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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – For the second time in a three-day span, the Thompson Warriors came out victorious over the Oak Mountain Eagles, but this time, they used their early offense to make the difference.

Thompson scored seven runs in the first two innings to earn the 8-4 win on Thursday, March 21 at Thompson High School.

After Peryn Bland hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the first, D’Marion Terrell came up with one out and launched the first pitch he saw to right for a two-run home run, putting the Warriors up 2-0.

In the next inning, Ma’Kale Holden hit a one-out double to get in scoring position, but Oak Mountain got Thompson into a two-out hole on the next batter.

However, a walk kept the inning alive and put runners on the corners, and that opened the door for the Warriors to strike.

Bland hit an RBI double to increase the lead to three, and Drake McBride kept the scoring going with an RBI single right afterwards.

Terrell then hit a 1-0 triple to clear the base paths and plate a pair of runs. Ethan Crook capped off the four-play sequence with an RBI single to end the inning with a 7-0 lead.

Oak Mountain then responded in a big way with a four-run fourth inning.

While the Warriors earned the leadoff out, Peyton Parkinson hit a single to be the first of six straight base runners for the Eagles.

A hit by pitch and walk loaded up the bases for Erik Oxford, and he hit an RBI single to put Oak Mountain on the board.

After Kaleb Hester also scored, an RBI single by Noah Eady on the next at-bat plated another pair of runs and made the score 7-4.

However, that was the last time that the Eagles threatened as they earned just one hit the rest of the game.

In the bottom of the fifth, Crook hit a first-pitch double to get into scoring position, and a pair of hit batters loaded up the bases with no outs.

Holden then grounded into a fielder’s choice to score the final run of the game and put Thompson up 8-4.

The Warriors got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh where they allowed two walks and a single as Blair earned three straight strikeouts in 11 pitches to secure the win.

Terrell finished the game 2-4 with four RBIs and two runs to lead the offense.

Carter Thompson earned the win with two shutout innings as he took three strikeouts in the process. The lone base runners on his watch were a pair of hit batters in the second inning.

Blair secured the save with three shutout innings as he took five strikeouts against one hit and two walks.