By Staff
Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle had to settle for the runnerup spot in Class 5A, Area 13 after losing to Cullman 7-5 in a game that featured five home runs.
Cullman claimed the area championship with a perfect 6-0 mark. Hartselle is 3-2 with one area game remaining.
Hartselle finished with just seven hits in the loss, including home runs by Ryan Joy, Garrett Turrentine and Will Chappell.
The Bearcats have now won 13 of their last 14 games.
Cullman took a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a sacrifice fly by Matt Drake that scored Josh Wells.
Hartselle didn’t get its first hit off Drew Bryson until the third inning when Joy led off with a solo homer - his fifth of the season - that easily cleared the fence in right field to tie the game at 1-1.
Cullman went back in front in the bottom of the third inning when Jacob Smith hit a two-run shot off Chad Girodo that cleared the student deck in centerfield.
Hartselle struck for three runs in the fifth inning with three hits. Tony Weaver and Will Chappell both had singles with one out to chase Bryson from the mound.
Bryson, who has never lost a start to Hartselle, gave up three runs on four hits while striking out nine in 4 1/3 innings of work.
Drake came on in relief and promptly surrendered a monstrous homer by Turrentine that landed on the roof of the Cullman hitting facility in left field to put the Tigers up 4-3.
Cullman rallied to go back in front with two runs in the bottom half of the fifth inning with four straight singles off Girodo.
Chase Mathis and Chris Fisher both drove in runs with base hits to end the afternoon for Girodo.
J.C. Bates struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
Cullman added to the lead with a 2-run homer by Drake in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Bearcats also threatened to add to the margin after following with a pair of singles, but Bates ended the threat by getting Fisher on a fly to right field.
Chappell’s solo homer to center cut the lead to 7-5, but Drake retired two of the final three hitters to end the game.
Hartselle won the second game 14-7, but it didn’t count in the area standings.
Hartselle was scheduled to face West Point this afternoon in the Tigers’ final area game of the season.