 title with a 15-3 win over Mountain Brook on Tuesday. Alexis Anderson hit a home run for the Jags, while Taylor Harrington went 3-for-3 with a triple and four runs batted in. Annabelle Widra had three hits and two RBIs, while Lindsay Parker drove home three as well. Sara Frances Berte, Chloe Hontzas and Turner Cole knocked in the runs for Mountain Brook.
This week, the Jags wrap up the regular season by playing Tuscaloosa County at the University of Alabama on Monday and celebrating senior night on Tuesday against Oakman.
GOLF
The Spain Park boys golf team won the Warrior Invitational at Timberline Golf Club last Tuesday. Matt Stuart and Hayden Carner led the Jags with identical scores of 5-over par (76).
TENNIS
The Hoover and Spain Park boys and girls tennis teams competed in the Class 7A, Section 3 tournaments last Monday and Tuesday. Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills claimed the top two team spots in both tournaments to qualify for the state tournament. Spain Park’s boys were close in the boys tournament, finishing third with 31 points, four points behind Mountain Brook’s second-place score.
SOCCER
Hoover
The Hoover boys soccer team (14-4-3) tied Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 2-2 on Tuesday and beat Tuscaloosa County 6-0 on Wednesday.
The Hoover girls (9-5-3) fell to Oak Mountain 1-0 on Tuesday in the de facto Class 7A, Area 5 title game. On Wednesday, the Lady Bucs rebounded with a 10-0 win over Tuscaloosa County. Kyla Shaw had a hat trick in the victory.
Spain Park
The Spain Park girls soccer team (12-4-3) beat 7A, Area 6 opponent Hewitt-Trussville 5-0 on Tuesday behind a hat trick from Jasmine Greene.
The Spain Park boys (5-11-2) lost an area match to Mountain Brook 2-1 in penalty kicks on Monday. On Wednesday, the Jags rebounded with a 3-1 win over Northridge.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
