PREP ROUNDUP: LAMP tops Thorsby in FCA action; St. James earns first Area win

LAMP’s Trace Deloney watches as the ball pops out of catcher Andrew Edward’s mitt during the Tigers’ win in the FCA tourney on Friday at Riverwalk Stadium. (By Tim Gayle)

COMBINED REPORTS

A week full of rain canceled three days of the 27th Jason Armstrong Memorial Baseball Tournament, but it couldn’t keep LAMP players from heading to their indoor practice facility to work on hitting. 

It showed on Friday as the Golden Tigers pounded out 12 hits on the way to an easy 10-1 victory over Thorsby at Riverwalk Stadium.

“We hit the ball well and played defense well,” LAMP coach Chad Smith said. “That’s the surprising part is to play defense well when you haven’t been on the field (for a week). We’ve been able to hit because we have a dome (indoor batting facility). I think that showed.”

The Tigers were impressive on offense as Seth Hudson (2 for 3), Trace Deloney (3 for 3) , Harrison Hall (2 for 2) and Landon Lockwood (2 for 4) all had multiple-hit games. Hall and Hudson had two-run singles and Deloney and Lockwood had a pair of RBI hits as LAMP flirted on a pair of occasions to end the game with the 10-run mercy rule before settling for a nine-run victory.

Lance Phung allowed just four hits to the Rebels, with Noah Littlejohn accounting for two of the singles in the second and sixth innings. Tucker Patterson’s single to right in the fourth drove in the Rebels’ only run after Tanner Jones had drawn a leadoff walk and went to second on a wild pitch prior to Patterson’s RBI hit.

LAMP already had the game comfortably in hand by that time, scoring a run in the second and six more in the third. After Thorsby’s run made it 7-1, the Tigers added two in the fourth and another in the fifth, missing opportunities in the fifth and sixth innings to end the game by the mercy rule.

LAMP scored the game’s first run on a two-out fielding error but used a double by Hudson, a two-run single by Hall and RBI singles by Deloney and Lockwood for a 7-0 lead. In the fourth, a wind-blown popup that turned into a double for Deloney was followed by an RBI double by Walker Morgan and in the fifth, back-to-back triples by Todd Davis and Deloney accounted for another run as LAMP pounded out five extra-base hits.

The Tigers (4-3) return to action today in the tournament against Wilson at Paterson Field at 10 a.m. and return to Paterson on Monday for a home game against Tallassee.

BASEBALL 

St. James 9, Montgomery Academy 3

St. James struck quick with five hits and four runs in the first inning, cruising to a 9-3 win over the Eagles in the 3A Area 5 opener for both teams at St. James on Friday afternoon.

St. James (3-4, 1-0 in area play) will travel to Montgomery Academy for a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first game counting in the area standings and the second game as a tiebreaker should the two teams finish tied in the area standings.

On Friday, Brock Woodham went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs, including two in the first inning, while Tyson Eley went 1 for 3 and picked up two RBIs for the Trojans. Carson Howard got the win, allowing just two hits and striking out five in five innings of work.

Mac Main went 2 for 3 and drove in a pair of runs for Montgomery Academy, while Cam Holmes went 2 for 4 and Carter Wallis went 1 for 3 and drove in a run. 

Britton Kohn took the loss for the Eagles, allowing eight hits and eight runs, two earned, in four innings while striking out seven and walking four. Luke Nelson pitched the fifth, striking out one and walking one, and Harris Gowen pitched the sixth, walking two and allowing a run.

ACA 5, Pike Road 0

Preston Perry picked up the win on the mound as the Eagles won in the FCA Jason Armstrong tourney at Riverwalk Stadium on Friday.

Lee-Scott Academy 6, Macon East Academy 2

AUBURN – Carson Granberry went 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out seven in helping the Warriors to a 6-2 win over Macon East in the Border Wars Tournament on Friday.

Colby Cox took the loss for Macon East. He lasted four innings, allowing four hits and four runs while striking out five. Clay Slagle, Cox, Parker Whittle and Jabe Boroff each collected one hit to lead Macon East. 

Macon East (6-5) travels to Dothan for the Knights’ region opener with Northside Methodist on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Macon East Academy 8, Bethlehem Christian 5

PHENIX CITY – Derrick Hooks pitched four innings and Matthew Kitchens retired the side in the final inning to pick up the save as the Knights defeated Bethlehem Christian Academy 8-5 on Friday afternoon in the Border Wars Tournament at Glenwood School. 

Hooks allowed seven hits and five runs over four innings while striking out four.  Hooks also drove in a pair of runs on a single in the bottom of the fourth to put Macon East ahead for good at 6-5. 

Cole Hines, Coleby Jordan, Colby Cox and Nick Marshall all had multiple hits as part of a 10-hit attack for the Knights. Macon East (6-4) returned to action against Lee-Scott on Friday.

Prattville Christian 7, Jeff Davis 2

Jackson Reed had a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs at the plate and picked up the win on the mound as the Panthers broke open a 2-2 game with five runs in the fifth to beat the Volunteers in the Jason Armstrong Memorial Baseball Tournament at Paterson Field.

Reed went five innings on the mound, striking out eight, to pick up the win. 

PCA will face Billingsley in the tournament on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Riverwalk Stadium.

SOFTBALL

Macon East Academy 6, Edgewood Academy 4

PHENIX CITY – Taylor McKinney pitched out of trouble when she needed to, allowing just four runs on 10 hits over four innings while striking out four as Macon East defeated Edgewood 6-4 in the Glenwood Tournament on Friday.

Macon East picked up a run in the first on an Alyssa Clark sacrifice fly, then used doubles by Kylee Smith and Devyn Debardelaben as part of a four-run second inning. 

Macon East Academy 10, Evangel Christian Academy 0

PHENIX CITY -- Caroline Capps pitched a no-hitter to open play in the Glenwood Tournament, allowing just one walk in four innings as the Knights rolled to an easy 10-0 win over Evangel in a game halted after four innings by the mercy rule.

Macon East broke a scoreless tie with seven runs in the second inning and added three more in the third. Taylor McKinney went 2 for 3 with a double, scoring two runs and driving in two more. Kylee Smith went 2 for 2 with a double and a walk, scoring a run and driving in two. Alyssa Clark went 1 for 3 with a double, driving in three runs, and Capps went 1 for 3 with a double, driving in two runs. 

Alabama Christian Academy 3, Prattville 1

WETUMPKA – Rose Costanza allowed just two hits and struck out five in four innings in the circle as Alabama Christian defeated Prattville 3-1 in the Wetumpka Tournament on Friday.

Haley Ingram had two hits to lead the Eagles. Annabelle Pugh had an RBI double and Haley Oswald and Aniya Jackson each drove in a run. 

ACA (5-4) returns to action in the tournament on Saturday against Tallassee at 10:30 a.m.

LAMP 5, Carroll 1

TROY – Caitlin Russell drove in a pair of runs and picked up the win in the circle with three innings of work, striking out eight, as the Golden Tigers defeated Carroll 5-1 in the Troy Trojan Classic at the Troy Sportsplex on Friday.

LAMP struck for four runs in the first inning and Tiger pitchers combined to hold Carroll to just one hit.

LAMP 2, Eufaula 0

TROY – Peyton Cely drove in the game’s only runs in the third inning as the Golden Tigers shut out Eufaula 2-0 in the Troy Trojan Classic at the Troy Sportsplex on Friday.

Caitlin Russell picked up the win in the circle, striking out eight in four innings.

Catholic 12, Eufaula 1

TROY -- Carissa Gilbert picked up her seventh win of the season, striking out eight batters and only allowing three hits and a run in the Knights’ 12-1 win in the Troy Trojan Classic at the Troy Sportsplex on Friday.

At the plate Katherine O’Conner had two hits, two RBIs and scored a pair of runs, McKenzie Norton had a triple with 3 RBIs and two runs scored, Nikki Walker had a triple with 2 RBIs and two runs scored, Gilbert had a pair of hits and drove in a run, Chloe Walden had two hits and a pair of stolen bases, Hannah Parrish scored two runs and Mallory Hildebrand had a double. 

Catholic (10-0) returns to action in the tournament on Saturday, facing Eufaula at 9 a.m.

Catholic 8, Carroll 3

TROY -- Alanna Aiken struck out six and scattered four hits as the Knights won their opening-round game in the Troy Trojan Classic at the Troy Sportsplex on Friday. 

At the plate, Chloe Walden had a pair of hits and two stolen bases, McKenzie Norton scored two runs and had two stolen bases and Nikki Walker and Carissa Gilbert each had an RBI double.

GIRLS TENNIS

Montgomery Academy 6, John Paul II 3

Montgomery Academy defeated the Huntsville Catholic school on Friday with wins at No. 2, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 in singles as well as two of the three doubles matches.

Winning singles for the Eagles were Jenna Chandler, Mae Mae Voltz, Coleman Speir and Ann Cobern Chapman. The doubles teams of Chandler and Voltz and Gabriella Barrera and McRae Freeman also won at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, respectively. 

Montgomery Academy remains at home on Saturday with a match against Catholic at 11 a.m.