Softball Game Preview: Sparkman Senators vs. Hoover Buccaneers

The Sparkman Senators will face off against the Hoover Buccaneers at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Sparkman is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Sparkman and Hazel Green, and Sparkman kept the tradition alive. Sparkman walked away with a 13-8 victory over Hazel Green on Thursday.

Kara Burman

Batters Struck Out

02/27/25 vs Hazel Green	3
02/24/25 vs Buckhorn	2
02/22/25 vs Madison County	1
02/15/25 vs Pell City	2
02/14/25 vs Gulf Shores	2
+ 3 more games

Kara Burman made a splash no matter where she played. She pitched five innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. What's more, she posted three strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March of 2024. She was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bella Mayfield, who scored three runs while going 4-for-5. Laila Watkins was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run and three runs.

Sparkman was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in six consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Hoover scored first but ultimately less than McAdory in their game on Thursday. They fell just short of the Yellowjackets by a score of 5-3. The match marked the Buccaneers' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Sparkman pushed their record up to 7-2 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.9 runs over those games. As for Hoover, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-2.

Sparkman suffered a grim 7-0 defeat to Hoover when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can Sparkman avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.