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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HOOVER – The Thompson Warriors finished out tournament play with another strong weekend of results, this time at the Hoover Classic on April 18 and 19 at the Hoover Met Complex.

Thompson defeated the Austin Black Bears 6-3, Hazel Green Trojans 10-1 and Gardendale Rockets 10-2 as part of a 3-1 weekend.

The Warriors’ lone loss came to national No. 3 Orange Beach in a 7-0 defeat that saw the Makos get revenge for Thompson’s 4-0 win at the Hornet Invitational on April 12.

Just a day after finishing a perfect run through area play, Thompson started out the tournament with a come-from-behind win over Austin.

The Black Bears took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first off a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.

After getting out of a bases-loaded jam without any additional damage, the Warriors  went right to work to erase the deficit in the top of the second.

Hannah Hobbs and Morgan Adolphus started out the inning with back-to-back singles before Jillian Kato plated both runners with an RBI double to tie the game at 2-2.

Thompson then put runners on the corners with a sacrifice bunt and a walk, and Whitney Holtzapfel helped the Warriors take a 3-2 lead with an RBI single.

Two batters later, Autumn Ingle got hit by a pitch to load up the bases, and Ingle followed it up with a two-run double to increase the lead to 5-2.

That lead held through the bottom of the fourth despite both teams drawing multiple walks to try and generate offense.

Austin then cut the deficit to 5-3 with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, but the Warriors got a pair of singles to set up a run off a passed ball in the top of the fifth. That restored Thompson’s three-run lead and sealed the 6-3 win.

Hobbs was 2-for-3 with two runs and Adolphus finished 2-for-2 with a walk and a run while Kato and Ingle each earned two RBI. Ingle also got the win with 2.1 hitless innings, striking out two batters against three walks.

Ingle worked three quick outs to start the second game of the day against Hazel Green before Kelsey Burden and Aubrey Bauer hit back-to-back singles in the bottom of the first.

Olivia Tindell’s RBI double and Bush’s two-run single helped start a 3-0 lead before a Hobbs RBI double two batters later took it to 4-0.

An error off a Kato grounder would then take the lead to 5-0 ahead of the end of the inning.

The Trojans answered in the top of the second with an RBI double, but that would be their only run of the game.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the third, a second-straight error off a grounder to second by Burden put Thompson up 7-1.

The Warriors capped off the scoring an inning later in a big way. After a Tindell lead-off walk and a Bush single, Aubree Hooks took one to center for a home run and the 10-1 lead.

Bush, Hooks and Hobbs were each 2-for-3 as Bush had two RBI, Hooks earned three RBI and a run with her home run and Hobbs took an RBI and a run.

The next day against Gardendale, Tindell followed up a one-out single by Bauer with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.

Hobbs doubled up the lead with a solo shot in the bottom of the second before getting two more on with a single and a walk. Both Adolphus and Kato stole bases to get into scoring position and would score off a sacrifice fly and a passed ball for the 4-0 lead.

Thompson started out the third with two walks before a Hobbs two-run hit and Adolphus sacrifice fly made it a 7-0 lead.

An error in the top of the fifth allowed the Rockets to plate two runs off what was initially just a two-out single to left, but the Warriors got out of the inning still up 7-2.

From there, Holtzapfel and Destinee Ealy hit back-to-back singles to start the bottom of the fifth before Bailey Holderfield walked to load up the bases. All three runners would come home over the course of the inning thanks to bases-loaded walks to finish off the 10-2 win.

Hobbs was 2-for-2 with three RBI and two runs. Hooks got the win with four perfect innings and seven strikeouts.

The subsequent loss to Orange Beach dropped Thompson to 3-1 on the weekend and 36-4 overall to finish out the regular season. After their last regular season game was canceled, the Warriors will now host the Class 7A, Area 5 tournament on Friday, April 25. They will play Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa in the first round at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park in Alabaster.