By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
CULLMAN - After posting a nine-hit victory over Class 6A defending state champion Hoover in a season-opening win Monday afternoon, Hartselle bats went cold in a loss to rival Cullman.
Zack Waddell drove in two runs for Hartselle against Hoover, while Luke Bole drove in the Tigers’ third run.
Bole earned the win after scattering three hits over four innings. He struck out five and walked five.
Garrett Turrentine got the save with three innings of work. He allowed just two hits, while striking out two.
Ryan Joy, Josh Doyle, Waddell and Taylor Nelson all had two hits for the Tigers. Waddell and Bole both had doubles for Hartselle.
Hartselle scored one run in the first inning and added single runs in the third and fifth innings.
Cullman 3, Hartselle 0
Chase Mallard allowed just one hit as defending Class 5A state champion Cullman handed Hartselle a 3-0 loss.
The Bearcats have won five of the last seven meetings between the two schools.
Mallard finished with 10 strikeouts in the win.
Hartselle starter Chad Girodo suffered the loss after allowing just one earned run in five innings.
He finished with five strikeouts.
Girodo allowed just one hit through the first four innings before Cullman’s Ben Moore hit an RBI double in the fifth inning.
The Bearcats added two more runs in the inning on wild pitches.
Zack Waddell had a pair of singles in the loss, while Robby Reese and Logan Cain both singled in the seventh inning to give the Tigers runners at first-and-third.
Hartselle put five runners on base in the final two innings but could not get on the scoreboard.
Austin Golden earned the save for Cullman after getting out of a jam in the seventh inning with a ground-ball double play.
Hartselle will return to action this weekend in the Northwest Rankin Invitational in Rankin, Miss.