On the Mark
By D. Mark Mitchell
The Opelika High School Girls and Boys soccer teams won area games against Eufaula on the road last week. The Lady Bulldogs won their second area game of the season 11-1 over Eufaula. Amiya Brown pulled a hat trick; Erica Mathew added two goals; Ana Garcia, Karla Guerra, Cindy Hernandez, Ashley Phatsadavong and Scarlet Posadas scored one goal apiece.
Assisting were: Eleanor Wilson (3), Scarlet Posadas (2), Aimee Alcantara, Brown, Mathew and Abby Noon.
The OHS Boys soccer team beat Eufaula 3-1 last week in a key area contest. George Meyers and Said Rujana scored goals along with a penalty kick by Landon Faison. Luke Roberts had two assists on the night.
Both teams played and hosted Valley on Tuesday night. (The results were not available at press time) OHS plays Russell County Thursday.
TENNIS
The Bulldog Netters swept Eufaula and Central last week in tennis..
The girls beat Central 8-1, with wins by McTier, Beardon, Yountz, Trotter and Long.
Doubles winners were: McTier/Beardon, Yountz/Gagliano and Tufts/Daffin.
Opelika finished the week with a win over Eufaula, 8-1. Winning matches were: Laney McTier, Laura T Daffin, Allison Beardon, Vera Smith T, Luci Long and Emma Howell.
Doubles winners: Daffin/Beardon, McTier/Long and Emma Hankins/Howell.
The OHS boys swept Central (8-1) and Benjamin Russell (8-1) last week as well.
In the 8-1 win over Eufaula, the Bulldogs earned wins from Mullins, Hudson, Caldwell, Fuller, Walters and Charles Gagliano. Opelika then went 3-0 in doubles behind wins from Hudson/Caldwell, Fuller/R. Gagliano and Mullins/O’Quinn.
The boys beat Central 8-1 behind single wins from Andrew Hudson, Max Caldwell, Will Fuller, Jake Walters and C. Glagliano. Doubles winners: Hudson/Caldwell, Fuller/R Gagliano and Mullins/O’Quinn.
BASEBALL
The Opelika High Baseball team played five games last week, winning two and losing three.
The Bulldogs lost the two-game series with Auburn, losing 10-0 at Bulldog Park and 7-2 at AHS.
OHS then participated in a tournament in Troy over the weekend. Opelika beat Ariton 8-5 and lost to Prattville (4-3) and Pike Road (1-4).
In the close affair with Prattville, the Lions scored two runs in the first and fifth innings, securing the 4-3 win. Brantley Davis pitched five innings, allowing three earned runs while striking out three. Julian Duke and Brooks Bryan led at the plate with two hits apiece.
In the game against Pike Road, Opelika’s opponents scored two runs in the first and fifth innings off of four hits. Jackson Harris pitched 3 and 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and two runs. Paul Goodman pitched the remainder of the game, yielding two runs on three hits. Julian Duke continued to lead OHS on offense, recording three hits in three plate appearances.
The Dogs beat Ariton, 8-5, behind eight hits. Brooks Bryan, KyDylian Ligon and JT McArdle led the offense with two hits apiece. Jacob Smith and Bryce Speakman added singles. Jonathan Chase earned the win, pitching one inning of shutout baseball, which included one strikeout.
OMS SOFTBALL
The Opelika Middle School Softball team finished second in the Lake Martin Tournament. The Lady Softball team beat Dadeville and Alex City twice prior to losing the Championship game to Prattville. Offensively, Kennedy Soltau and Jade Jones recorded seven hits apiece over the three games. Jancyn Thompson, Stella George and Cilyn Morgan added four hits each along with Jasmine Smith and Katie Harrelson, who added three hits each. Katie Harrelson struck out 13 batters, and Jade Jones added six strikeouts in the circle.
OMS then swept a doubleheader against Dadeville, 11-4 and 12-3. OMS recorded 23 total hits in the two games, including five hits from Kennedy Soltau, four hits from Emily Birmingham and three hits from Stella George, Jones and Jancyn Thompson. Jones and Harrelson earned the wins in the circle. The two combined to strike out 15 batters.
Most recently, Tallassee beat OMS 11-5 in a tough night for the Lady Bulldogs. The offense left seven runners on base despite Emily Birmingham’s two hits.
OPELIKA DIXIE BOYS BASEBALL REGISTRATION FOR 13-14-15 YEAR OLDS
Anyone ages 13 through 15 can register to play Dixie Boys Baseball beginning March 29 at the Opelika Sportsplex. Registration continues through April 16. The cost to play is $45.00 for Opelika residents and $50 for non-Opelika residents. Registration fee covers your jersey and cap. All players will be placed on a team. For more info, email D. Mark Mitchell at foxonthemark@yahoo.com or call 334-787-1514
D. Mark Mitchell is the Sports Director at IHeartMedia, host of “On The Mark” on Fox Sports the Game 910-1310, co-chair of the Auburn-Opelika Sports Council, chairman of the Super 7 and Dixie Boys Baseball state director.