BASEBALL/SOFTBALL: Sparkman rally falls short in area baseball opener; Mustangs no-hit Jets

HARVEST – The Sparkman baseball team was cooked. Trailing by three runs in the bottom of the seventh, the Senators hadn’t scored a run since the first inning. But they didn’t go quietly.

Sparkman mounted a rally in the final at-bat, scoring once and placing runners on second and third. The comeback ended there, however, and visiting Grissom left with a 6-4 win Thursday night in the Class 7A, Area 8 opener for both teams.

The Senators lost the game, but they didn’t lose their self-esteem.

“I asked the guys before the game, I said, ‘We’ve just gotta go out and compete,’” Sparkman head coach Ben Stevenson said. “I thought we did that throughout the game. Some of that you’d like to have back, you know, the scoreless innings and some plays in the field you’d like to have back. You gotta gotta play a clean game.

“But I thought they competed well and that’s one of the things that we preach all the time. I like to see that until the very end – the tying run on second base with an opportunity there and just fell short. So we just gotta find a way to bounce back and go take Game 2.’’

Sparkman (13-16 overall, 0-1 in the area) visits Grissom (18-9, 1-0) on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon. The first game counts in the area standings.

Trailing 2-0 in the first inning of Game 1, the Senators surged ahead 3-2. Two runs scored on an error, and Sparkman took the lead on an RBI single by Jack Wells.

The score remained static until the Tigers scored an unearned run to tie it in the fifth, then went ahead in the sixth on a run-scoring double by Zach Shipp. Grissom took a 6-3 lead in the seventh behind an RBI-double by Dalton Dardin and a run-scoring single by Garrett Blacklock.

In the seventh, Tre Aguon and Will Peccia both singled, and B Williams singled home Aguon. Two outs later, both runners moved up to second and third base on a wild pitch but were left stranded.

Will Peccia and Wells both had two hits, while Brenner VanDeWynckel struck out 10, walked four and allowed three hits and three earned runs in the loss.

Winning pitcher Charlie Cassingham went the distance, striking out 11, walking two, allowing six hits and one earned run.

“They’re a good team,’’ Stevenson said. “The arm they threw tonight is a good arm. They’ve got more good arms that they’ll throw Saturday, but we’ve just gotta go out there and get after it and compete and play our game, play up to our standard and, I feel good about it.’’

Earlier in the week, Sparkman defeated Austin 13-0. Tucker Hargett hit a two-run home run and VanDeWynckel a two-run double and three total RBIs. Mark Bundy had two doubles and an RBI, Ryan Gross and Aguon hit and RBI and Dawson Betts doubled.

Buckhorn 7, Madison Academy 3: Tuesday in Huntsville, Myles Johnson had two hits and an RBI and Tee Foster two hits in the loss for the Mustangs (22-6) on Tuesday.

Madison Academy 4, James Clemens 0: Monday in Huntsville, Jack Doyle struck out 11 and walked five over six innings, and Tee Foster struck out the side in the seventh in a combined no-hitter for the 5A, fourth-ranked Mustangs.

Brayden Gardner doubled and had three RBIs, Keaton Watson and Keaton Watson singled for two RBIs. Noah Jarrell and Jaiden Etienne had a hit and RBI apiece and Foster doubled.

Madison Academy broke a scoreless game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth. James Clemens (17-9), which hosts Florence tonight in a 7A, Area 8 game, threw four pitchers with none going more than two innings.

SOFTBALL

James Clemens 8, Bob Jones 0: The Lady Jets scored four times in the bottom of the first and went on to defeat their crosstown rival.

Winning pitcher Preslee Etheridge went all seven innings, striking out nine, walking four and allowing four hits and also had a two-run single for James Clemens (9-14-1). Makayla Mann had two hits and Sayde South and Jaslyn Ragan both had a hit and RBI.

Sparkman 9, Meade County (Ky.) 2: In Madison at Palmer Park, winning pitcher Eden Parker tripled among two hits with three RBIs, Bella Mayfield had three hits and an RBI and Kara Burman added a run-scoring triple for the Lady Senators.

Sparkman (23-7-1) plays Curry at 4:30 p.m. today at Palmer Park.

Athens 9, Madison Academy 1: In Athens, Memphis Houston had a hit and rBI for the 3A, third-ranked Lady Mustangs (19-4). The Lady Golden Eagles (19-10) are ranked No. 2 in 6A.

Madison Academy 12, Elkmont 0: Tuesday in Huntsville,Cataryna Schreiber struck out 12 and walked none in a five-inning, two-hit shutout and also had a double. Adair Allen and Mya Western had two hits and three RBIs apiece for the Lady Mustangs.