Aladai, Humphrey power Alma to 14-3 softball win over Mavs

By Kevin Taylor

Alma Schools

Freshman Lily Aladai had four hits, including a bases-clearing triple, to help lead the Alma Lady Airedales to a 14-3 win over the Southside Lady Mavericks on Monday.

Aladai is hitting .441 for the season and has a team-high 15 hits and 12 runs scored. She’s second in runs batted in to Annie Davis.

Alma took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Harper Jernigan’s RBI double and Jaslyn Boone’s sacrifice fly.

Alma snapped a 2-2 tie with a trio of third-inning runs on RBI singles by Aurora Huff, Jaidion Humphrey, and Aladai. Humphrey had four hits to raise her batting average to .500. (14-for-28).

Jernigan pitched five innings for the victory.

Alma broke the game open with eight runs in the fifth, highlighted by Aladai’s three-run triple. Addison Brannon’s RBI single pushed the lead to 8-3, and Eslee Travis followed with a two-run double. Humphrey, who started the frame with a single, singled home the 11th run, and Aladai followed with her triple.

Alma (4-5) travels to Waldron on Thursday and will host Siloam Springs on Friday.

Alma 9, Clarksville 1

BASEBALL - Aiden Keith pitched four strong innings, and Carson Curd was 3-for-3 with three RBIs on Monday to pace the Alma Airedales to a 9-1 win over Clarksville, snapping the team’s three-game losing streak.

Alma, which had dropped a pair of tough two-run decisions to Van Buren and Mountain Home, will face unbeaten Sallisaw and 6A Northside this week in preparation for Friday’s 5A-West battle with Siloam Springs.

Curd singled home, Brycen Lester with the first run, and two outs later, Carson Hamilton’s two-run single made it 3-0. Hamilton was 3-for-4 on the day. Lester, Izaac Plourde, and Sammy Moore also hit safely.

Keith went four innings, allowing one run (unearned) and striking out seven. Logan Villerreal tossed two scoreless frames, and Landon Taylor struck out two in one inning of work.

Kangas takes first

TRACK - The Alma Airedales’ boys and girls track teams competed at the Farmington Cardinals Relays on Monday.

Nevaeh Kangas won the mile with a time of 5:48.90. She was second (2:42.65) in the 800 meters. Teammate Bree Allen placed sixth in the 800.

Olivia Whipple was fourth in the 200 meters and fifth in the 100. She earned a second-place finish (30-9 ¾) in the triple jump and a third-place finish (16-5) in the long jump.

Sophomore Jaeli Morris continued her strong spring with a first-place finish in the shot put (31-7 ¾).

Alma’s Caleb Boen was fourth in the 800, and Ben Jones and Chance Cummings placed eighth in the shot put and discus.