HANCEVILLE, Ala. – The Hanceville Bulldogs hosted the Oakman Wildcats for a varsity matchup Tuesday night and the Bulldogs jumped out to a quick lead on their way to a 10-3 win over the Wildcats.
Hunter Black got the start for Hanceville and gave up a one-out single, but he was able to induce a double-play ball to the next batter to end the inning. The Bulldogs didn’t waste any time getting on the scoreboard in their half. Jake Cornelius drew a leadoff walk, then he stole second and third. Nelson Arteaga would drive him in on an RBI double that hit off the center field padding, then Les Fischer followed that up with an RBI double of his own to left field to give Hanceville a 2-0 lead. A Cody Belcher single put runners on the corners with two outs, then Fischer crossed the plate on a wild pitch to make it a 3-0 lead for the Bulldogs going into the top of the second.
Oakman quickly loaded the bases with one out on a pair of Hanceville error and a walk, then one out later, another walk forced home a Wildcat run to cut it to 3-1. But Black was able to strike out the next batter to get out of the inning with only limited damage being done on the scoreboard. The Bulldogs added to their lead in their half. Black drew a one-out walk, then Cornelius got hit by the pitch to put runners on first and second. One out later, Arteaga launched a full-count pitch over the left field fence for a three-run home run to give Hanceville a 6-1 lead.
Both pitchers settled down after that as the score stayed at 6-1 until the sixth inning. A leadoff triple by Oakman, followed by an RBI groundout, made it a 6-2 game, but the Bulldogs would put up their final runs of the game in their half of the sixth. Tripp Lewis hit a leadoff single, then Cornelius got hit by the pitch once again. Gabriel Ognilla reached on a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. Arteaga drew a walk to force home a run, then Cornelius later scored on a passed ball to make it an 8-2 game.
An RBI groundout by Belcher brought home Ognilla, then Damien McKinney scored on a passed ball as well and Hanceville’s lead was now 10-2. Oakman put up one final run on an RBI single in the seventh, but Ognilla got the final two outs of the game and Hanceville would end up defeating Oakman, 10-3.
Arteaga finished with two hits and five RBIs for Hanceville (3-5). Belcher added three hits and an RBI. Fischer ended up with a hit and an RBI, while Ognilla and Lewis each chipped in with a hit of their own. The trio of Black, Arteaga, and Ognilla held Oakman to just five combined hits and two earned runs while striking out nine.
Hanceville will travel to take on Fairview Thursday.
Other Tuesday scores:
Holly Pond 16 – Cold Springs 5 (Softball)
Holly Pond traveled to take on Cold Springs Tuesday afternoon; they got off to a quick lead and would never relinquish it as they rolled to a huge road win over the Lady Eagles.
A single by Maycie Black and a one-out double by Madysen Rickman put runners on second and third. Samantha Giles hit a two-run double to right field to give the Lady Broncos an early 2-0 lead. Later on, a Cold Springs error allowed Molly Neal to score to give Holly Pond a 3-0 lead. The Lady Broncos added another run in the second with two outs as a Giles RBI single by Giles made it 4-0, then they would break it open in the third. Aaliyah Ryan got the scoring started for Holly Pond with an RBI single, then with two outs, Bai Widner hit a two-run triple. She would later score on a passed ball, then Giles would continue her red-hot start to the game as she hit an RBI single. Neal got in on the act as well with an RBI double and Ellie Burks hit an RBI single. The Lady Broncos held an 11-0 lead going into the bottom of the third.
Cold Springs would get on the scoreboard in their half as Dixie Light scored on a Holly Pond error, then an RBI groundout by Brooklyn Ingram brought home Ella Bruer to make it an 11-2 game. The Lady Broncos added their final runs of the game in the fifth as RBI singles by Neal and Ryan and RBI doubles by Lexie Smith and Black made it 16-2. Cold Springs got a solo home run from Ciara Calvert in their half, then Ingram and Sadie Smith each scored on back-to-back Holly Pond errors. The deficit was just too much to overcome for the Lady Eagles, though, as Holly Pond would end up knocking off Cold Springs 16-5.
Giles finished with three hits and four RBIs for Holly Pond (2-2). Neal added three hits and a pair of RBIs. Ryan and Widner each ended up with a pair of hits and two RBIs. Black added a pair of hits and an RBI. Burks and Smith each collected a hit and an RBI, while Rickman chipped in with a pair of hits of her own. For Cold Springs (0-2), Calvert finished with a pair of hits and an RBI. Kennedy and Ingram each added an RBI, while Kortnie Williams collected a hit in the game.
Holly Pond will travel to take on Southeastern, while Cold Springs will host Addison on Thursday.
West Point 9 – Hayden 3 (Softball)
West Point hosted Hayden on Tuesday afternoon and behind a solid pitching performance from Kara Jones, the Lady Warriors gave her more than enough run support in their win over the Lady Wildcats.
Jones worked around a pair of singles in the opening inning to get out of it unscathed. The Lady Warriors didn’t waste any time giving her run support. Macayla Wilkins hit a leadoff single, then Macie Brown hit a double to center field. Wilkins scored on a Hayden error, then Brinlee Phillips hit an RBI single and Bethany Minck stole home to give West Point an early 3-0 lead.
Hayden got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning on a one-out RBI double, but the Lady Warriors would counter in their half. Phillips and Lexi Kimbril each reached on a Lady Wildcat error with one out, then another Hayden error allowed Phillips to score and Jones helped her own cause with a sacrifice fly to push the West Point lead to 5-1. Katie Beth Yovino lined an RBI single to center field as that brought home Ella Minck and the Lady Warrior lead was now 6-1.
The Lady Wildcats trimmed the deficit to three at 6-3 on a two-run double in the sixth, but West Point added to their lead in their half. Brown hit a one-out double, then Bethany Minck drove her in with one of her own to make it 7-3. Phillips hit an RBI triple to right field, then she ended up scoring on a Hayden error on the same play to stretch the Lady Warrior lead to 9-3. Jones retired Hayden in order in the seventh to end the game and West Point picked up a 9-3 win over the Lady Wildcats.
Phillips finished with two hits and a pair of RBIs for West Point (7-2). Bethany Minck added a pair of hits and an RBI. Yovino ended up with a hit and an RBI. Jones collected an RBI in the game. Kimbril added a hit, while Wilkins and Brown each chipped in with a pair of hits of their own.
West Point will travel to Hayden in a rematch next Thursday.
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