Alabama Christian Demolishes LAMP for Area Championship

ACA’s postseason pedigree showed this week as the Lady Eagles ran through the Area tournament to advance to the Regionals for the 25th time in 26 years. Alabama Christian won two tight games early in the week and then took care of LAMP in the finals with a 16-0 whooping. A Hayley Cassidy grand slam ended the contest in the fourth as the mercy rule was needed with the sixteen run cushion.

Neither team scored in the first two innings, but ACA made up for it by scoring eight runs each in the third and fourth frames. In the third, Annabelle Pugh knocked in Katie Chappell for the first run of the game followed by run scoring at bats from KG Taylor and Haley Oswald. After the fourth run scored on a LAMP error, Oswald scored on a passed ball to increase the margin to 5-0. Rose Costanza added a two-run single followed by an RBI hit from Hayley Cassidy for the 8-0 advantage.

LAMP loaded the bases in the fourth, but came away with no runs, opening the door for the Eagles. The bottom half started innocently enough with an infield ground out, but the next eight batters reached safely and all scored to end it. Lawson Borland reached on an infield error, Haley Oswald singled to left, Skylar Crews singled to left for a 9-0 lead, Haley Ingram singled to right for a 10-0 cushion, Izzy Warrick singled to center to make the score 11-0, Katie Chappell singled to left scoring the twelfth run, Rose Costanza walked to load the bases and Hayley Cassidy sent a 3-1 pitch over the left field fence for a grand slam and the 16-0 blowout.

Hayley Cassidy finished the day 2 for 2 with two walks, a homer and five RBIs. Katie Chappell was 3 for 3 with a walk and scored three runs while Skylar Crews finished 2 for 2 with two RBIs. In the circle, Izzy Warrick earned the win as she allowed six hits, but no runs over four innings.

Alabama Christian travels to Gulf Shores next week to compete in the Regionals, as it should be.

ACA Qualifies for Regionals with Win Over LAMP

Like Tuesday against St James, the Lady Eagles did it again on Wednesday with a close win over LAMP after losing tight games to the Tigers in the regular season. Pitching dominated the contest as both teams combined for just three runs and ten hits in the 2-1 Alabama Christian triumph. Starter Rose Costanza pitched a complete game gem and held LAMP to one run on five hits with nine strikeouts.

Neither team scored over the first three innings as the offenses produced only two hits. In the top of the fourth, LAMP scored the first run of the day with back-to-back one-out hits, but Costanza recorded the second out with a strikeout and coaxed an infield popup to hold the damage to one run. Costanza connected on the first pitch she saw in the bottom half to even the score at 1-1. ACA took the lead for good in the sixth inning as Izzy Warrick led off the frame with a single. After Warrick stole second, Katie Chappell drove in the game winning run for the 2-1 advantage. Costanza got the final three outs in the seventh and helped the Eagles advance to the Area finals.

Lady Eagles Defeat St James in Opening Round of Area Tournament

ACA waited for a great time to beat St James for the first time this year as they turned the tables on the Lady Trojans with a late run in the 5-4 triumph. Rose Costanza knocked in the game winning run with a one-out single to center that scored Izzy Warrick in the top of the seventh for the one-run victory. The Eagles will take on LAMP, Wednesday, in the winner bracket final.

Alabama Christian struck first in the top of the opening inning as Izzy Warrick advanced to third on a passed ball and scored two pitches later on a wild pitch with two outs for the 1-0 lead. After giving up the lead in the bottom of the first, ACA responded with three runs in the top of the second for the 4-2 advantage. After a walk, Annabelle Pugh scored on a wild pitch to tie the game while Haley Ingram and Warrick followed with run scoring singles for the Eagles’ other two runs. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the fourth as the Trojans cut the lead to 4-3. Warrick took the circle in relief of Costanza in the top of the fifth to try and finish the game, but St James was able to score one and tie it up in the fifth. After a scoreless sixth, both team’s would have one more at bat to win it in regulation. With one out in the top of the frame, Warrick singled followed by Katie Chappell who was hit by pitch for the second time on the day and a school record 22nd time for her career. With two on and one out, Costanza delivered the game winning blow. In the bottom half, Warrick pitched a perfect inning to earn the victory in relief.

Warrick and Costanza produced five of the team’s seven hits as Warrick went 3 for 4 with two runs scored and Costanza finished 2 for 3 with an RBI. For the 35th consecutive game, Haley Ingram had at least one hit with a 1 for 4 effort.

ACA Drops Series to American Christian in Second Round of Playoffs

Sometimes in the playoffs who you draw is very important in determining how far your team might go in the postseason. Alabama Christian faced a tough second round opponent in American Christian in a 4A Top 10 match up. The Patriots swept the series and did not allow an Eagle run in the two games. In the first game underclassmen Hayes Hunt, Trey Schlemmer and Isaac Warrick delivered the team’s three hits in the 13-0 loss. Warrick and Hunt pitched for the Eagles in the opener. In the final game, three seniors collected the offense’s only hits as Brandon Bice, Mason Prestage and Thomas Stovall each singled and Zac Westbrook and JT Moorer both pitched in the 7-0 defeat.

Despite the sweep, ACA enjoyed success not seen over the past few years. The Eagles returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, won the Area championship and finished with a record of 19-12-1.

ACA Defeats Opelika on Senior Night

After dropping a game to Catholic earlier in the week, the Seniors won their last game on Denise Ainsworth Field with a 10-0 shut out of Opelika on Senior Night. In the Catholic contest, Haley Ingram extended her hitting streak to 31 games and Katie Chappell was hit by pitch for the 20th time in her career, which ties her with Shelbie Horne for most in school history.

Haley Ingram waits on the pitch.

Against Opelika, Alabama Christian scored two first inning runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball to take the early lead. Starter Rose Costanza did not need any more run support as she held the Bulldogs to four hits with nine strikeouts in the six-inning complete game victory. In the third inning, Costanza’s run-scoring double highlighted a two run frame that doubled the lead to 4-0. The next at bat ACA doubled their lead again as Katie Chappell singled in a run and later scored on Costanza’s three-run blast to left. The last two runs of the game came in the sixth inning on back-to-back bases-loaded walks that ended the game, 10-0.

Rose Costanza sends the ball over the left field fence.

Costanza paced the offense as she went 2 for 2 with a double and a home run with four RBIs and two walks. Haley Ingram continued her record setting hitting streak (32 games) with two hits in four at bats and joined teammate Rose Costanza in the 200 hit club as she became the eighth Lady Eagle in program history to reach the milestone. Izzy Warrick finished the day 2 for 4 with three runs scored.

The Lady Eagles prepare for post-season starting with the Area tournament next week.

Ten Eagles Qualify for State Meet

Demari Moore and Kate Finch lead ACA to the State meet this weekend in Gulf Shores as Moore qualified for four events and Finch will be the lone female representative for the team. Ricky Rizzotto and Garrett Weathers each qualified for individual events while Bryan Burleson, Zander Costanza, Gerrod Green, David Ortiz-Ramirez, TJ Silmon, and Connor Strowbridge all qualified as part of relay teams.

At Sectionals this past weekend, Moore won the High Jump with an effort of 5 feet 8 inches, placed second in the 100m dash with a time of 11.65 seconds and finished fourth in the Long Jump with a leap of 20 feet 4 inches. Ricky Rizzotto finished fifth in the Javelin with a throw of 125 feet and 1 inch while Garrett Weathers placed fifth in the 400m dash with a time of 53.47 seconds. Kate Finch finished second in the 3200m run with a time of 12:14.90 and also qualified for the 1600m run.

Two relay teams qualified for state. They are the 4x100 team consisting of Gerrod Green, Demari Moore, David Ortiz-Ramirez and TJ Silmon and the 4x800 team made up by Bryan Burleson, Zander Costanza, Connor Strowbridge and Garrett Weathers.

Lady Eagles Win All Four at Hoover Invitational

Alabama Christian traveled north to Hoover and had a very successful weekend with four straight wins in what hopefully will provide some momentum for the Lady Eagles as they close the regular season.

ACA opened the Hoover Invitational with a convincing 16-1 defeat of Sipsey Valley. Haley Oswald started the scoring in the second inning with an infield single that scored Rose Costanza followed by a Lawson Borland ground out that scored KG Taylor for an early 2-0 lead. The Lady Eagles added three more runs in the third aided by run scoring hits from Katie Chappell and Taylor. As Alabama Christian continued to score runs, starting pitcher Izzy Warrick silenced the Bears’ bats and kept the ball on the ground with ten of the game’s fifteen outs being ground balls in the complete game victory. Warrick, Costanza and Taylor each contributed run scoring hits in the fourth to stretch the lead to 8-0. In the final inning, Alabama Christian doubled their score with eight more runs as Costanza and Taylor both had two-run singles in the frame. Seventh grader Campbell Hammett collected her first career hit in the inning. Six Eagles produced multi-hit games as Rose Costanza, KG Taylor and Izzy Warrick each had three hits and Hayley Cassidy, Haley Ingram and Ava Oates each had two hits in the contest. Ingram extended her hitting streak to 26 games as she adds to her record with each game she gets a hit.

Game two of the evening pitted the Lady Eagles against the host school in a good test for the ACA team. Alabama Christian passed with flying colors with a 5-3 win over the Lady Bucs. The Eagle’s ace, Rose Costanza, was in the circle and held the Hoover offense in check. Hoover scored once in the first inning and did not score again until the seventh. ACA tied the game in the second on a Hoover error and took the lead in the third on a Hayley Cassidy sac fly. Costanza followed with a two-run double to extend the lead to 4-1. The two-base hit was Costanza’s 200th of her career as she became the seventh Lady Eagle in program history to achieve the mark. The Eagle’s last run was scored in the fourth as Haley Ingram singled in Lawson Borland for the 5-1 advantage. Hoover scored two in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough in the 5-3 ACA triumph. Costanza did not walk a batter in the complete game effort to pick up the win. Ingram led the offense with two hits and extended her streak to 27 games.

Saturday opened with a 14-4 victory over Beech (TN) as the Lady Eagles won their third consecutive game. ACA jumped all over the Buccaneers with seven runs in the opening frame highlighted by two-run hits by Annabelle Pugh and Izzy Warrick. Haley Oswald knocked in the team’s eighth run in the second for an 8-0 lead. Beech scored the next three runs in the third and fourth innings to trim the lead to five runs. In the fifth inning, Alabama Christian extended the lead to 14-3 aided by Haley Ingram who launched a three-run homer to center field. Izzy Warrick earned the win in the circle with five innings of work and Maddie Traywick pitched the sixth inning to close the game. Haley Ingram collected a hit in her 28th straight game with a 3 for 4 effort with a homer and three RBIs while Hayley Cassidy finished 3 for 5 with one run driven in. Lawson Borland, Rose Costanza and Izzy Warrick each contributed two hits to the attack. 

The fourth and final game of the weekend was a thriller as ACA defeated Oxford 8-7 to finish 4-0 on the weekend. Izzy Warrick picked up the win in relief as the Eagles scored three runs in the last inning. Alabama Christian fell behind early as the Jackets led 6-0 after two innings. In the third, ACA cut the lead in half with three two-out runs scored. After the first two hitters were retired, the offense produced four consecutive singles with Katie Chappell and Hayley Cassidy knocking in the three runs. The Eagles cut the lead to one as they scored two in the fourth on a Haley Oswald single and a Haley Ingram sac fly. After giving up a run in the bottom of the fourth, ACA trailed 7-5 heading into their final at bat. The first four Eagles walked in the frame to cut the lead to one run and Skylar Crews tied it with an infield single. Lawson Borland drove in the game winner with a sac fly to center field. Oxford put a couple of runners on in their half of the inning, but were unable to score a run and the Eagles held on for the 8-7 win. Warrick led the offense with two hits in three at bats with a run scored and Ingram’s single moved her hitting streak to 29 games.

Alabama Christian goes to Catholic on Tuesday for their next contest.

ACA Sweeps Playoff Series Against St Michaels

Alabama Christian ended a three season playoff hiatus as they hosted St Michaels in the first round of the playoffs on Friday. The Eagles last appearance in the playoffs was in 2016 where they lost in the first round to Demopolis. ACA had only played two games over the past fourteen days and it remained to be seen whether the team was rested or rusty. The verdict was probably a little of both. After falling behind 3-2 in the third inning of game one, the Eagles outscored its opponent 22-1 over the remainder of the evening for the 10-3, 14-1 sweep.

Isaac Warrick readies to pitch against St Michaels.

Starter Isaac Warrick took the ball in game one and promptly struck out the side on just 13 pitches to begin the Eagle’s day. ACA struck first, in the second inning, as Thomas Stovall singled to drive in Jalen Clark and scored one batter later as Zac Westbrook doubled to left. The Cardinals took their only lead of the day in the third inning with a three-run homer and a 3-2 advantage headed to the bottom of the third. Alabama Christian responded immediately in their half of the frame with two runs and a 4-3 lead. The home team loaded the bases with two walks and a hit batter and scored the two runs on RBI ground outs by Preston Hicks and Hayes Hunt. Given the lead again, Warrick allowed only two more Cardinals to reach base as he shut down the St Michaels offense over the final four innings. The junior lefty finished with 14 strikeouts and allowed only three hits as he earned the game one victory. In the fourth inning, ACA added four runs as Warrick delivered the big blow with a two-run single for the 8-3 lead. The last two runs of the contest were scored in the sixth inning as Clark drove in Hunt with a single and later scored on a wild pitch for the final 10-3 margin. The bottom part of the lineup, consisting of Hayes Hunt, Jalen Clark and Thomas Stovall, sparked the offense with five of the team’s ten hits and six of the ten runs scored. Clark led the squad with a 3 for 3 performance with three runs scored and one RBI. Brandon Bice finished 2 for 3 with a run scored.

Zac Westbrook takes the mound for game two.

With the momentum squarely on the side of the Eagles, ACA looked to jump on St Michaels early and give the Cardinals little hope of a split. The offense wasted no time as Zac Westbrook led off the game with a walk and scored on a Brandon Bice double for the game’s first run. Bice would later score on a passed ball for the early 2-0 lead. In the second inning, Westbrook was in the middle of the action again as he crushed a three-run homer to center for the 5-0 advantage. The third inning saw the Eagles score four two-out runs to build a commanding 9-0 lead. Jalen Clark reached on an error and Thomas Stovall walked behind him to set up the top of the order. Westbrook scored Clark with a single to center field and Mason Prestage delivered a bases-loaded double to score three runs for the nine run cushion. In the fourth, Alabama Christian scored five more runs for the final 14-1 score. Trey Schlemmer led off the frame with a double and scored on a Hayes Hunt triple. Clark singled to score Hunt for the team’s eleventh run. Clark touched the plate as Westbrook drove in his fifth run of the game with a single to right. The final two runs were scored by Thomas Stovall on a wild pitch and Taylor Thornton who scored on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Schlemmer. Westbrook was the star of game two with a four hit, five RBI performance and picked up the win on the mound as he allowed just four hits in the complete game effort. Mason Prestage finished 2 for 4 with three RBIs while Thomas Stovall went 1 for 1 with three walks and three runs scored.

ACA will face the winner of the American Christian/Oak Grove series in the second round of the playoffs.  

ACA Wins Area Title with Sweep of BTW-Tuskegee

Alabama Christian ended a three year playoff drought and won the Area championship with a sweep of BTW on Thursday. The Eagles dominated the day, despite an eight day layoff, with 17-0 and 15-0 shutouts to improve their record to 17-10-1 on the season. Isaac Warrick starred in the opener as he no-hit the Golden Eagles with five strikeouts and drove in two runs with a hit in three at bats. Jalen Clark and Zac Westbrook each delivered two hits with two RBIs while Hayes Hunt and Mason Prestage each drove in two runs apiece.

The Eagles continued their dominance of BTW in game two as Zac Westbrook allowed just one hit with seven strikeouts in a 15-0 blowout. Nine different Eagles scored runs and nine drove in runs in the second half of the doubleheader. Taylor Thornton was 2 for 2 with a double and two runs driven in while Preston Hicks finished 1 for 1 with a triple and two RBIs. JT Moorer and Parker Mock both drove in two runs in the contest.

Alabama Christian will host the first round of the playoffs on Friday, April 23rd at the AUM Baseball Complex.

ACA Drops Two of Three in Area Games This Week

Monday - BTW-Tuskegee

The Lady Eagles started the week with a no-hitter as Izzy Warrick became the third ACA pitcher to accomplish the feat this season in a 15-0 win over BTW. Warrick was dominant with nine strikeouts over four innings, not allowing a ball to leave the infield and was one walk away from a perfect game. Alabama Christian scored at least three runs in every inning. KG Taylor delivered the key hit in the first with a two-run single to center field for a 3-0 lead. In the second inning, Haley Ingram, Katie Chappell and Rose Costanza each drove in runs while Lawson Borland's two-run triple knocked in the last two runs for a 9-0 advantage. In the third inning, Chappell and Costanza again drove in runs and in the final frame as Annabelle Pugh ended it with a two-run single for the 15-0 final margin. Haley Ingram led the offense going 3 for 3 with three runs scored and extended her hitting streak to 23 games. Katie Chappell finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs while four other Eagles, Lawson Borland, Rose Costanza, Annabelle Pugh and KG Taylor, each drove in two runs.

Tuesday - St James

ACA hosted St James for their second Area game of the week and wasted a strong pitching performance from Rose Costanza as the Eagles bats were silenced by Trojan pitching. Costanza went the distance and allowed just two runs with eight strikeouts in the 2-0 loss. Alabama Christian managed just four hits on the day and squandered opportunities in the fourth and fifth innings to get on the scoreboard. In the fourth, ACA had runners on first and second with two outs, but a strikeout ended the frame. In the fifth, the Eagles had their best chance to score with runners at second and third with just one out, but a strikeout and a line out ended the threat. Haley Ingram's fifth inning single kept her hitting streak alive at 24 games as she tied McKenzie Kilpatrick, who accomplished the feat in 2011, for the school record for most consecutive games with a hit.

Thursday - at LAMP

Alabama Christian hoped to avenge an extra inning loss earlier in the season to LAMP, but were again beaten by the Golden Tigers in the final frame. LAMP scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth, but ACA responded with two runs in their half of the fifth. Katie Chappell drove in the tying run with an infield single and Rose Costanza put the Eagles ahead with a run scoring ground out. LAMP evened the score in the bottom half to set up a dramatic seventh inning. Izzy Warrick and Chappell led off the final frame with back-to-back singles and Warrick scored on a LAMP error to put ACA up by a run. With two outs in the bottom half and one runner on second, the Tigers came up with consecutive hits that scored the tying and then the winning runs in the 4-3 victory over Alabama Christian. Haley Ingram set a new school record with a hit in her 25th consecutive game as she went 3 for 4 with a double while Katie Chappell finished 2 for 4 with an RBI. Rose Costanza pitched the entire game in the loss with six strikeouts.

Track Team Competes in Meet in Wetumpka

Track

Demari Moore won the High Jump for the second meet in a row with a jump of six feet to highlight the day as the track team participated in the Water Under The Bridge meet in Wetumpka. Ricky Rizzotto finished second in the Javelin among 20 competitors with a throw of 116 feet 3 inches. On the track, Alabama Christian finished third in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays while Garrett Weathers placed fourth out of 48 runners in the 400m dash with a time of 53.36 seconds. In the girls division, Kate Finch won the 3200m run with a time of 12:28.41 and placed second out of 26 runners in the 800m run with a time of 2:46.49.

ACA competes next in Beauregard at the Hornet Invitational on April 17th.

Soccer

On Thursday night, the ACA boys team defeated St James 1-0 in overtime in a crucial Area match. Dalton Hutchinson scored the game winning goal with an assist from Norton Sewell. The girls fell to the Lady Trojans by a score of 8-2. Michaelyn Manning and Presley Lewis each scored a goal while Katelyn Sutton assisted on both goals. Goalkeeper Marcy Gregory had 32 saves on the evening.

The girls next play Wetumpka at home on Tuesday, April 13th followed by the boys playing Brew Tech.

ACA Falls to LAMP in Extra Innings

Although Alabama Christian scored first in a key Area matchup with LAMP, they never crossed the plate again in a 2-1 loss in eight innings. Haley Ingram singled in the first inning, to extend her hitting streak to 22 games, and later scored ACA's only run on an infield error by the Golden Tiger defense. After a leadoff walk to start the fourth, LAMP scored its first run with a double to center field. The game remained tied through seven innings although ACA had a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the seventh as they loaded the bases with only one out, but were unable to push across the game winning run. LAMP led off the eighth with a solo homer and the Lady Eagles were unable to answer for the 2-1 loss. Ingram and Rose Costanza were the offense as the two seniors produced all three hits the Eagles could muster. The rest of the lineup was a combined 0 for 21 on the afternoon. Costanza took the loss in the circle as she pitched the full eight innings with six strikeouts.

ACA continues Area play as the take on BTW-Tuskegee on Monday, April 12th.

Softball and Baseball Win in Early Week Action

Softball

The 15-1 final score in no way showed how close the contest was between ACA and Stanhope Elmore in Tuesday's game. The Eagles led by the slimmest of margins with a 2-1 advantage heading to the bottom of the fourth. However, Alabama Christian erupted for 13 runs in the frame and did not have to bat again as they run-ruled the Mustangs in five innings. Neither team scored through the first two and a half innings until Izzy Warrick delivered a two-run single to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. After giving up a run to Stanhope Elmore in the top of the fourth, the Lady Eagles responded with a 13 run scoring barrage. Rose Costanza started the fireworks with a two-run homer to center field after a Katie Chappell single opened the inning. Skylar Crews and Warrick both drove in single runs before Haley Ingram, Chappell and Costanza hit back-to-back-to-back doubles that drove in five runs. Lawson Borland and KG Taylor drove in a run apiece before Crews finished the scoring with a two-run double, the fourth double of the inning for the Eagles. Costanza and Crews both had two run scoring knocks in the scoring outburst.

Rose Costanza led the offense with a 3 for 3 performance including a double and a homer with three RBIs. Skylar Crews finished 2 for 2 with a double with three runs driven in while Katie Chappell was 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. Haley Ingram’s double extended her hitting streak to 21 games and Izzy Warrick drove in three runs. In the circle, Costanza picked up the win while Hayley Cassidy finished the final two innings to close the game.

Baseball

ACA moved its game against Reeltown up a day due to the threat of bad weather on Thursday. The Eagles built a 5-0 lead after four and a half innings and held on for a 9-7 victory in the replacement game. The five early runs were scored on an infield error, a dropped third strike, another error, a steal of home and a sac fly. Isaac Warrick delivered a two-run single to highlight a four run seventh frame. JT Moorer earned the win with a 4 2/3 inning effort with four strikeouts and Zac Westbrook recorded the save by pitching the last three outs.

Tennis

The Lady Eagles tied Carroll in Ozark 5-5 on Monday afternoon. Molly Howard (8-4), Layne DeCapite (8-4) and Laura Stokley (8-2) each won their singles matches and Ava Rose Dean/Howard (8-3) and Stokley/Jordan Wilson (11-10) won their doubles matches.

The Lady Eagles were swept by LAMP on Tuesday afternoon.

Soccer

Both soccer teams were beaten by MA on Tuesday night. The girls were defeated 10-0 as Marcy Gregory recorded 16 saves and the boys were beaten 7-0 with Emmitt Sanford finishing with 10 saves.

Baseball Takes Three Over LAMP to Highlight Easter Weekend Competition

Baseball

The Eagles took a major step towards an Area title with a sweep of LAMP on Thursday and Friday. Both ACA and St James have one loss in the Area, but the Eagles hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Trojans. Alabama Christian and LAMP combined for 59 runs in the three game set, but the Eagles’ bats proved too strong in the high scoring series. In the series opener, ACA used two big innings to score all 13 of its runs in the 13-7 final. LAMP scored five runs over the first three innings to take what looked like a comfortable 5-0 lead, but the Eagles scored six runs in the bottom half of the third. Three straight singles by Isaac Warrick, Trey Schlemmer and Preston Hicks plated the first three Alabama Christian runs. Two LAMP errors with two outs added another three runs and gave ACA a 6-5 lead heading to the fourth frame. LAMP scored two in the fourth to retake the lead, but the Eagles put the game away with seven runs in the fifth and a 13-7 lead. Warrick’s two-run single highlighted a frame that included four singles, two walks, a hit by pitch and a sac fly. Warrick picked up the win with eight strikeouts over five innings and JT Moorer closed the door with two scoreless innings. Trey Schlemmer went 3 for 4 with two RBIs while Preston Hicks and Isaac Warrick each delivered two hits for the offense.

Isaac Warrick pitches the Eagles to victory in game one of the LAMP series.

Good Friday saw the series shift to Paterson Field for games two and three of the important Area tilt. ACA fell behind early again in game two as LAMP led 3-1 after an inning. However, the Eagles scored nine runs in the second frame to put the game and the series away. With one out in the inning, eight consecutive batters reached safely for Alabama Christian without the luxury of a hit as LAMP pitching produced six walks and a hit batsman along with a fielding error to rocket the Eagles to an 8-3 advantage. The last two runs of the inning came on a Zac Westbrook double to right that plated Preston Hicks and Hayes Hunt for a 10-3 lead. Both teams combined for just one run over the next three innings as ACA led 10-4 going to the sixth inning. In the sixth, ACA plated six insurance runs for the 16-6 victory in the run-ruled shortened game. Zac Westbrook earned the victory with a complete game, four strikeout performance and helped himself at the plate with a 2 for 3 day with a double and two RBIs. Isaac Warrick finished 3 for 3 with two runs scored while Brandon Bice went 2 for 4 with a double and four RBIs and Hayes Hunt was 2 for 2 with three runs scored and two RBIs.

Zac Westbrook advances to second base against LAMP.

After securing the series in game two, the Eagles looked to take all three in the final games of the day. Although the game meant nothing to the Area standings, it was the most thrilling game of the three. LAMP led all the way over the first six innings and held a 5-2 advantage as the team’s headed to the seventh. In the top half, Braden Alford walked, JT Moorer singled and Parker Mock walked to load the bases with no outs. Caden Perry cut the deficit to one run with a two-run single to left and Taylor Thornton tied the game with a single that scored Mock. Zac Westbrook hit a sac fly to give the Eagles a 6-5 lead as LAMP prepared for their last at bat. An error, sacrifice bunt and a single tied the game and sent it to extra innings. In the eighth, ACA scored three times thanks to singles from Thornton and Westbrook. The Eagles allowed two runs in the bootom of the eighth, but held on for the 9-8 victory. Brandon Bice picked up the win in relief. Thornton paced the offense with three hits in five at bats with three RBIs. Carson Horn, JT Moorer and Caden Perry each delivered two hits for the Eagle attack.

Softball

Thursday marked a special day for the softball program as the hitting pavilion was named for long-time coach, Chris Goodman. Coach Goodman has impacted many lives in his career at ACA and is very deserving of the recognition. The Lady Eagles hosted Wetumpka, Goodman’s alma mater, after the ribbon cutting ceremony. Wetumpka proved too strong on the afternoon and defeated the Lady Eagles, 8-1. Haley Ingram did extend her hitting streak to 20 games with a first inning double.

Soccer

The Lady Eagles dropped an Area contest to LAMP on Thursday by the score of 3-1. The match was tied at the half thanks to a Presley Lewis goal, but two second half goals proved the difference for the Lady Tigers. Goalie Marcy Gregory had 10 saves on the evening.

Track

The track and field team competed in the Race for Hunger at MA on Saturday and the boys team had several top five finishes. Demari Moore won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet 10 inches and finished fifth in the long jump with AC Walters who finished third. Zander Costanza finished fourth in the 1600m and 3200m runs while Garrett Weathers placed fifth in the 400m dash. the boys relay teams also placed second in the 4x100 and 4x800 races. In the girls division, Kate Finch placed in three races as she finished in third in the 1600m and the 3200m runs and fifth in the 800m run.

Soccer Sweeps BTW in Area Play on Senior Night

Both varsity soccer squads shut out BTW in Area contests as the seniors were honored on Tuesday night. In the first game, the Lady Eagles built a 3-0 halftime lead and added four more goals in the second half for a 7-0 win over the Lady Jackets. Eighth grader Katelyn Sutton led the attack with five goals and senior Piper Witcher netted the other two Eagle goals. Presley Lewis recorded two assists while Addison Elder, Marcy Gregory and Wynter Prempromat each added an assist. Marcy Gregory had three saves in goal in the victory.

In the boys game, Norton Sewell and Dalton Hutchinson worked together three times as the Eagles cruised to a 9-0 win. Hutchinson scored six total goals with one assist while Sewell recorded five assists on a very productive night for the seniors. Landon Evans, Sean Moffett and Jacob Ryan each added single goals for ACA. Tyler Bradley and Daniel Moffett both had an assist while, winning goalie, Emmitt Sanford had two saves on the evening.

Both boys and girls continue Area play Thursday night, April 1st, with a contest at LAMP.

Lady Eagles Outscore Benjamin Russell for Fourth Straight Win

After being off for eleven days due to the cancellation of the Alex Wilcox tournament, ACA hosted Benjamin Russell Monday afternoon at Denise Ainsworth Field. The contest was a back and forth affair as the lead changed hands four times over the first four innings. The Eagles scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead for good at 8-6 and tacked on five runs in the fifth and sixth frames for the 13-6 triumph. Alabama Christian scored double figures for the fourth game in a row in the victory.

Katie Chappell goes deep in the second inning.

Benjamin Russell scored one in the top of the first, but ACA answered with two in the bottom half on a Hayley Cassidy single and a KG Taylor sac fly. The Wildcats tied the game in the second frame, but Katie Chappell hit a long three-run home run to left field for a 5-2 lead. In the third inning, Benjamin Russell again tied the game and took the lead one inning later for a 6-5 advantage. Annabelle Pugh gave the Eagles the lead with a two-run triple over the right fielder’s head and scored on a Chappell ground out to give ACA an 8-6 lead. Alabama Christian added five runs in their last two at bats to pull away from the Wildcats for the 13-6 victory.

KG Taylor readies for a bunt attempt.

Annabelle Pugh led the offense with three hits in four at bats with a double and a triple and four runs driven in. Haley Ingram’s infield single extended her hitting streak to 19 games and later added a double as she finished the day with three runs scored and two RBIs. Katie Chappell was 2 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs while Skylar Crews and Izzy Warrick each had two hits. Warrick picked up the win in relief as she pitched the final four innings of the game giving up just one unearned run with two strikeouts.

ACA hosts Wetumpka on Thursday, April 1, in its next contest.

ACA Out Slugs Trinity in High Scoring Game

The Eagles came off of spring break swinging the bats as the offense collected 13 hits in an 11-6 defeat of Trinity. Monday’s game was the second meeting of the season for the two teams, but the first win for either team as the first contest ended in a tie in the FCA tournament. The Wildcats struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first, but Alabama Christian answered with three runs in the next frame highlighted by a two-run double from Brandon Bice. Trinity scored three in the bottom half to take a 5-3 lead after two. After scoring one in the third, ACA plated three runs in the fourth on two wild pitches and a bases loaded walk to take the lead for good at 7-5. Bice scored a run in the fifth after hitting his third double for an 8-6 advantage and the Eagles added three insurance runs in the seventh on RBIs from Isaac Warrick, Trey Schlemmer and Jalen Clark for the final 11-6 margin.

Brandon Bice led the offense as he finished 4 for 5 with three doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. Jalen Clark, Preston Hicks and Trey Schlemmer each added two hits and combined to drive in four runs. Isaac Warrick picked up the win in relief of starter Hayes Hunt. Zac Westbrook pitched the final three innings to close out the Widcats.

Varsity tennis has been played at three different periods in the history of Alabama Christian athletics. The first time was in the early 80’s and we looked back 40 years and caught up with a member of the 1981 tennis team, Angie Allen Dickson. Angie was a key member of the girls tennis team and was nominated for the Hitchcock Award in her senior year.

What year did you graduate from Alabama Christian? 1981

 What grades did you attend at Alabama Christian? Kindergarten-12th

 What is your favorite memory of Alabama Christian? I have many fond memories of ACA but I truly enjoyed being chosen as Miss ACA and being able to sing at our Graduation. My best friend Stephen Randolph and I wrote an original song and performed it for the graduation ceremony.

 What is your favorite tennis memory? My favorite tennis memory was being given a full tennis scholarship to attend Faulkner University and play for them.

 What teacher/coach had the most influence on you? One of my favorite teachers was Ms. Allen for Chemistry and Algebra II with Trig, she was intense and it was a challenge.

 Where do you currently live?  I live with my family in Old Cloverdale.

 What do you do for a living? I teach Theatre, Art and Communications at ACA and direct the musical productions.

 Tell us about your family. I have been married to my husband Matt for thirty years. He is a CrossFit coach and works for Vaughn Park Church and our son Aidan, is a Freshman attending the University of Alabama.

Rapid Fire

Favorite Food: El Rey

Pet Peeve: Our bulldog, Annie

Person I'd most like to meet: Male - Michael Jordan; Female - Judi Dench

Ride or Drive: Drive

Alabama or Auburn (or someone else): Alabama, I am a proud alumnus and Aidan is there now

ACA Competes in Several Sports Over the Weekend

Softball

The Lady Eagles competed in a weekend tournament for the fourth consecutive week as they participated in the PCA tournament Friday and Saturday. ACA opened Friday with a 2-0 defeat of Prattville. Rose Costanza pitched a six inning complete game for the win with six strikeouts. The Eagles scored single runs in the third and fifth frames which was all Costanza needed. Hayley Cassidy was 2 for 3 with an RBI while Costanza knocked in the other run.

Alabama Christian came up short in their second game of the night as Brew Tech outscored the Lady Eagles 6-3. Rose Costanza drove in Izzy Warrick in the first inning to give ACA the early lead, but the Rams scored twice in the first and third innings to take a 4-1 lead. Annabelle Pugh drove in a run in the fourth and Costanza knocked in her second run of the game and finished the day 2 for 3 with two RBIs. Lawson Borland also had two hits in the game. Hayley Cassisdy took the loss in the circle.

ACA closed the tournament with an Area preview against St James. Trailing 2-1 in the fourth, Hayley Cassidy and Katie Chappell hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game, 2-2. After Chappell advanced to third on a wild pitch, the junior scored on an Elayna Coulter ground ball to take a 3-2 lead. The Trojans tied the game in the fifth and won it in the seventh for the 4-3 win. Rose Costanza went the distance with three strikeouts, but took the loss against St James. Chappell finished 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI while Haley Ingram went 2 for 3 in the contest.

Alabama Christian opens Area play with a doubleheader against Bullock County on Tuesday.

Soccer

The soccer teams both hosted very tough MA squads on Friday night. The Lady Eagles were defeated 7-0 as Marcy Gregory faced a constant barrage of shots with 35 saves. ACA was able to only have one shot on goal in the game. The boys were defeated 7-2 as goalie Emmitt Sanford recorded nine saves. Dalton Hutchinson scored a goal with an assist. Tyler Bradley scored the team’s second goal and Sean Moffett had an assist.

Baseball

After sweeping St James Friday night in an emotionally draining evening, ACA played two more on Saturday in Dadeville. The Eagles scored a run in the opener against Dadeville as Zac Westbrook led off the game with a double and later scored an a Brandon Bice grounder. After Dadeville took the lead in the third, ACA scored two in the fourth to retake the lead. The two runs came courtesy of Hayes Hunt and Jalen Clark singles to retake the lead 3-2. However, Alabama Christian could not hold it as Dadeville scored in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings for the 5-3 win. On the mound, Hunt took the loss with four strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings pitched.

The Eagles dropped the second game of the day with a 4-3 loss against Tallassee. The Tigers scored four runs over the first two innings and hung on for the one run victory. Alabama Christian scored its first run in the fifth as Thomas Stovall scored on a passed ball and tacked on two more in the seventh on a Parker Mock single and a Tallassee error.

The Eagles next take the field against Pike Road on Tuesday.

ACA Sweeps Doubleheader to Defeat St James in First Area Series of the Season

After losing game one in extra innings on Thursday, Alabama Christian knew they had to win both ends of a doubleheader to own the tiebreaker over St James in the Area. It was an intense atmosphere at the AUM baseball complex as the Eagles silenced the Trojans 6-2 in the first game and held on for the series win with a 6-5 victory in the nightcap. Both teams stand at 1-1 in Area play, but ACA has the advantage after taking two of three.

Zac Westbrook readies for the tag of the St James base runner.

In the opener, St James scratched across a run in the top of the first on an RBI ground out, but there was no further damage as Trey Schlemmer threw out a would be base stealer to end the frame. In the second inning, the first two Eagles reached via Trojan errors. Jack Thomas tied the game as he scored on a passed ball and Jalen Clark singled home Preston Hicks to give the Eagles a lead they would never relinquish. Clark later scored on a Thomas Stovall single to stretch the lead to 3-1. Two more errors helped two more runs score and ACA had a commanding 5-1 advantage. Five runs were more than enough for starting pitcher Isaac Warrick who kept the Trojan offense in check. The lefty allowed only four hits and struck out eight in the complete game effort. The Eagles last run of the night came in the fourth inning as Mason Prestage hustled down the line to avoid a double play that allowed Zac Westbrook to score the team’s sixth run. Westbrook’s three hits led the offense as the senior shortstop finished 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Brandon Bice went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored while Mason Prestage was 2 for 4 with a run driven in.

Mason Prestage bats against St James in game one.

In the second game, Zac Westbrook led off the bottom of the first with a laser over the right field wall to give the Eagles momentum and a 1-0 lead. Although St James scored a run in the top of the second to tie the game the Eagles responded and all the energy remained in the Alabama Christian dugout. With the game tied in the bottom of the second Jalen Clark knocked in Preston Hicks and Hayes Hunt with a double to right for the 3-1 lead. One inning later, Isaac Warrick doubled in Mason Prestage and later scored on a Trey Schlemmer sacrifice fly to expand the lead to 5-1. In the top of the fifth the Trojans scored two runs on back-to-back errors to cut the lead to 5-3. In the bottom half, the Eagles pushed across a run on a Preston Hicks single that would end up being very important before the night was over. In the seventh, starter JT Moorer retired the first two batters and even after a walk looked ready to end the game, but an infield error on a nonchalant throw kept the Trojan’s hopes alive. The next batter hit a two-run single to shrink the lead to 6-5. A pinch runner was inserted at first and promptly stole second base to put the game tying run in scoring position. On a 3-1 pitch, Moorer got the final out of the game on a fly out to Thomas Stovall for the narrow 6-5 triumph. Moorer impressed on the mound with a complete game effort in which he gave up only six hits with three strikeouts. At the plate, it was a total team effort as eight of the nine batters collected one hit while five different players scored runs and five drove in runs.

JT Moorer pitches a gem against the Trojans.

Alabama Christian plays a doubleheader in Dadeville on Saturday for their next outing.