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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HOOVER – Needing to find offensive production late in the game, the Spain Park Jaguars stepped up to the plate in the late innings to fly past the Cullman Bearcats.

Spain Park defeated Cullman 7-2 on Tuesday. Feb. 25, scoring all of its runs in its final two plate appearances to escape with a win at Spain Park High School.

The Bearcats struck first in this game, one that featured a lack of offense from both sides in the early going. After a double and a single put runners on the corner with one out in the top of the third, Cullman flew out to center field deep enough to score its runner on third, giving it a 1-0 advantage.

Things did not get active again until the bottom of the fifth inning, which is when things began to heat up for the Jaguars. Rhys Jones led things off with a single on a bunt to the left side and advanced to second soon after off of a single from Joseph Cross.

Evan Taylor then stepped up to the plate and delivered another single with a line drive into center field, scoring Jones and tying the score up at 1-1. Connor Greb followed that up with a single of his own to right field, driving in Cross and giving Spain Park a 2-1 lead.

The party was not done yet for the Jags though. Nash Davis took the second pitch he saw in his plate appearance and sent it towards center field, recording a double and clearing the bases to make it 4-1. Then, after a walk put Eli Smallwood on, Davis scored on an error from the Bearcats’ left fielder to extend the score to 5-1. Just like that, the momentum was entirely with Spain Park.

That energy was carried into the bottom of the sixth, which was needed with the Jags searching for some insurance. With Taylor and Cross sitting on second and third, respectively, Greb put a single into right field to score Cross and get the score to 6-1. Immediately after, Davis also hit a single into left field and drove Taylor across to make it 7-1.

With Cullman in desperation mode, it was able to jab back with a solo home run in the top of the seventh, but could not get any more punches in as Spain Park recorded the final three outs to win 7-2.

Maxwell Vinson recorded the win on the mound on Tuesday, pitching five innings as the starter and giving up one run on three hits while striking out three Bearcats as well. Wesley Williams and Andrew Thornton each pitched an inning in relief to finish the game.

With the victory, the Jags improve to 5-4 on the 2025 season and will finish off the month of February in the Perfect Game National Tournament at the Hoover Metropolitan Baseball Complex fields. Spain Park begins its action on Thursday, Feb. 27 with a game against the Madison-Ridgeland Academy Patriots out of Mississippi, with first pitch set for 2 p.m.