By Bobby Mathews, Sports Editor
TRUSSVILLE — It was home run derby at the Hewitt Invitational Saturday as the Huskies’ offense exploded for four homers and run-ruled Austin High School to win the 2022 Hewitt Invitational.
Early in the 2022 season, most opponents have chosen to walk Kenleigh Cahalan rather than face her at the plate. But on Saturday in the championship game of the tournament her team hosts, the Huskies’ shortstop stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second.
Austin had no choice: They had to pitch to Cahalan.
There are times when an athlete has to be equal to the moment. Cahalan was more than that on Saturday, banging a home run to right center field and clearing the decks for a 4-0 lead.
“I just wanted to relax, to not get too overwhelmed,” Cahalan said afterward. “Just relax and hit the ball. I heard their coach yell ‘Spin it,’ so I was thinking rise ball, because that was her best pitch, and then I just sat on it, and luckily got a good swing on it.”
Sarah Hindman pitched a two-hit shutout for the Huskies, shutting down a Black Bear lineup that had earned its way into the finals of the tournament. Behind her pitching and Hewitt’s hitting, Austin didn’t stand a chance.
Cahalan homered again later in the game, a high, deep ball that looked like it might not go out at first. And yet the ball kept traveling, and the outfielder turned her back and ran … and the ball cleared the fence again. It was Cahalan’s fifth bomb of the tournament.
And she wasn’t the only dangerous hitter. Not by far. Riley Rudick, who has been close on several at-bats, got a dinger of her own in the third inning, stepping into a pitch and hammering it over the left-field fence.
“My first pitch was a rise ball that was out of the zone, and I told Coach Chris before I ever went up there that I was not going to swing at it,” Rudick said. “She came back with a screwball that I was waiting for. I used to play with (the Austin pitcher) so I knew before I got in the box what pitches she had. I was prepared for it.”
Sara Phillips, playing this game at first base, put the game to bed with a 3-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to officially run-rule the Black Bears of Austin. Phillips had an incredible run in the tournament, throwing a complete game win against Helena and coming into the circle in relief against Hoover, holding the Bucs scoreless over five innings. She also hit four home runs in four games.
“I think I’m jumping the count early,” Phillips said of her attitude at the plate. “I’m just trying to hit line drives, and then when I’m trying to hit line drives they’re turning into homers. It takes a lot of work, you know, even on days when you don’t want to, you have to come in and work.”
Hewitt-Trussville banged an absurd 13 homers over the course of the tournament. Cahalan had five, with Phillips right behind her at four. Rudick, Ana Henson, Olivia Stults and Olivia Faggard each had one.
“We still have a lot of improving to do,” said head coach Taylor Burt after the tournament-clinching victory. “We played well and got some big-time hits in this game. I was proud that we persevered against Hoover. We got down and then were able to get back in the game. We’ve got to clean some things up but we’re moving in the right direction.”