HOPE HULL — Eric Hicks crept up the 90-foot path from third base and no one seemed to notice he was getting closer and closer to home plate.

Obviously Hooper Academy's pitcher didn't either, so Hicks dove face-first across home plate to score a run in the top of the seventh to put the finishing touches on Fort Dale Academy's Area 2 West title on Saturday.

The Eagles, ranked No. 8 in the latest Alabama Sports Writers AISA poll, cruised to an 11-1 victory in Game 1 of the doubleheader to clinch the area title. Fort Dale completed the sweep of the Colts with a 16-4 crushing in Game 2 to close out the regular season.

Fort Dale will take this week off before being host to the first-round best-of-three series, which starts on May 3.The Eagles will face the loser of Tuesday's area game between Mobile Christian and Faith Academy.

Fort Dale Academy scattered 13 hits in the first game with Brady Newton and Adam Moore hitting home runs in the fourth and sixth innings, respectively.

Newton was 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBIs. Moore, who also picked up the win on the mound, was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Leading 2-0 after three innings, the Eagles started to pull away from Hooper. Newton sent a two-run home run screaming to right field with two outs for the 4-0 lead. Fort Dale then tacked on two more runs in the inning. Chuck Barrett drove in one run with a RBI double. The double was one of two hit by Barrett, who was 3-for-3 in Game 1. And then David Moore drove Barrett home with a RBI single to left.

The Colts, who managed just four wins this season, did try to make a game of it when they loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hooper only managed to score one run though, and Fort Dale's bats had not cooled off from its four-run fourth.

The Eagles added two more runs, including Adam Moore's solo blast over the left-center field fence in the top of the sixth inning.

Fort Dale scored three more runs in the top of the seventh, including the final nail in the Colts' coffin coming when Hicks stole home. Hicks finished the game 2-for-4 with a RBI.

With the area championship in hand, Lowery cleared his bench in Game 2.

Every player on the Eagles squad played, but there was no letdown. Fort Dale cruised to a 16-4 victory.

The Eagles closed out the regular season by scoring 10 runs in the top of the seventh inning by sending 15 batters to home plate.

David Moore finished the game 4-for-5 with five RBIs, including a grand slam home run in the seventh.

Kyle Dorriety was 2-for-4 with a RBI as was Barrett. Cory Ausderau added two hits.