David Leong
Mountain Brook players in the dugout cheer on their teammate during a game between Mountain Brook and Boaz on Friday, Apr. 4, 2025, at Mountain Brook High School in Birmingham, AL. Photo by David Leong.
The Mountain Brook High School baseball team vanquished the foe that ended its season the last two years, as the Spartans swept Oxford last weekend in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.
Oxford had eliminated Mountain Brook from the playoffs each of the last two years, and the Spartans exacted a measure of revenge by earning victories of 10-7 and 12-6 last Friday to advance to the second round of the postseason.
In the first game, Oxford struck first with five runs in the third inning, and held that 5-0 lead until the fifth inning. The Spartans got on the board with a pair of runs, as Becker Mayor’s one-out double plated two to make it a 5-2 game.
The floodgates opened in the sixth, as the Spartans took the lead and wrested control of the contest. Mountain Brook scored eight runs in a huge inning, and held on for the win.
In that big inning, the Spartans scored two on a Sam Estes triple and tied the game on Will Weaver’s hit. They took the lead on an RBI groundout from Henry Gimenez. They notched two more on Paul Barnett’s two-out double and got RBI hits from Caleb Barnett and Boyd Cooper before the inning ended.
Caleb Barnett weathered the storm on the mound, surviving five innings despite the rough third inning. He only allowed three hits and only one of the five runs was deemed earned. He walked five and struck out eight. Leython-George Williams earned the win after pitching an inning-plus, and Mason Baynes earned the final three outs to earn the save.
Mountain Brook’s offense was too much to handle in the second game, even with Oxford holding the lead a couple times during the contest. The Spartans scored in six of seven innings and took the lead for good in the fourth inning.
Caleb Barnett, Hunter Davis and Paul Barnett (inside the park) homered in the contest, as the top three hitters in the order combined to drive in seven runs.
Weaver knocked in a pair as well, with Cooper and Luke Houser each notching an RBI apiece.
Bryant Diddell got the start on the hill for the Spartans, lasting six innings. He allowed six runs on seven hits, striking out nine hitters.
Bodi Brumfield threw a scoreless seventh inning to finish the game.
Mountain Brook hosts Buckhorn this weekend in the second round of the playoffs. A Friday doubleheader will begin at 4:30 p.m., with a third game to be played at 1 p.m. Saturday if necessary.
