By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor

Oak Mountain High School baseball coach Brian Breeze didn’t think he would give his team its last post-game speech this season midway through a deciding third game against Hoover in a best-of-three series in the second round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 6A playoffs May 4.

With his team leading 4-0 and his pitcher in the middle of a four-inning no-hitter, Breeze was hopeful his team would wrap things up and head to the third round of the playoffs.

However, the Buccaneers staged a late-game comeback and dashed the Eagles’ hopes of advancing in the playoffs with a 6-5 win over Oak Mountain.

“We had a chance, but we just couldn’t come away with it,” Breeze said.

Sophomore Justin Hoyt fired a no-hitter through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth inning. Robby Clements entered the game in relief of Hoyt and picked up the loss on the mound.

David Dahl led the Eagles at the plate as he finished 3-for-4 with three singles.
Oak Mountain returned to the postseason for the first time in two seasons in Breeze’s first season at the helm.

“The success of our team was because of our seniors and their leadership,” Breeze said. “We had really good kids and they worked hard.”