Junior Michaelyn Manning scored seven goals Friday night to give her 121 career goals scored. Manning moved past Janie Szoboszlay as she set the new mark. Manning’s performance sparked a 10-0 victory over Catholic in the Lady Eagles area opener. The win improved the Eagles record to 5-0 on the year. Madison Foshee scored two goals with five assists and Marlo Duggan added one goal against the Knights. ACA will host LAMP on Tuesday, March 3, for their next contest.
Eagles Dominate Brew Tech in Doubleheader Sweep
ACA run ruled Brew Tech twice on Friday with an impressive sweep of the Rams. The Eagles blanked Brew Tech 10-0 in game one and followed it up with 13-2 blow out in game two.
Zac Westbrook was the star of game one as he held Brew Tech hitless in the 10-0 shutout. Westbrook pitched five innings with five strikeouts on only 62 pitches. The Eagles scored two runs in the first inning on just one hit to jump to a 2-0 lead. In the second inning, Thomas Stovall doubled in Caden Perry and later scored a run with Taylor Thornton on a KJ Kendrick single. JT Moorer drove in the lone run of the third inning with a sac fly that scored Brandon Bice. The last four runs scored by Alabama Christian came in the fourth inning. The first three Eagles reached base to load the bases. Bice singled to right to drive in the first run of the inning and Copeland Hilyer knocked the next run in on a ground out to second. The final two runs were driven by Caden Perry on a single to center to drive in Mason Prestage and Bice. Brandon Bice, KJ Kendrick and Caden Perry each collected two hits to pace the offense.
Brandon Bice readies himself for the pitch.
After giving up a run in the top of the first inning, ACA responded with two runs and never trailed again in game two. Alabama Christian tacked on five more runs, all with two outs, in the second inning to take a commanding 7-1 lead. The key blow of the frame was a two run single by Brandon Bice to drive in Thomas Stovall and Mason Prestage. In the fourth inning, ACA tacked on four more runs to close out the scoring. Taylor Thornton drove in Hayes Hunt with a two out single followed by a Jalen Clark single that knocked in Bice. The final two runs were driven in on a Zac Westbrook triple to right field. At the plate, Westbrook led the attack going 2 for 3 with a double and a triple, driving in two runs. Taylor Thornton added two hits with an RBI and three runs scored. Four pitchers combined to hold the Rams to two runs on four hits and four strikeouts.
ACA Opens Season at Robert Trent Jones in Prattville
The ACA golf team opened the season Tuesday at the PCA Boys and Girls Invitational. Mitchell Hagan, Mikey Peavy, Logan Reynolds and Andrew Whang represented Alabama Chrisitan at the Capital Hill Course in Prattville. Whang shot 88 for the best score posted by the Eagles followed by Hagan’s 109, Reynolds’ 111 and Peavy’s 115.
The Eagles will compete against Pike Road in its next match on March 5 at Arrowhead Country Club.
ACA Easily Handles PCA
Alabama Christian (2-3) scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back in an 11-1 thumping of PCA. Copeland Hilyer delivered the big hit of the inning with a two run double scoring Mason Prestage and Brandon Bice. The Eagle offense continued to produce in the second inning as Zac Westbrook doubled in a run. Four more runs in the fourth inning put the game out of reach as Westbrook and Preston Perry both doubled in a run to help build a 10-1 lead. The game ended in the fifth as Perry drove in Thomas Stovall to give ACA a ten run lead.
Preston Perry dominated on the mound as he allowed only one run and four hits on just 72 pitches over five innings. At the plate, Zac Westbrook led the Eagles with two hits in three at bats with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored. Preston Perry drove in three runs on a 1 for 3 night as Copeland Hilyer had two RBIs.
Alabama Christian will play host to Brew Tech in a Friday doubleheader in their next contest.
Rose Costanza Named ACA Athlete of the Week
Rose Costanza earned ACA Athlete of the Week with her steady play on the opening weekend of the softball season. The infielder helped the Lady Eagles win two of three games in the Sidney Cooper Invitational. Costanza hit .571 (4 for 7) over three games with two doubles and two RBIs and drove in the year’s first run against Hazel Green. In the final game of the weekend, Costanza had an important sacrifice to move the tying run into scoring position. The junior’s sacrifice was the 23rd of her career, which ranks ninth in school history.
Alabama Christian Wins Two Out of Three Games in Sidney Cooper Invitational
The 2019 4A State Champs began defense of their crown Saturday in Columbus, GA in the Sidney Cooper Invitational. The Lady Eagles won two out of three games as they defeated Hazel Green, 2-1, and Smiths Station, 4-2. ACA was defeated by Dale County in the weekend’s only loss.
In the season opener, the Eagles scored in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Rose Costanza drove Haylee Ingram with a two out single to knock in the season’s first run. Hazel Green homered in the bottom half to tie the score, 1-1. In the sixth inning, with the score still tied 1-1, Haley Pittman singled to right field and drove in Chandler Brewer for the game winning run. Pittman held the Trojans scoreless in the bottom of the sixth with the help of centerfielder Haylee Ingram’s double play to end the game. Pittman picked up the win for ACA allowing just one run with 10 strikeouts. Rose Costanza went 3 for 3 with a double and a run driven in while Haylee Ingram collected two hits in three at bats with a run scored.
In the second game of the day, Hayley Cassidy took the circle for the Lady Eagles. Dale County was able to score eight runs over the first three innings to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Down 10-0 in the fifth inning, ACA scored three runs in the bottom half to finish the scoring in the contest. Hayley Cassidy (0-1) took the loss while Izzy Warrick made her debut appearance in the circle as she pitched the final two innings. Five Eagles collected a single hit while Rose Costanza, Haylee Ingram and Monica Willingham all drove in one run.
Haley Pittman returned to the circle for the final game of the day against Smiths Station. Through the first two innings the two teams combined for only three hits as neither team was able to score. ACA opened the scoring in the third inning when Haley Pittman drove in Haylee Ingram on a 1-1 pitch. Smiths Station responded with a two run homer in the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead heading to the fifth frame. Pittman led off the fifth inning with a single and Landon Justice entered as a courtesy runner. After being moved to second base on a Rose Costanza sacrifice, Justice scored the tying run on a Monica Willingham double to center field. Haley Oswald drove in the game winning run as she singled to center for a 3-2 lead. Chandler Brewer’s bases loaded walk closed out the scoring for the 4-2 victory. Pittman (2-0) struck out seven as she picked up her second win of the year. At the plate, Pittman was 2 for 3 with an RBI while Haley Oswald went for 2 for 2 with a run driven in.
ACA visits Wetumpka Monday night in their next contest.
Eagles Lose Home Opener to Stanhope Elmore
After a week of heavy rains, Alabama Christian (1-3) was able to take the field to face Stanhope Elmore Friday night. The ACA offense continued to struggle as the Eagles mustered only three hits against Mustang pitching. Starting pitcher JT Moorer (0-2) held the Mustangs without a run in four of the five innings he pitched. Through the first three innings, Moorer allowed only two hits with a strikeout on just 32 pitches. The Stanhope Elmore offense woke up in the fourth inning as they scored four runs on five hits, including three doubles to take a 4-0 lead. Moorer would last five innings and gave up seven hits and four runs with two strikeouts. Copeland Hilyer pitched two scoreless innings to finish the game. Caden Perry collected two of the team’s three hits in two at bats while Zac Westbrook had one hit in three plate appearances.
Alabama Christian Splits President's Day Doubleheader
ACA spent the holiday in scenic Notasulga to play a doubleheader against Reeltown and Elmore County. The Eagles split the two games, as they defeated Reeltown 10-4 and lost to Elmore County 13-1 to make their record 1-2 on the young season.
In the opener, ACA jumped ahead of Reeltown with four runs in the top of the first inning to take an early lead. The Rebel defense committed four errors in the inning which led directly to two of the Eagles runs. In the top of the fourth, Alabama Christian struck again with four more runs. The key hit of the inning was a two out double by Preston Perry which scored Thomas Stovall and KJ Kendrick. Two batters later, Copeland Hilyer drew a bases loaded walk to extend the lead to 8-1. ACA scored their last two runs of the game in the sixth inning as Zac Westbrook scored on a wild pitch and Preston Perry scored on a Mason Prestage ground out.
Preston Perry finished the contest with three hits in four at bats with two runs driven in and two runs scored. Mason Prestage finished the game 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored. Perry not only excelled at the plate, but pitched a solid game as he picked up the win for the Eagles. The starter went four innings and struck out seven batters while he gave up only one earned run. Brandon Bice and Chase Madrid pitched the final three innings to close out the game.
The nightcap went the Eagles way for the first two innings against Elmore County. ACA scored a first inning run when Thoams Stovall scored on an infield error by the Panthers. The score remained the same until the top of the third inning when Elmore County erupted for seven runs. The Panthers put together five hits with two walks to take a commanding 7-1 lead over the Eagles. ACA would muster no runs and only one hit over the final two innings. Meanwhile, Elmore County tacked on six more runs for the 13-1 victory. KJ Kendrick collected the only hit for the Eagles. Zac Westbrook took the loss as he gave up seven runs over three innings.
Eagles Win Capital City Conference Tournament
ACA won all three games played over the weekend to win the Gold Division of the Capital City Conference Tournament. The Eagles defeated Wetumpka in the opener, 1-0. Dalton Hutchinson scored the games only goal in a hard fought contest. Goalie Coleman Harrison had six saves as the Eagles shut out the Indians. Game two was a rematch against BTW and like earlier in the week, Alabama Christian dominated the Yellow Jackets with a 10-0 drubbing. Dalton Hutchinson led the attack with seven goals scored. Cobi Keel scored two goals with one assist and Carson Davies added one goal. Coleman Harrison picked up the win with his second shutout of the tournament.
In the championship game, the Eagles defeated Saint James. The game was tied 3-3 at the end of regulation, but ACA outscored the Trojans 4-2 on penalty kicks for the victory. Dalton Hutchinson scored two goals and Cobi Keel added a goal and an assist. Carson Davies scored the third goal on penalty kicks which eventually was the game winner. Coleman Harrison had seven saves in the win.
ACA Loses Season Opener at Holtville
Alabama Christian’s defense struggled in the season opener with seven errors which led to nine unearned runs. The game was called in the fifth inning as Holtville defeated the Eagles 11-1.
On a very cold night the season’s first game started in the best possible way for the Alabama Christian baseball team. The first three Eagle batters reached base, but not much went ACA’s way after that. Thomas Stovall scored a run on a wild pitch which would be the only run scored by the Eagles on the night. Holtville broke the game wide open in the second inning as they scored seven runs on only one hit. ACA helped the Bulldog’s cause with four errors, four walks and a hit batsman in the disastrous inning. Starting pitcher JT Moorer took the loss despite only giving up one earned run in 1 2/3 innings. Copeland Hilyer and Zac Westbrook collected the Eagles only two hits in the contest.
ACA will next play a President’s Day doubleheader against Reeltown and Elmore County at Reeltown .
Boys and Girls Soccer Teams Blank BTW in Home Opener
Alabama Christian outscored BTW 20-0 Tuesday night as both teams defeated the Yellow Jackets 10-0. Both games were called due to the mercy rule. The boys game ended in spectacular fashion as Jacob Ryan scored from 30 yards out on a free kick to send the crowd home happy.
The Eagles improved to 1-1 with the convincing victory over BTW. The match was even through the first 15 minutes, but ACA exploded with five goals in thirteen minutes to take a 5-0 lead into the break. In the second half, the offense scored three goals in six minutes to take a commanding 8-0 lead. The Eagles emptied the bench for the remainder of the game and added two late goals to take home the 10-0 win. Dalton Hutchinson produced the hat trick with three goals and added one assist while Carson Davies scored two goals with two assists.. Baillie Johnson, Cobi Keel, Daniel Moffett, Sean Moffett and Jacob Ryan each scored one goal on the night. Coleman Harrison and Emmett Sanford both played one half at goalie. The 10 goals scored by the Eagles was the most scored since 2016.
The Lady Eagles blitzed the Jackets with eight goals in the first 15 minutes to remain undefeated after four games on the season. ACA dominated play the entire night and were able to play their bench for the majority of the game. Madison Foshee recorded three goals for the hat trick with one assist. Michaelyn Manning had two goals with three assists while Ivie Kocher scored two goals. Taylor Faulkner, Presley Lewis and Katelyn Sutton each scored a single goal. Jadyn Gonzalez and Marcy Gregory each played a perfect half in the net.
Lady Eagles Win Southern Shootout Tournament to Open Season
With the scheduled season opener cancelled due to weather, ACA opened its season over the weekend in Foley, AL at the Southern Shootout Tournament. The Eagles won a pair of games Friday as they defeated Oneonta, 10-0, and Benjamin Russell, 7-3. Four players scored goals in Friday night’s contests led by Michaelyn Manning with nine goals, followed by Madison Foshee and Katelyn Sutton with three goals each and Marlo Duggan with two goals. Alabama Christian finished the tournament with a 8-1 victory over Bayside Academy. Goalie Jadyn Gonzalez only made three saves in the final match due to the strong defensive effort in front of her. Gonzalez was in goal for all three games over the weekend and allowed only four goals in three matches. Once again, Michaelyn Manning led the way with four goals scored. Presley Lewis scored twice while Madison Foshee and Katelyn Sutton each tallied a goal. In the opener against Oneonta, Michaelyn Manning joined Janie Szobaszlay as the only Lady Eagles to score 100 goals in their career.
Alabama Christian Beaten by Catholic in Area Tournament
Like the Lady Eagles Tuesday night, ACA’s season ended with a loss to Catholc in the Area Tournament. The Eagles (8-20) felt they had some momentum on their side with back to back wins to end the regular season, but the Knights proved too strong in a 80-59 win Wednesday night. Catholic held a 40-16 lead after the first half and ACA was never able to close the gap in the second half. In the last game of the year eleven of the twelve players who played were able to score. Braden Alford led ACA in scoring with 11 points and Avery Stuart added 10 points. Jake Bailey, KJ Kendrick and Caden Perry each scored six points on the night.
ACA Loses to Catholic in Area Tournament
The fourth meeting of the year between ACA (12-15) and Catholic looked very similar to the previous three as both teams struggled to score in a 39-26 victory for Lady Knights. The Eagles offense had struggled to break 30 points over their last four games and continued to scuffle Tuesday night against Catholic. Alabama Christian trailed 17-8 at the half and were not able to catch the Knights in the second half. The Lady Eagles got as close as 25-21 in the fourth quarter, but Catholic finished the game on a 14-5 run to end the Eagles season. Michaelyn Manning led the offense with eight points while Rose Costanza added six points. Senior Mary Hall ended her career with two points.
Caden Perry Named ACA Athlete of the Week
Caden Perry helped the Eagles win two out of three games this week and delivered a historic performance with 32 points against Maplesville to earn Athlete of the Week honors. Perry’s 32 points was the most scored by any Eagle since Reed Teel scored the same total in February of 2010. The junior averaged 17 points, 3 rebounds and two blocks a game on the week. For the season, Perry leads the team in three pointers made (37), free throw percentage (70.6%) and blocks per game (1.6) and is second in scoring (10.2 points per game) and assists (1.7).
ACA Sweeps Maplesville to Close Out Regular Season
Caden Perry allowed K J Kendrick to keep the season best scoring mark for just one day as he scored a career high 32 points against Maplesville Friday night. Perry is the first Eagle to hit at least 30 points in a game since Michael Graham scored 30 against Catholic in December 2010. Hayes Hunt also produced a career high performance with 16 points while Braden Alford and Avery Stuart each scored eight in the contest.
ACA (8-19) led after the first quarter, 20-15, but Maplesville used a 16-5 run in the second quarter to help take an eight point lead into the half. The Devils continued to control the game for much of the second half and led 67-57 lead with 3:13 remaining in the game as they completed a three point play. Maplesville would not score another point for the remainder of the game. Over the next two minutes, Perry and Avery Stuart combined for ten points to tie the game. On Maplesville’s next possession, Jalen Clark stole the ball and the Eagles called timeout to set up the final play. ACA was patient on offense and a lane opened up for Perry as he made it all the way to the basket and hit a layup with 34.2 seconds remaining. The junior hit four free throws over the final 25 seconds to secure the 73-67 win.
The Lady Eagle’s (12-14) defense was strong again for the second game in a row. ACA held Maplesville to ten points in a 32-10 victory over the Lady Devils. Alabama Christian led 13-2 at the half and the outcome was never in doubt. michaelyn Manning led all scorers with 15 points with four steals and three rebounds. Mary Hall scored six points with three rebounds and three steals.
Alabama Christian Defeats Saint James on Senior Night
K J Kendrick put together a career performance on Senior Night as he paced the Eagles (7-19) to a 73-68 victory over Saint James Thursday night. The senior scored a season best 29 points to lead the comeback against the Trojans as ACA outscored Saint James 20-12 in the final quarter. With the score tied 68-68, Hayes Hunt hit one of two free throws with 56.7 seconds remaining to give Alabama Christian the lead for good. Kendrick hit two more free throws with 18.3 seconds left to put his team up by three and Caden Perry iced the game with 1.7 seconds hitting the last two free throws of the contest. The Eagles played with an energy and a sense of urgency rarely seen this season and that effort produced one of their best games of the season. Caden Perry scored 15 points while Braden Alford chipped in 11 points on the night.
The Lady Eagles (11-14) did not fair as well as the boys did as they trailed 27-8 at the half and were never a serious threat to the Lady Trojans in a 45-21 loss. Michaelyn Manning led the Eagles with 10 points while Mary Hall and Sarah Johnson each scored three points.
ACA travels to Maplesville tomorrow night for the regular season finale.
Mary Hall Named ACA Athlete of the Week
Mary Hall was named the ACA Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. On Tuesday night, the senior became only the 13th Lady Eagle in history to play in 100 varsity games in her career as ACA played BTW. Hall scored eight points to help the Eagles defeat the Lady Jackets and had four points, ten rebounds and three blocks against Trinity on Friday. The Eagle post player leads the team in rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.0) for the season. Hall is ranked all time in school history in field goals made and free throws made and attempted.
Lady Eagles Beat BTW for Second Time this Season
ACA played as the visitor in their home gym Tuesday night against Booker T Washington, who does not have a home gym of their own.
The Lady Eagles (10-12) completed the season sweep with a 50-30 defeat of the Lady Jackets. ACA led after two quarters 30-15 and stretched the lead to 46-17 heading to the fourth quarter. BTW outscored the Eagles in the final period, but it was too little too late. All eleven players were able to log minutes in the game and ten Lady Eagles scored baskets in the contest. Junior Rose Costanza led ACA with 10 points while Mary Hall and Michaelyn Manning each scored eight points.
Alabama Christian Splits a Pair with LAMP
ACA played their fourth consecutive Area contest as they hosted LAMP Friday night. With the win, the Lady Eagles improved their Area record to 2-2, but the boys dropped to 0-4 with the loss.
In the Eagles first match up last week with LAMP, ACA waited until the fourth quarter to pull away and secure the victory. Friday night, Alabama Christian (9-12) pulled away in the third quarter as they outscored LAMP 13-5 in the period. The Eagles continued to pour it on as they scored the first eight points of the final quarter and finished the game with a convincing 55-32 victory. Mary Reagan Hilyer and Michaelyn Manning led the Lady Eagles as each scored 13 points on the night. Hilyer added three rebounds and two assists while Manning filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Mya Moskowitz added eight points with seven rebounds and three steals.
In the boys game, ACA (6-15) played LAMP close most of the night, but two big runs for the Golden Tigers proved the difference in the outcome. In the first quarter, the Eagles led 12-6 when LAMP ran off a 17-0 run in just under three minutes to take a 23-12 lead and led 26-17 at the end of the quarter. The contest was evenly played in the second and third quarters and the Tigers were up 47-41 heading to the fourth period. Jalen Clark and Braden Alford hit the first two shots of the final quarter to pull the Eagles to within two points of the Tigers. LAMP responded with a 13-0 run and outscored ACA 29-15 in the final period. LAMP would go on to win by a score of 78-57. Jalen Clark led the team in scoring with 15 points and added five rebounds and four assists. Avery Stuart scored 12 points with a team high nine rebounds and two blocks. Braden Alford scored 11 points with four rebounds.