The Hueytown Golden Gophers are taking a road trip to take on the Tuscaloosa County Wildcats at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Hueytown is coming into the game hot, having won their last three games.
Hueytown proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 16) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Oak Mountain 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Golden Gophers have posted since March 9, 2024.
Bryanna Kemp made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over 6.1 innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Kemp was even better at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Leah Cottingham was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.
Meanwhile, Tuscaloosa County gave their fans exactly what they wanted out of a home opener on Thursday. They walked away with an 8-4 win over Northside.
Like Hueytown, Tuscaloosa County also got a great game from a two-way player: Karlie Beth Beasley. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only a hit over four innings pitched. Beasley was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kensley Spann, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two runs. Another player making a difference was Cayleigh Pearson, who scored a run and stole two bases.
Hueytown pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Tuscaloosa County, their record is now 1-0.
Hueytown suffered a grim 12-1 defeat to Tuscaloosa County in their previous meeting back in March of 2018. Can Hueytown avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
