The Reset: Patriots baseball starts season strong

Over the course of the year, The Homewood Star will keep you up to date on the various Homewood and John Carroll high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.

BASEBALL

The John Carroll baseball team picked up a 7-5 win over Leeds last Tuesday. Hayden Dupre was the Cavaliers’ top hitter, going 2-for-4 with a double and 2 runs batted in. Carson McFadden and Max Plaia each drove in runs as well. McFadden and Aden Malpass each hurled 3 innings on the mound in the victory.

The Homewood baseball team began the season with a 15-1 victory over Minor last Wednesday. Jack Freeman earned the win on the mound, allowing just 2 hits and striking out 9 over 5 innings of work. Owen Isenhower scored 3 runs from the leadoff spot. Tripp Gann notched 2 hits and 2 runs batted in as well.

John Carroll fell to Briarwood 5-1 on Wednesday. Drake Meeks pitched well in his start, earning the win by going 5 innings and allowing 1 run on 1 hit with 12 strikeouts. Samuel Burr notched the save for the Lions by pitching the final 2 innings in hitless fashion. From the leadoff spot, Luke Sibley walked twice, scored twice and drove in a run. John Carroll’s Braxton Williams pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings in relief, allowing 2 hits.

Homewood earned a 3-1 win over Springville on Thursday. Sophomore JB Sain picked up the win on the hill, working 6 innings of 1-hit ball. He gave up an unearned run while striking out 2 and walking 2. Charlie Teel picked up the save by working the seventh. Homewood scored first in the third inning when Brian Condon led off the inning with a double and scored on a groundout by Griffin Fuller. After Springville tied it in the top of the 5th, the Patriots broke it open with two runs in the bottom of the sixth. Taylor Patterson, who made a spectacular diving catch at first earlier in the game, opened the inning with a leadoff walk and scored on a rocket double by Jackson Parris. Parris later scored on a sacrifice fly by Sain to make it 3-1. 

John Carroll fell to Briarwood 10-0 on Thursday. Will Clark led the way for the Lions, going 3-for-3 with a home run, 3 RBIs and 4 runs scored. Waugh racked up 4 hits, including a pair of doubles and 2 RBIs. Sibley, Andrew McAdams and Jake Souders each drove in runs for Briarwood as well. Jonathan Stevens got the start on the mound, allowing 2 hits and striking out 8 in 4 innings of work. Jackson Adams pitched the final 3 innings, striking out 4. For John Carroll, William Gignilliat tallied a pair of hits, while Max Plaia pitched 1 2/3 innings and allowed just a run.

Homewood kept up its strong play to begin the year with a 1-0 win over Pelham on Friday. Sophomore Witt Brown did work on the hill, pitching 5 innings of 2-hit ball, striking out 5 to earn the win. Eighth grader Levi Nickoli relieved Brown to start the sixth and proceeded to work 1 2/3 innings of hitless ball, working around an error and a two-out walk in the seventh. Teel entered the game with two outs and runners on first and second base, and closed out his second consecutive save with a strikeout. The Pats scored the lone run in the game in the fourth when Jackson Parris doubled and advanced to third on a bunt single by Teel. Taylor Patterson drove home Parris with a groundout. Jack Couch had three great at-bats and made a brilliant play in right field near the fence to secure a tough out early in the game.

John Carroll got back on track Friday with a 5-2 win over McAdory. Gignilliat led the offense with 2 RBIs, while Malpass went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Carson McFadden and Luke Wommack knocked in runs as well. Tyler Black was sharp on the mound, goin g 6 innings and allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits in 6 innings. Gabe Wilbur pitched the seventh, striking out a pair.

SOFTBALL

The Homewood softball team opened the season last Thursday with a 5-2 win over Pelham. In the win, Livy Dunn led the offense with a double and two runs batted in. Hunter Dunn finished 2-for-3 with a run scored. Zoe Couch was strong in the circle, pitching a complete game and allowing 2 runs on 4 hits. She struck out 7 batters as well.

John Carroll hosted the John Carroll Kick-Off Classic on Saturday, with the Cavaliers and Homewood both participating. Hoover won the event with a win over Springville in the final. 

Homewood had a strong showing, winning three games. The Patriots began the day with a 6-1 win over John Carroll. In that game, Eva White went 3-for-3 with a home run and 4 RBIs. Couch pitched 4 innings and allowed 2 hits, while also driving in a run. Hunter Dunn had an RBI as well. John Carroll’s Charlotte Phillips hit a homer to supply the Cavs’ offense.

Homewood then put together a pair of big wins, beating Paul Bryant 13-0 and Briarwood 11-0. In the Paul Bryant win, Emily Dunn hit a homer and drove in a pair of runs, while White had a double and 3 RBIs. Hayden Bell was 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs scored as well. Ella Walker and Katherine Howell drove in a run each as well.

In the Briarwood victory, Livy Dunn was 2-for-2 with 3 RBIs, while Hunter Dunn and Emily Dunn each knocked in a pair as well. Walker was strong, throwing 3 scoreless innings and driving in a pair of runs herself.

Hunter Dunn drove in 2 runs in a 5-2 loss to Springville in the tournament semifinals.

John Carroll also beat Paul Bryant 14-0 before falling to Gardendale 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the tournament. In the win, Kayla Coley-Drayton hit a home run, driving in 2 runs and scoring twice in the game. Phillips had another big game, going 2-for-3 with a double and 4 RBIs. Annie Gregory also drove in 4 runs, finishing with a double and a triple in addition to throwing a scoreless inning. Mallory Ogle notched 3 hits, 2 RBIs and 6 strikeouts in 2 scoreless innings. Emily Williams hit a double and drove in a pair as well.

In the Gardendale loss, Phillips and Williams each drove in a run for the Cavs.

SOCCER

The Homewood boys soccer team finished in a 1-1 draw with Indian Springs last Tuesday evening. Sophomore Charlie Herring scored the lone goal for the Patriots, notching one in the 32nd minute of the opening half. Yousef Nasser got the ball to this teammate, who put it in from six yards out. Indian Springs’ Jackson Nabors tied the score three minutes into the second half. Each team had a couple more chances at a winning goal, but the game ended with the one goal for each side.

The Homewood girls notched an impressive 3-0 win over Vestavia Hills on Tuesday as well, while John Carroll’s boys picked up a 5-4 win over Pinson Valley.

Homewood’s boys earned a 2-1 win over Pinson Valley on Thursday.

On Saturday, the John Carroll girls beat Altamont 1-0.

TENNIS

The Homewood tennis teams swept Oxford on Thursday, with the boys and girls teams winning 9-0. In girls play, Linlee Dunn, Madeline Ann Brockwell, Olivia Milstead, Paige Philips, Ava Dillard, Becca Cate Hubrich, Ella Keenan, Lolo Theos, Arantxa Delgado-Nunez and Alain Seigel all won in singles. The doubles pairs of Dunn and Philips, Brockwell and Milstead, Dillard and Brown, and Seigel and Delgado-Nunez also won as well.

In boys play, Gray Johnson, Ben Kovakas, Jack Farrell, Sam Housman, Foster Laird, Colton Cox, Sam Carr, Charlie Reeves and Will Andress won. The doubles pairs of Johnson and Farrell, Kovakas and Cox, Laird and Erickson, and Stone and Jones all won as well.

TRACK AND FIELD

The Homewood outdoor track and field team began the season at the Five Team Battle Royale at Mountain Brook last Thursday. 

Winners for the Patriots included Emma Brooke Levering in the 2,000-meter run, Magi Williams in long jump and triple jump, Jordan Reaves in pole vault and Naeemah Gamble in shot put.

Olivia Burczyk finished third in the 300, Norah Nickoli was third in the 500, Phoebe Reed was second and Sarah Derriso was third in the 80-meter hurdles, the 4x100 and 4x300 girls relay teams were second, Chandler Binkley was second in high jump, Reed was third in long jump, Neily Stephens was second in javelin, Robert Fowlkes was second in the 500, Ben Murray was second in the 1,000, Spenser Lamb was second in the 80 hurdles and 200 hurdles, the boys 4x300 relay team was third and Alex Jones was second in high jump.

— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.