By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE — Third-ranked Hewitt-Trussville surrendered 17 hits to No. 2 Spain Park (20-4-2) in a 12-4 home loss Thursday night.
The Class 7A, Area 6 collision marks the end of the regular season series between the two programs. Head coach Karen Johns and the Lady Huskies fell at Spain Park in eight innings Tuesday night.
“They are exceptional,” Johns said. “They have Division I players scattered all over the field and we knew that going into the season. We like to embrace that challenge, because it does prepare you for when you get down the line.”
With the loss, Hewitt-Trussville now holds an overall record of 27-6 to go along with a 2-2 area mark. The Lady Huskies will be back in area play Monday night when No. 8 Vestavia Hills comes for a visit.
Monday’s game will likely serve as a preview of what’s to come in the all-important Area 6 tournament, which will be hosted by the Lady Jaguars, who finished 6-0 in league play.
“Being 6-0 and having an opportunity to play the four seed at home (for the) first time in school history, that’s all we can ask for,” said Spain Park head coach C.J. Hawkins.
Spain Park was rarely caught with the bat on its shoulder. The Lady Jaguars applied offensive pressure from beginning to end. They loaded the bases in the opening frame and sent two across to claim an early lead. Hawkins’ lineup reached a base runner in all seven plate appearances and recorded hits in every inning other than the fourth.
“We were concentrating on just hitting singles and hitting gaps and they’ve been really working on not chasing bad pitches and finding their pitch and getting ahead in the count,” Hawkins said.
Runs batted in from Sara Borden and Tate Mosely to go along with a solo blast off the bat of Taylor Beshears kept Hewitt-Trussville in the mix before the visitors exploded for a five-run sixth inning that extended a four-run lead to a nine-run lead.
That was more than enough for Mary Kathryn Bonamy to work with. Bonamy threw the complete game for Spain Park. She commanded her pitches all night, while allowing only one free pass and recording three strikeouts. She kept the ball off the Lady Huskies’ barrel, forcing 14 combined groundouts and pop-outs.
“I know I’m not going to strike everyone out, but if the batters can at least hit it on the ground or just pop it up, I know the defense will do their work,” Bonamy said.
For Hewitt-Trussville, Callie Shields logged six innings of work from the circle. The righty handed the ball to eighth-grader Molly Cobb in the second inning before returning to the rubber in the third.