By DREW GRANTHUM/Sports Writer

NORTH SHELBY— The Oak Mountain Eagles used timely hitting and strong defense to take down Hoover High on April 11. The win came in the opening round of the Pelham Tournament, as the Eagles moved on with the 4-3 win.

Neither team mounted any scoring until the Eagles broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third. The inning saw Carmyn Greenwood, Madeline Porter and McKenzie Ridgeway all come across to put Oak Mountain up 3-0.

The Eagles then turned to pitcher Ashlee Sanders. Sanders shut the Bucs’ offense down in the top of the fourth, surrendering a single before inducing two lineouts — the last inducing a double play at first as well — to get out of the inning.

After the Eagles failed to score in the bottom of the inning, Sanders again went to work on the Bucs’ batters, using a flyout, a strikeout and a lineout to retire the side and keep Hoover off the board.

While Hoover struggled to produce runs, Oak Mountain’s Cassady Greenwood had no trouble, blasting her first career home run over the right field fence to give the Eagles a 4-0 lead.

It appeared the game was well in hand for Oak Mountain, but in the top of the sixth, Hoover’s bats appeared to wake up. The Buccaneers opened the inning by reaching on an error. A full-extension diving catch by Carmyn Greenwood to rob Hoover’s M.C. Nichols of a certain base hit and a possible run. Sanders then hit the next batter faced before inducing a groundout.

With two outs, the Buccaneers managed to add two more runs to bring the score to 4-3, but Sanders tight-roped out of danger to end the game.

At the plate, Taylor Shivers went 2-for-3, as did Sanders. Cassady Greenwood went 1-for-2 with the homer.

On the mound, Sanders went the distance, surrendering seven hits in six innings of work, with two walks and a strikeout.

The two squads will play again April 17, with Hoover hosting the contest.