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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Briarwood Christian Lions not only got in the win column for the first time in 2025, but they followed it up with three more positive results as they finished their first tournament of the season with three wins and a tie.

Briarwood defeated the Central Falcons of Tuscaloosa 15-0 and the Bibb County Choctaws 2-1 on Friday, Feb. 28 before tying the Holy Spirit Catholic Saints 4-4 and beating the DAR Patriots 2-1 on Saturday, March 1.

In the first game of the tournament against Central-Tuscaloosa, Briarwood jumped ahead to an 8-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

The Lions got a pair of Taylor Forrester RBI singles, Larsen Cummings two-run double, Peyton Davis RBI ground out and a bases-loaded walk before taking an 8-0 lead towards the end of the inning.

Briarwood then took advantage of a trio of free base runners in the bottom of the second got score three runs off a bases-clearing RBI single from Sweatt after she advanced all the way to third on the throw. A passed ball then allowed her to score during the ensuing at bat and make the lead 12-0.

The Falcons committed more mistakes in the bottom of the third and allowed the Lions to score off an error, wild pitch and a hit by pitch to cap off the 15-0 win for Briarwood in three innings.

Zora Willingham took the win with three perfect innings and six strikeouts in nine at-bats. Forrester led the way with a 2-for-3 performance with four RBI and a run. Sweatt also had four RBI and three runs while finishing 1-for-2 with two walks.

Briarwood had to fight through a much closer game in its second matchup of the day against Bibb County. Cummings was dominant in the circle throughout, taking four strikeouts in five innings while allowing one run, four hits and no walks.

The Lions used that strong defensive start to get on the board first in the top of the second. Ashley Heinemann’s lead-off double led to an RBI single from Cummings as Heinemann came home off the throw to take a 1-0 lead.

Macie Johnson then started the third inning with a triple but was in danger of being stranded when the next two batters got out. Abigail Coker then singled on the first pitch she saw to score Johnson and double up the lead.

The Choctaws got a run back in the bottom half of the third thanks to a two-out RBI single, but Briarwood didn’t allow a single hit after that to take the 2-1 win.

Heinemann was the lone Lion to have a multi-hit game as she went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run.

The next day against Holy Spirit, Briarwood gave up an early 2-0 lead to the Saints off a pair of two-out RBI singles in the top of the first.

The Lions rallied to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning as Coker capitalized off a bunt single from Forrester to launch a two-run home run just two pitches later.

Holy Spirit got a pair of runs in the top of the second to go back up 4-2, but after going down one-two-three in the third, Briarwood made its mark in the bottom of the third.

With two outs and a runner on second, Cummings cut the deficit to one with an RBI single that allowed Forrester to score on the throw. An error on a pop fly from Heinemann brought Cummings home and tied the game back up at 4-4.

The two teams could only muster one hit between them in the fourth inning before time expired and left them in a 4-4 tie.

Johnson secured six strikeouts in four innings in the circle while working around two earned runs, four total runs and five hits. Forrester finished 2-for-2 with two runs.

Briarwood would have to come from behind again in its final game of the tournament against DAR. A pair of errors in the bottom of the second left the Lions in a 1-0 hole as the Patriots scored the opening run of the game off a miscue.

However, Briarwood continued fighting, and down to its last chance in the top of the fifth, it capitalized. Willingham and Sweatt each hit singles during the inning, but the Lions suffered a pair of outs, leaving them down to their last batter to avoid losing.

Coker came up big yet again, ripping a single to left field to plate both runs and go up 2-1. Cummings then orchestrated a one-two-three inning to seal the one-run win. She capped off a six-strikeout performance in five innings while working around one unearned run and four hits.

Sweatt finished 2-for-3 with a run while Coker’s two-run single gave her two RBI in a 1-for-3 game.

Briarwood will take a 3-3-1 record into the first game of area play on Tuesday, March 4 at 5 p.m. against the Sylacauga Aggies at Patriots Park in Sylacauga.