Vincent downs Calera in five: Yellow Jackets off to unbeaten start

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Vincent jump started a three-game weekend with a five inning 17-3 victory at Calera Friday night.

Corey Deloach, who currently leads the team with a .706 batting average, went 3-for-3 with three runs on Friday.

&8220;He&8217;s come a long way and is killing the ball right now,&8221; senior shortstop Justin Smiley said of Deloach&8217;s six-game hit streak.

The Yellow Jackets strung together eight runs in the first and seven runs in the second inning to jump out to a 15-2 lead over Calera.

Smiley, Octavius Looney and Desmond Ford each had two hits in the game. Cale Thompson struck out six batters, while allowing two earned runs off three hits for his first win of the season.

The Jackets continued to produce runs in a Saturday double-header at home against Fayetteville, 10-7, and Victory Christian, 17-7.

Deloach, Thompson, Daniel Johnson and Brandon Carden each had two hits against Fayetteville, while Brent Franklin stepped up with three RBIs against victory Christian, followed by two RBIs for Looney.

After a 5-2 win over Talladega County Central on Monday, Vincent (6-0) has collected 66 runs on the season.

&8220;We&8217;re going to keep putting the ball in play and make them get us out,&8221; head coach Dwight Spradley said.

The Jackets host Shelby County Thursday and Calera on Friday.

Other results from staff reports:

-Oak Mountain sweeps Hillcrest: Oak Mountain continues to win, as the 12-3 Eagles posted a pair of wins over Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa Saturday. Rus Harper (3-0) allowed only two hits in a 3-1 victory to start the day, while Bronson McGriff (3-0) collected an 8-5 win on the mound in the nightcap.

Blaine Rosenburg’s two-run single and a double by Zach Fowler helped the Eagles score all of their run for game one in the third inning. Brad Hendrix, who had a pair of hits in the first game, launched a grand slam in the nightcap, finishing the game with five RBIs.

-Pelham wins two to end losing skid: Pelham ended their four-game losing skid Saturday with a 5-1 victory over Tuscaloosa County, Saturday. Stephen Yeatman collected his first win of the season, allowing six hits and one run through six innings of work. They defeated West Point 11-0 in the second game of the day in a one-hit combined performance by Wesley Rich and Brandon Ricco.

-Spain Park wins three on the week: After defeating Briarwood 7-0 at home Thursday, Spain Park (13-4) swept Davidson 6-4 and 14-4 in a Saturday double-header. Josh Hodges led the way for the Jaguars with five RBIs off five hits in the double-header, driving in four runs in the second game off two hits.

-Hornets rally falls short to Hewitt: Chelsea fell to 7-5 on the season Saturday, after a late six-run rally fell short, losing to Hewitt-Trussville 14-11. Brad Stidham collected five RBIs to lead the Hornets, while Josh Cobb was 4-for-4, with six RBIs to help Hewitt to an early 14-5 lead.

-Briarwood splits weekend: Luke Furuto, hitting .611 for the season, posted five hits and three RBIs on the week, to lead the Briarwood Christian Lions offensively.

After falling 7-0 to Spain Park on Thursday, the Lions bounced back with a 7-2 win over McAdory on Friday. Jeffrey Vincent (4-0) tossed six innings, allowing two runs off two hits, while striking out 10 for the win. He also provided the offense, collecting five RBIs, including a three-run home run in the seventh inning.

After playing 11 straight games on the road, Briarwood opened their home schedule Saturday with an 8-5 loss to Benjamin Russell. Adam Russell (1-1) picked up the loss, allowing four runs off two hits, two walks and three hit batters. Furuto was 2-for-3 with a double and two-run home run, his fourth dinger of the season.

-Shelby County splits the weekend: Chuck Cofer had a two-run home run in the sixth inning to lead Shelby County (6-1) to a 5-4 victory over Jemison, Saturday. Josh Dikis also had two RBIs, while Dustin Bunn went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Aaron Howard picked up the win on the mound, with Dikis earning a save.

Earlier in the weekend, Justin Holden singled and scored the game-winning run in extra innings for McAdory, as the Yellow Jackets defeated the Wildcats 9-6. Graham Davis led Shelby County with a 2-for-4 performance from the plate and three RBIs. Wesley Howard collected three hits, while Chuck Cofer and Braden Dill each had two hits.

-Raiders&8217; Sharp no-hits Warrior: Josh Sharp allowed one walk and hit another batter to fall shy of a perfect game Friday, as he posted a five-inning, no hitter for a 17-0 Shelby Academy win over Warrior Academy. He had eight strikeouts. Jeremy Ogles was 2-for-2 from the plate in the leadoff role, collecting four RBIs and a home run.

Earlier in the week, Kevin Lackey also went 2-for-2 with a home run and four RBIs in a 11-2 win over Central Academy on March 6. Paul Bailey, Cody Jones and Ogles each had two hits in the game. Jones collected the win, allowing two runs off two hits and four walks. He struck out nine.

-Kingwood opens area with win: The Kingwood Christian School Lions (5-2) opened their area schedule with a 5-2 win over Lakeside Christian School in Eufaula on March 8. Andrew Pierce collected the win on the mound for the Lions, while Drew Davis, Brooks Webb and Andrew Wood each had RBIs.

Webb, Peace and Andrew Steele each drove in runs Monday to help lead the Lions to an 8-1 victory over Tri-County.

-Coosa Valley drops three in Border War: The Coosa Valley Rebels captured a 10-9 victory over Deerfield-Windsor to start the Border War in Columbus, Ga. last week, but fell to Southland 1-0 and First Presbyterian Day School, 10-6 and 9-1.

-Cornerstone moves to 2-1 in area play: Cornerstone Christian moved to 2-1 in area play March 8 with a 10-1 victory over Open Door. Blake Estress, Pokey Reece and Zac Ray each collected triples in the game, while combining for five RBIs. Estress (3-3), who was 3-for-4 from the plate, allowed one run off two hits through three innings of work on the mound for the win.

The Chargers collected their first area win March 6 with an 11-1 victory over Warrior Academy. Josh Dunnaway and Estress were a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate, combining for seven RBIs.

Jake Horton also had three hits in a 3-for-4 performance.