Five local softball teams took advantage of one of the first Saturday where spring actually sprung in Cullman, flocking to Heritage Park and the Field of Miracles complex for the annual Wallace State High School Invitational.

West Point, Cold Springs and Good Hope were finally able to open their seasons, while Fairview and Holly Pond looked to build on a brief playing window the weekend before.

The Aggies entered the tourney 4-0 and with perhaps the most daunting draw. But despite being placed in a pool with defending Class 3A state champion Winfield, 3A state runner-up Pisgah and a generally strong Deshler program, the Purple and Gold still managed to escape with a pair of wins and plenty of confidence.

“To come out of that 2-2, I’m really proud of the girls,” coach Brian Simmons said. “They did a great job

Fairview’s biggest victory was its last, a 3-1 final over Winfield.

Carli Jo Ashley took care of business in the pitcher’s circle with two strikeouts, a run and four hits in four innings. Kalynn Holcomb (double), Jada Golden and Kayla Aleman led the Aggies at the plate with a hit and RBI apiece. Jordan Moore, Katie Glover and Harley Jo Gibbs also provided singles.

“That was a huge win,” Simmons said. “We hit the ball well, and Carli pitched a great game.”

% Pisgah 8, Fairview 5: Ally Hogeland’s two-run single gave the Aggies an early 2-1 advantage, but the Eagles responded with a two-run blast the ensuing half inning to take the wind right out of the host high school’s sails.

Glover (double), Holcomb and Ashley drove in Fairview’s other runs.

% Fairview 5, Deshler 3: Jordan Moore went 2 for 2 with the first home run of her young career, and Aleman popped off two hits of her own in a tight victory over the Tigers.

Golden (2B), Holcomb (RBI) and Ashley also had hits.

Hogeland notched the win, punching out four batters and giving up three hits in four innings.

% Dora 4, Fairview 0: Moore, Hogeland and Gracie Cook corraled singles in a tough game at the plate for the Aggies, who are off to a 6-2 start.

% Cold Springs 1, Athens Bible 1: Wallace State commit Rilee White picked up right where she left off last spring, securing 11 of her 12 outs in the circle via strikeout in the Eagles’ season opener.

White also had a single and was brought in by Kelsey Hester in the top of the fourth inning. The Trojans tied it up in the bottom half.

% Cold Springs 4, Gaston 4: An apparent arm injury to White with two outs in the third inning set the stage for the Bulldogs to claw back from a 4-0 deficit and force a draw.

Though White, who had four K’s before the premature departure, didn’t return to the circle the rest of the day — the outlook on her prized limb is positive — she continued to contribute by batting and playing first base.

Taylor Payne didn’t wait long to showcase her power, crushing a three-run bomb that left coach Patrick West extremely impressed.

“It got out in a hurry,” he said. “It was about one and a half seconds from bat to grass. There was no doubt when it left the bat.”

Bailey West, White and Hester had Cold Springs’ other runs.

% Pleasant Valley 8, Cold Springs 1: The Raiders capitalized on the Eagles’ defensive miscues and exacted revenge for a regional loss to Cold Springs a couple years ago.

Hester plated White, and West had a hit.

% Cold Springs 8, Brooks JV 0: Seventh-grader Crimson Gann cracked a two-run double for her first varsity hit, and Payne powered a double in a lopsided nightcap.

Emily Williams, Savannah Taylor and Hester also had hits.

Hester struck out the side in the first inning and finished with four punchouts. She gave up three hits in four innings.

“I was glad to get our first win of the season,” coach West said.

% Oneonta 5, West Point 0: Wallace State signee Karra Elam shone in front of her future coach, going 3 for 3 in a game where the Warriors showed a little rust from an extended offseason.

Daranna Campbell contributed a hit, and Karli Beck struck out five and gave up four hits and three walks in five innings.

% West Point 9, Sylvania 2: The Warriors used six runs in the first frame to run away from the Rams in a hurry.

Bailee Yearwood (double) and Beck (two singles) both drove in two runs. Katie Elkins (two singles) and Tess Hembree (one) each had an RBI. Elam and Lillie Burdette both scored twice.

Jeri Beasley had a hit at the plate and only allowed three in the circle, striking out four and walking none in four innings.

% Florence 7, West Point 0: The Warriors were overpowered in their final two games, getting a hit each from Elkins and Burdette versus the Falcons and coming up empty in a 3-0 loss to Westminster.

% Corner 6, Good Hope 3: Jami Stinson and Morgan Goodwin ripped RBI doubles, and Skylar Tucker slapped a single in the Lady Raiders’ first game of the day.

Josie McDonald struck out five and allowed three hits in four innings in the circle.

% Fyffe 7, Good Hope 6: Stinson kept up a solid offensive start with an RBI single and another hit in a close loss for the Red and White.

Bailey Starnes pushed a run across with a single, and Erica Woodall and McDonald added a hit apiece.

McDonald walked four and gave up eight hits.

% East Lawrence 8, Good Hope 2: McKailey Speegle compiled two hits, and Tucker, Starnes, MyKale Lowe and Derekia Tankersley all had one for the Raiders.

McDonald K’d four and walked four in three innings.

% Boaz 4, Good Hope 3: The Pirates plated all four runs in the bottom of the third inning, spoiling a two-run shot by McDonald and RBI single from Tankersley.

Stinson singled and came around on McDonald’s home run.

Lowe struck out one in a no decision. She gave up two hits and a walk in two innings.

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Spain Park Classic

Cullman’s softball squad split down in Birmingham for the second day in a row Saturday, blanking Montevallo 3-0 and bowing out with a loss to Sumiton Christian by the same score.

Olivia Schwaiger slung a five-inning no-hitter in the win, striking out three and walking just one.

Taiya Ponder picked up a pair of RBIs, two stolen bases and a run. Claire Jenkins had a hit and drove in the other run with a sacrifice fly. McKensi Burks had two base knocks. Schwaiger tacked on one.

Kaitlyn Brannon walked to account for Cullman’s lone base runner against Sumiton Christian. Schwaiger scattered four K’s, two hits, two walks and two earned runs over three innings.

The Lady Bearcats are 5-4.