By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
MUSCLE SHOALS – Hartselle's Dixie Belles were standing tall in the winners bracket of the Northwest District Tournament at Muscle Shoals on Monday after posting convincing wins against Greenhill and Underwood on Friday and Saturday.
They were slated to play Central in the third round on Monday.
The Hartselle All-Stars jumped on Greenhill in the tournament opener by sending 15 players to the plate in the first inning. They scored 12 runs on seven hits, three walks and three defensive errors. They added three runs in the second and third innings and a single run in the fourth and final inning. The losers had only four hits and scored single runs in the second and third innings.
Brenner Riley was the winning pitcher. She worked two innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four batters and giving up three walks.
Nine of Hartselle's 12 players had hits. Jacque Shadden led the way with a single and triple, Leah Dobbins and Hayden Watts each had a single and double, Danielle Carden tripled, Riley doubled and Katie Salverson, Meaghan Gray, Chelsea Fagan and Deleasa Henderson each singled.
Gray turned double plays in the second and third innings after fielding fly balls at the third base position and catching runners off the bag at first base.
Hartselle's players continued their hot hitting pace on Saturday night as they dominated a highly regarded Underwood team, 6-1, on the strength of 11 hits. At the same time Riley was almost untouchable on the mound. She allowed just one hit in six innings while striking out 18 batters and walking one.
Underwood grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a walk, a stolen base, a pitching error and a bunt single. Hartselle answered in the bottom of the first on a run-scoring single by Gray after Carden and Dobbins each reached base on a single. Hartselle added a run in the second, two in the third and single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.
Carden, Dobbins and Gray each had a pair of singles to lead Hartselle in hitting. Fagan, Shadden, Stephenson, Riley and Paulsen each singled.