Prep roundup: Alexandria's Allen no-hits Piedmont

Apr. 11—No-hitters are becoming a habit for Alexandria's Andrew Allen. The junior right-hander handcuffed Piedmont hitters for seven innings Monday in Piedmont, leading the Valley Cubs to a 4-0 victory over the Bulldogs.

It was Allen's second consecutive no-hit outing. On Tuesday of last week, he limited Lincoln to one walk over seven innings as the Valley Cubs beat the Golden Bears 7-0 in a Class 5A, Area 12 clash. Allen fanned 12 Lincoln hitters in front of their home crowd.

He wasn't quite as dominant against Piedmont. He had six strikeouts and didn't issue a walk. Two Bulldogs reached first base when they were hit by pitches. Allen plunked Kale Austin with a pitch to start the second inning then quickly secured three outs. He hit Jack Hayes with one away in the seventh then ended the game with a double play.

Alexandria's Ian Cartwright walked and scored in the top of the first frame. The Valley Cubs added three insurance runs in the fifth. Eli Barnes doubled to start the rally and scored on Evan Snow's sacrifice.

With one away and the bases empty, Aaron Johnson reached on an infield error and Brodie Slaton was hit by a pitch. Samuel Henegar's two-out single sent both Johnson and Slaton home.

Hayes worked the first six innings for Piedmont and took the loss. He struck out three and walked three. Jake Austin fanned two of the four batters he faced in the seventh.

Barnes had the only hit for extra bases in the game. He, Snow and Henegar had hits for the Cubs.

Pleasant Valley 7, West End 2: Pleasant Valley produced some late-inning magic in Walnut Grove last Friday and defeated the West End Patriots. Courtesy runner Logan Williams, running for Braxton Salster, scored in the top of the second inning but West End answered with a run in the home half of the second. Pleasant Valley regained the lead in the fifth when Bryce Freeman singled and scored. The Patriots knotted the score at 2-2 in the sixth.

Ten Raiders batted in the top of the seventh and five of them scored. Holt Bentley, Zeke Curvin and Connor George loaded the bases — reaching on a walk, an error and a hit batter — with one away and Noah Johnson's triple plated all three. Johnson and Salster later scored.

Samuel Duncan had his team's only multi-hit game with a pair of singles in five at-bats. Braxton Williams, Bryce Freeman, Will Underwood and Salster each went 1-for-4 with a single. Underwood and Braxton Williams each had one RBI.

Softball

Visiting Oxford pounded out 17 hits against three Alexandria pitchers Monday but still needed three runs in the eighth inning to edge the Valley Cubs 6-5. Oxford left 16 runners on base. Justice Woods, Raina Zachery, Emma Tims-Becerra and Ashlyn Burns had big days at the plate for the Yellow jackets. Woods was 4-for-5 with four singles, two runs and an RBI. Zachery and Tims-Becerra each recorded three singles. Tims-Becerra scored two runs. Zachery scored one run and drove in another. Burns was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

Reagan Sanders had a base hit, an RBI, a run and two sacrifice bunts. Adajiah Wilson, Kaelyn Crossley and Kenlee Rodgers each finished with a single and an RBI. Berkley Mooney pitched all eight innings for Oxford. She struck out eight, walked three and allowed three earned runs on five hits.

Clancy Bright doubled, drove in two runs and scored once to lead Alexandria. Jill Cockrell tripled, knocked in a run and scored two runs. Charlee Parris doubled and drove in a run. Christian Hess singled, drove in a run and scored once. Briley Bright was 1-for-3 with a single and a run. Makenna Prickett, the third Alexandria pitcher, worked the eighth inning and took the loss.

Piedmont 7, Handley 6: Trailing by three runs after five innings, Piedmont rallied for one run in the bottom of the sixth inning and three more in the home half of the seventh and defeated visiting Handley on Monday. Savannah Smith doubled home Sarah Goss in the sixth. With one away in the seventh, Armoni Perry doubled. Jaycee Glover's two-out double scored Perry. Glover scored when Abby Baird reached and advanced to second base on an error. Baird came home with the winning run on a single by Goss.

Goss, Smith and Glover each had two hits. Goss stole two bases and Glover stole one. Emma Grace Todd worked all seven innings in the circle. Four of the six runs charged to Todd were earned. She allowed nine hits, walked two and struck out three.

Etowah 17, Ohatchee 5: Lexi Thomas went 2-for-3 with a walk as Ohatchee fell to Etowah on Monday.

Ellie Carden walked three times and scored a trio of runs. Savannah Reaves walked twice and scored a run.

Whitney McFry was 1-for-3 with a walk and a run. Alyssa Davis was 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs. Alanah Fitch was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Hannah Fitch was 1-for-4.

Etowah compiled 22 hits. Bodie Bennett led the way by slugging two home runs and accounting for five RBIs.