Oxford, AL – Oxford bats continue to connect in victories over Hale County, Jacksonville. Alexandria rolls past Hale County. White Plains, Pleasant Valley and Cleburne County pour on the runs. In softball, Alexandria’s Slaton pitches perfect game. White Plains’ Arnold continues power surge. Cromers power PV to 20 runs. Homesley, Fulmer lead Weaver to second consecutive win. Handley’s Doss hits grand slam, and Glencoe’s WIllett homers twice.
By Joe Medley
Oxford’s 2023 state-championship baseball team caught fire and won its last 19 games. Could the current Yellow Jackets be showing signs?
Oxford beat Hale County 24-1 and Jacksonville 11-1 during Tuesday’s Spring Experience action on Choccolocco Park’s signature field.
Winners in three consecutive games, the Yellow Jackets (12-6) scored 44 runs in those three games.
The reigning Class 6A state champion beat 3A Hale County and 4A Jacksonville, but the current hot streak started with a 9-4 victory at 6A Hartselle, the team Oxford beat in last year’s semifinals.
Actually, first-year Oxford coach Travis Janssen said, it started before that.
“The two games before that, we were shut out,” he said, referring to losses to Hartselle and 7A Hewitt-Trussville.
The Yellow Jackets seem to have responded.
“We’ve made it a point that we have to score more runs,” catcher Forrest Heacock said. “We have to drive in runs in certain situations, and we’ve done a better job of that in the past couple of games.”
Heacock against Jacksonville with a double and three RBIs. Rocco Maniscalco had a double and two RBIs.
Canaan Whitman went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and Nick Richardson went 2-for-2 with four runs and an RBI.
R.J. Brooks doubled and scored two runs.
“We did have some good at bats,” Janssen said. “We’re not totally there, offensively, yet, but we’ve still got a good chunk of the season to get going.”
Pitching depth remains a concern and became moreso Tuesday. Charlie Maniscalco and Jake Tapley underwent surgery, Tapley to repair a meniscus and Maniscalco to repair an arm injury that will likely sideline him the rest of the season, Janssen said.
Tapley is expected to return, Janssen said.
“Neither of those guys were huge factors, but it is depth,” Janssen said.
On the upside, Hudson Gilman allowed two hits with four strikeouts in four innings against Jacksonville. Tide Gann worked the fifth inning.
“Hudson getting stretched out is going to help,” Janssen said.
For Jacksonville (8-9), the Oxford game was the end of a tough day that included an 3-2 loss to Benjamin Russell. An error that allowed Carter Johnson to score the game-ending run for Oxford typified the day.
“We did not play very good baseball today,” Jacksonville coach Jamison Edwards said. “It’s hard to describe.
“We kept the game close in the 1:30 game, and we didn’t quit, but our mistakes? We played a good team, so our mistakes just got magnified, and every mistake was super costly, and then same thing up here. These guys hit the ball a lot better than the guys did in the 1:30 game, so the mistakes kept piling on.”
Here’s a rundown of Tuesday’s other Spring Experience games:
OXFORD 24, HALE COUNTY 1: Gavin Griner and Gann combined to pitch a two-hitter, and Oxford mounted 16 hits.
Whitman went 2-for-2 with two doubles, three runs and four RBIs, and Gann had a single, a run and four RBIs.
Judd Syer went 2-for-3 with three runs and three RBIs. Brooks went 3-for-4 with two triples, three runs and an RBI, and Johnson went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs.
Reid Maniscalso went 2-for-3 with two doubles, three runs and an RBI, and Rocco Maniscalco went 1-for-3 with a triple, a run and an RBI.
ALEXANDRIA 10, HALE COUNTY 0: Brayden Thacker pitched a four-hit shutout with five strikeouts and no walks in five innings as Alexandria improves to 11-5.
At the plate, Eli Barnes went 2-for-2 with a triple, a run and two RBIs, and Samuel Henegar had a triple, a run and two RBIs.
Evan Snow was 1-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.
“We’re just trying to find some consistency,” Alexandria coach Zac Welch said. “The more games we can play this time of year, the more work toward where we ultimately want to be and where we we haven’t arrived yet.
“Thacker threw really well. I think he stayed under 70 pitches for five innings.”
BENJAMIN RUSSELL 3, JACKSONVILLE 2: Benjamin Russell’s three-run fourth inning stood up. For Jacksonville, Gavin Peeler had a double and RBI, and Xaye Lemon went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs.
Baseball elsewhere
WHITE PLAINS 16, ANNISTON 0: White Plains’ Cooper Tinney and Paul Laube combined to throw a three-hitter, and Dalton Luker went 4-for-4 with two runs and four RBIs.
Tinney struck out nine batters and allowed three hits with one walk in four innings of work. Laube pitched a perfect fifth inning with one strikeout.
Luker hit a triple and two doubles. Add a walk, and he reached base five times.
Tinney went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Flynn Tillison went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Coleman Ray was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
Aiden Kilgore went 3-for-3 with a run and RBI, and Ashton Wallace doubled, scored two runs and had an RBI. Braxton Curles had a single, two runs and an RBI, and Braxxon Borrelli singled with two RBIs.
Patrick Sams had a pinch-hit double and scored a run.
PLEASANT VALLEY 11, SAND ROCK 1: Logan Williams and Bryce Freeman combined to pitch one-hitter as Pleasant Valley improved to 8-6. Each struck out two batters.
Will Underwood led at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a run and four RBIs, and Noah Johnson had a double, a run and two RBIs. Caleb Shew was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and Peyton Mann was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Samuel Duncan scored a run and had an RBI.
CLEBURNE COUNTY 16, WOODLAND 2: Kannon Robertson doubled, drove in three runs and scored three runs as Cleburne County improved to 9-1.
Nolen Wright went 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and Jayson Deese had a double and two RBIs. Hunter Gore drove in two runs.
Asher Brown went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Jake Littleton singled, scored three runs and had an RBI.
Brown, Silas Altman and Gabriel Wickersham combined to pitch a one-hitter. Brown got the win with two strikeouts in three innings of work.
Softball
PLEASANT VALLEY 20, RANBURNE 1: Madyson Cromer led a big day at the plate for the Raiders, going 4-for-4 with a double, a run and four RBIs.
Aubrey Cromer went 3-for-4 with a double, four runs and four RBIs.
Lily Henry went 3-for-3 with a double, three runs and three RBIs, and Alexa Cranmer went 3-for-3 with a double, four runs and two RBIs. Gracee Ward also had two RBIs.
In the bottom of the order, Jordan Cheatwood went 1-for-2 with three runs and an RBI, and Cailey Almaroad went 3-for-3 with a double, three runs and an RBI.
WEAVER 14, SAKS 2: McKennah Homesley went 2-for-3 with a double, three runs and five RBIs as Weaver (3-4) made it two wins in a row.
Kynlee Fulmer went 1-for-4 with two RBIs. She also struck out 12 batters with no walks and allowed three hits over five innings.
Peyton Marvasty and Jadyn Smith had three hits, a double and an RBI apiece. Smith scored four runs.
Sydney Bitzer went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and an RBI, and Ella Mae Kines had a double, a run and an RBI.
Alana Cooper hit a triple and scored a run.
GLENCOE 8, OHATCHEE 7: Glencoe’s Cayse Willett homered twice and had six RBIs, and Abigail Bunt went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs and an RBI.
Summer Crump had a single and an RBI.
Ohatchee’s Breanna Martin went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBIs, and Tabi Davidson hit a solo home run and a double.
The Indians also got a single and RBI apiece from MacKenzie Luna and Reese Steward.
ALEXANDRIA 10, LINCOLN 0: Pressley Slaton pitched a perfect game with 11 strikeouts and scored a run.
Cali Hess went 2-for-3 with a triple and a double, a run and three RBIs, and Christian Hess had a single and three RBIs.
The Valley Cubs got a double and RBI from Charlee Parris and a single and RBI from Jill Cockrell. Kaden Pritchett scored two runs and had an RBI.
HANDLEY 12, BEULAH 2: Tayi Doss’ grand slam in the first inning highlighted the day for Handley (11-3).
The Tigers also got two hits and two RBIs apiece from Mariana Whaley and Kamlyn Holloway. Ella Hopper and Kia Brown each had two hits and an RBI, and Handley got a single and RBI apiece from Ava Hill and Raquel Joiner.
WHITE PLAINS 16, CLEBURNE COUNTY 0: Leighton Arnold homered and drove in four runs, and White Plains mounted a 10-run second inning on the way to improving to 12-6. Arnold was 2-for-4 with two runs.
Sara Kate Adams also drove in four runs while going 3-for-4 with a double and three runs.
Addi Bradley went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs and two RBIs, and Cassidy Arnold doubled, scored a run and drove in two runs. Braeton Moran hit a double, scored a run and had an RBI.
Carli Fritts pitched a two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts.
Soccer
DONOHO GIRLS 4, HOKES BLUFF 1: Erin Turley scored two goals, and the Class 1A-3A top-ranked Falcons (7-0-1) got one apiece from Sam Wakefield and Lauren Wigley.
FAITH CHRISTIAN BOYS 4, SAKS 3: Faith (4-5-1) got a goal apiece from Brooks Burnham, Joseph Carroll, Cameron Rogers and Mason Blackstone.
