By D. Mark Mitchell
Opelika City School’s spring sports teams are in the middle of their season, with an eye cast toward the post season.
The Opelika boys and girls tennis teams lost to Chelsea last week. The Opelika Lady Netters lost 8-1. Laney McTier (no. 1 seed) won her match 8-3 while teammates, Kathlene Trotter and Readen Gagliano lost close matches.
Opelika’s boys lost 6-3 despite a gritty performance. Grey Walker (no. 1 seed) won his match in sudden death, 7-0 and Brad Estes (no. 2 seed) won 9-7. The doubles team of Grey Walker and Jack Whatley won 8-6.
SOFTBALL
The Opelika Lady Dawg softball team beat Woodland 8-7 at a cold and windy West Ridge Park. Makai Gagliano earned the win in the circle, allowing a walk while striking out 10 batters. Offensively, Raelee Fenn hit a double, single with two RBIs, including the game winner. Jade Motley and Kayla Foutanbary both hit triples. Chloe Clark and Gagliano each added singles. Opelika stole 10 bases on the night.
Dadeville outlasted Opelika in a 13-11 slugfest. Fourtanbary was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. She singled, doubled and tripled and doubled in four plate appearances. Clark connected on her first homerun and notched three RBIs. Every player singled but the Bulldogs could not score enough to win.
The Opelika Middle School softball team split a pair of games last week, beating Floyd Magnet 6-4 and falling 5-1. McKay Yountz struck out 12 batters in two games in the circle. Ava Parker struck out three in relief. K.D. Lee led with three hits and Yountz and Nylen Thomas added two hits apiece.
The OMS softball team finished 4-1 in the Sanford Middle School Invitational, beating Auburn, Central, Russell County and Sanford.
The Opelika girls and boys Soccer teams swept Central and Russell County last week. The girls blanked Central 6-0 and Russell County 11-0 on the road. Erica Mathews led the Bulldogs offensively, scoring three goals to earn a hat trick. Estefany Alba, Amiya Brown and Kaitlyn Goodman added goals.
Brown, Goodman and Eleanor Wilson each recorded assist. Emily Lux and Phoebe Darcey combined for the shutout.
Coach Button took her team to Seale for an 11-0 area win over Russell County. Five players scored goals, including four from Amiya Brown. Erica Mathews scored three, Madi Rush added two goals and Estafany Brown and Abby Noon contributed a goal each. Noon and Rush also recorded two assists each. Alba, Mathews, Noon and Wilson each recorded an assist.
Opelika’s boys soccer team shutout Central 8-0 in Phenix City last week. Marshall Meyers led the Bulldogs by scoring a hat trick. Jose Cruz scored twice, and Osmar Perez, Charlie Garcia and Caleb Rujana all added goals. Meyers recorded two assist along with an assist from Cruz.
The Bulldogs blanked Russell County 2-0, winning the area opener. Ethan Souphanthong and Yordy Rujuana scored goals with assist from Rujana and Meyers. Nolan Billingsley earned both shutouts as goalie. Coach Hovell expressed his pride in his team’s defensive efforts which were led by Adam Cason, Alberto Cordova, Axel-Anjel-Gonzalez and Cruz.
The OMS baseball team beat Auburn Junior High 12-4 last week. Caleb Chisum and Jake Cummings pitched for the Dawgs and catcher Jake Smith, played a solid defensive game behind the plate.
The Opelika High School baseball team (3-9) went 2-3 last week. The Bulldogs started the week with a 7-1 loss at Auburn. The Tigers scored one run in the first, two in the second and four runs in the fourth. Micah Christian singled for Opelika.
Opelika beat Valley 5-1 at Bulldog Park last Thursday. Andrew Parr pitched six innings, allowing one run and one hit while striking out six Rams batter to earn the win. Hooney Oh and Jace Rhodes closed the game in relief.
Offensively, Trent Fields hit a grand slam, Brooks Bryan and Parr added two hits apiece while Christian, Colton Dunson, Brayden Thomas and Brody Davis added hits. Opelika did not charge admission to the game, opting to take donations for the families affected by the March 3rd tornadoes. A total of $1,311 will be given to the EAMC Disaster Relief Fund.
The Bulldogs won their second-straight game, beating Sylacauga 6-4 at Bulldog Park. Will Ingram pitched five innings, allowing a hit and run to earn the win. Jackson Harris pitched the final two innings. Christian led at the plate with two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored. Kory McCoy, Fields, Parr and Davis all singled.
Northside and Smiths Station swept Opelika Saturday. Northridge won 13-7 behind 12 hits.
Christian went 3-for-5 at the plate to lead the Bulldogs. Parr and Jase Rhodes recorded two hits each while McCoy and Julian Duke singled.
Smiths Station mercy ruled OHS 14-4 in 5.5 innings. Opelika’s Colton Dunson and Brooks Bryan led at the plate with two hits apiece. The Panthers scored runs in five of the six innings.
D.Mark Mitchell is sports director for iHeart Media, Alabama Dixie Boys State director and vice president of the A-O Sports Council.