Sports

MONTGOMERY – Lagoon Park was full of Good Hope softball fans Friday and the Lady Raiders gave them something to cheer about. Cara Goodwin, the fixture in the circle for Good Hope, was on her game as she shut down the Lady Wildcats of White Plains, striking out 10 on the way to the 2-0 Good Hope victory.

“Great!,” Goodwin said of how she felt about the game, that lasted less than an hour. “No 13 and 14 inning games,” she said with a smile, referencing the marathon games she pitched in the Regional Tournament.

The lightning quick game did not feature many hits, just three for Good Hope, but the Lady Raiders made the most of them.

CULLMAN – For young aspiring athletes having a great foundation and understanding of the fundamentals of their chosen sport generally requires an equal balance between speed, agility, motivation, dedication and determination. Now for those athletes taking part in the Castille Character Camp they are drilled in each of these categories, but the biggest component is the character building which takes place during the two day camp.

“The kids learn football skills and character traits that will help them be successful on and off the field,” said T.J. Franey, Special Projects/ASAP Coordinator Cullman County Schools.

Jeremiah Castille is the man behind the camp, which focuses on a four quarter format targeting combine drills, speed & agility, position drills and competition. At halftime participants will focus on character skills.

Franey said the camp’s mission is to help students ascertain skills needed to be a champion both on the field and in life.

HUNTSVILLE – While three teams from the county were down in Tuscaloosa participating in the AHSAA North-Central softball regional, two other programs made their way to the Kiwanis Metro Sportsplex in the North regional.

Class 3A, Area 12 champion Holly Pond didn’t stay long in this series. The Lady Broncos were edged 1-0 in eight innings by Geradline in round one and then eliminated by Deshler 2-0 Friday night.

For the second straight week, the young Cullman Lady Bearcat team surprised the opposition.

In game one of the 5A regional, the Lady Bearcats upset No. 4 Lawrence County. This game Friday began at 10:42 p.m. and came to a conclusion at 12:27 a.m. They were able to find a way to get back into the win column Saturday afternoon following a loss and were the final three from the loser’s bracket in contention before the sun set.

Holly Pond:

TUSCALOOSA – Following the torrential downpour that hit Tuscaloosa late Thursday, early Friday morning, the grounds crew at Munny Sokol Park worked their magic on the six softball diamonds around the complex and got them ready to host 48 softball teams, eight from each of the six classifications, for the Alabama North Central Regional Softball Tournament. Three Cullman area teams; Good Hope, Cold Springs and Vinemont, all fought for a spot in Montgomery. CullmanSense was on hand to bring you all of the action from a soggy day one.

The Good Hope Lady Raiders (Class 3A Area 11 Champions)

Good Hope 1 vs. Cordova

GOOD HOPE – The Good Hope Lady Raiders softball team is loaded with talent. From the power hitting, left-handed first baseman Alannah Henke to stellar lead-off hitter and third baseman Kayla Tillman, Good Hope has no shortage of star power at the plate but hitting can only get you so far.

That is where Cara Goodwin comes in the frame. The 5'6” right handed hurler has already signed to play for UAB next year and for good reason. Goodwin has fired an astonishing 24 shut-outs, 13 no-hitters and seven perfect games, the latter of which has earned her the top spot in the record books for most perfect games in a season.

As good as Goodwin is in the circle, she stays humble and is concerned about getting the win for her team rather than her own personal accomplishments.

“It wasn't going through my mind,” Goodwin told CullmanSense in response to a question about her perfect game following her record setting performance.

ALABASTER – Wallace State freshman third baseman Kori Benson set the program’s single-season home run record on the last day of the regular season. None of those were as important as her final dinger on Sunday. Benson’s three-run, walk-off homer sent the Lady Lions into a frenzy and catapulted Wallace State past archrival Shelton State 7-5 and into Monday’s Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC)/Region 22 tournament championship game.

Wallace State (49-11) plays the Shelton State-Southern Union winner at noon in Monday’s final. The Lady Lions are one win away from their second straight state championship, sixth in seven years and eighth overall.

Benson put on a power display in both of Wallace State’s wins on Sunday. She went 2 for 3 with a two-run blast in the Lady Lions’ 8-0 victory over Southern Union and finished 2 for 3 with a pair of homers and four RBIs against Shelton State.

HARTSELLE - Just like their previous meeting nine days earlier, Cullman and West Point played a dramatic softball game. This one was for the winner to move on in the 5A, Area 15 tournament with the loser going home.

Cullman squeezed out a 6-5 verdict with Claire Jenkins striking out Dorana Bagwell as the tieing run, McKenzie Baswell, was at third base in the bottom of the seventh.

It was a similar contest to the one played on April 23 as West Point got by Cullman 5-4 in 10 innings, the longest game of the area softball season.

Both teams came into the elimination round of the area tournament looking to find a way to stay alive. Cullman lost to Hartselle in round one by the score of 9-1 with the No. 2 ranked Lady Tigers breaking it open by scoring five times in the bottom of the fifth inning.

GOOD HOPE – The overcast skies and threat of rain did not deter nor dampen the spirits of Good Hope and Vinemont as they earn the right to represent Cullman County and Area 11 in the North-Central Regional Tournament set to take place in Tuscaloosa next weekend.

Danville Lady Hawks 1 vs. Vinemont Lady Eagles 2

In the battle of the birds, the Vinemont Lady Eagles narrowly clipped the wings of the Lady Hawks, 2-1 to advance to the regional tournament next weekend in Tuscaloosa.

Danville jumped out to a one run lead in the first on an RBI single by Auburn Morris, a lead they would hold until the bottom of the third inning.

GOOD HOPE – Tuesday was a day full of area softball action and those on hand to watch the action were treated to some great softball and a little bit of history as well. CullmanSense was there, live and in person to bring you a firsthand account of all of the action from day one.

DAY ONE

GAME ONE

Hanceville Lady Bulldogs 0 vs. Good Hope Lady Raiders 10

Many words have been used to describe Cara Goodwin's career at Good Hope. Tuesday afternoon she added another, historical. Goodwin struck out 11 on her way to her seventh perfect game of the season, putting her at the top of the AHSAA softball record book all alone. She shut down the Lady Bulldogs of Hanceville 10-0 in five innings.

“My step-dad told me before the game.” Goodwin said when CullmanSense asked her if she knew she could set the Alabama state record. “But I was not concentrating on that. They rarely happen.

HANCEVILLE – Approximately 50 runners, walkers and bicyclers took part in the Wallace State Healthy Campus Initiative’s 5K Run and Fun Bike Ride benefiting United Way of Cullman on April 21.

According to Cynthia Newman, member of the Healthy Campus Initiative committee and one of the event’s organizers, the event raised $400 for United Way.

Winners in the 5K were Nathan Graves (1^st place male – 19:35) of Cullman and Hannah Sharp (1^st place female – 32:43) of Red Bay. 

Adults and children participating in the Fun Bike Event traveled the newly designated 2-mile route around campus.

The event is the latest in the college’s Healthy Campus Initiative, which this spring is encouraging students, faculty, and staff to bring an extra set of wheels to campus.

For more information about Wallace State, visit www.wallacestate.edu.