The Hartselle Tigers varsity baseball team had a good week playing in Hoover. Pictured above are the Tigers along with the coaches and the bat boys after winning the tournament. | Special to the Enquirer

Caleb Suggs

Hartselle Enquirer

Hartselle goes 6-2 to win Tournament

It had been an amazing March for the Hartselle Tigers so far when they rolled into Hoover for the Hoover tournament. Hartselle was coming in with a 15-5 record for the month and were hoping to make it even better as they prepared for the early April showdown with area rival Cullman.

Hartselle got it going early as they faced off with Hoover and Montgomery on day one.

Hartselle took control of the first game early in the second inning. A triple by Taylor Easterling drove in the first run of the inning. Connor Burks would drive Easterling in while Austin Parker would score on a wild pitch and Will Foote on a fielder’s choice to give Hartselle a 5-0 lead at the end of the second.

Collin Blackwood, Hayden Bradford and Brady Netherton would all drive in RBIs in the top of the fourth and Hartselle would go on to defeat Hoover 10-2. Netherton took the win on the mound with 17 first pitch strikes and 4 strikeouts.

The Tigers would do more of the same in the second game. Scores from Blackwood, Bradford and Netherton, along with Riley Wood and Jack Hundley in the second inning would help Hartselle cruise to a 10-0 win over Montgomery.

Hartselle would run into a bump on the second day. In the first game, they would face the Oxford Yellow Jackets, a team they had already defeated earlier in the year.

Oxford got out to an early 2-0 lead by the end of the third inning.

After getting a run in the fourth, Hartselle would get the lead back in the fifth. Taylor Easterling would double in the fifth to move himself to second and Jack Hundley to third. Austin Parker would then hit a double to knock in 2 RBIs and give Hartselle the 3-2 lead. Oxford wouldn’t let it last for long as they reeled off 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead back 5-3. They would add another to take the lead to 6-3 going into the last inning. Netherton would score first on a passed ball to cut it to 6-4. Will Foote would hit a single later to drive in Hundley and Easterling to tie the game 6-6 and help send it into extra innings. However, Hartselle would fall in the eighth inning 7-6

Hartselle recaptured their edge the next day. The offense exploded in the first game when they faced off with the Scottsboro Wildcats. The Tigers scored 13 runs in the first three innings. They would add another 6 in the fourth and finish the game in four innings with a 19-2 win. Collin Blackwood led with 3 hits while Austin Parker and Riley Wood both managed 2 hits. Parker also had 4 RBIs while Malcolm had 3. Houston Wright got the win on the mound.

Hartselle kept it going in the second game against the Prattville Lions. The Tigers outhit the Lions 19-6 and scored an astounding 18 runs in the second inning to cruise to an 18-7 win. Easterling and Malcolm led with 3 hits while Parker led with 3 RBIs. Blake Lowe got the win on the mound.

Hartselle rode into the last day of the tournament on a big hot streak thanks to their wins the day before.

They played Spain Park in the first game. Hartselle got off to an early 2-0 lead thanks to a free run and error. They tacked on to their lead in the fourth, Bradford would hit a double to drive in Will Foote and Wood. Blackwood  also scored thanks to a hit from Netherton giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead. Hartselle played top notch defense as Netherton pitched a shutout game with 15 first pitch strikes and 10 strikeouts. Hartselle won the game 5-0.

Hartselle would finish things out in the last game as they faced Moody. Hartselle would go into the bottom of the fourth with just a 1-0 lead but an 11 run explosion would help them coast to a 12-1 win. Blackwood and Malcolm led with 3 hits while Foote and Connor Burks both tallied 3 RBIs. Easterling would get the win on the mound.

Hartselle would win the Hoover tournament and finish March with a 21-7 record. They are riding on a huge wave of momentum as they head into their all-important Area series with Cullman and then the playoffs. Booth also recorded his 988th win, which is the most among active coaches.