New coach leads Hartselle to fourth state finals in five years
By Caleb Suggs
For the Enquirer
It may be a new era of Hartselle baseball, but the results remain the same.
Brad Phillips, in his first season as head coach at Hartselle, is leading the Tigers to their fourth state finals appearance in five years following a two-game sweep (7-5, 12-0) of Gardendale on Thursday night.
“The first game of the season, I thought about Coach (William) Booth and how this was the first time someone else had been in charge of the program. It really sunk in that night,” Phillips said. “This is just a foundation of what he built, and we’re just riding the wave. I’m proud of the boys and proud of the program. I hope he is, too.”
Hartselle’s Keaton Lance slides into second base in the semifinals at Booth-Sims field on Thursday. Photo by Justin Powell.
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Hartselle 12, Gardendale 0: Ty Marsh hit a grand slam in the first inning, and the Tigers never looked back as they won Game 2 in five innings to advance to the Class 6A state finals.
“I’m a little emotional because this is the exact reason I came here. I prayed for times like this and I just have to thank God,” senior Easton Nelms said. “I’m excited, and we’re going to go win it.”
Marsh finished with two hits and six RBIs, while Cole Miles and Easton Nelms each added two hits and an RBI.
Connor Stiles got the win, allowing three hits and no runs with six strikeouts.
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Hartselle 7, Gardendale 5: Hartselle’s bats weren’t as explosive as they would’ve liked in last week’s series against Pell City, so the Tigers switched things up Thursday night against Gardendale.
Asher Doepel moved from fifth in the lineup to the lead-off spot, bumping each player down one. The move worked wonders as the Tigers finished with 10 hits and seven runs.
“We were just looking for a spark,” Phillips said. “It was the same five guys at the top, just in a different order, but it did the job. I think we had seven hits in the first three innings.”
The Tigers said they didn’t feel their at-bats in recent series were bad, but Thursday things started going their way.
“We’ve been putting the barrel on the ball and they just weren’t falling,” senior Ty Marsh said. “We had the confidence that eventually they would start falling.”
Hartselle built a 4-0 lead after the second inning and a 6-2 lead after the fifth when Cruise Baker hit a two-run home run.
Then Gardendale rallied, scoring three runs in the top of the sixth, including two off a home run from Auburn commit Caiden Combs.
Despite the massive momentum swing, Hartselle wasn’t shaken.
Cain Falciani scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a wild pitch, and Asher Doepel worked a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the seventh to seal the win.
“It’s just about flipping the page,” Marsh said. “We know both teams are going to make plays. It’s all about how you respond, and we know how to respond.”
“It’s a so what? Now what? Mentality,” Marsh added.
Hartselle’s Ty Marsh hits a home run in the semifinals at Booth-Sims field on Thursday. Photo by Justin Powell.
Baker led the way with two hits and two RBIs, while Marsh and Keaton Lance each added two hits. Falciani had a hit, two RBIs and scored two runs.
