The Hartselle Lady Tigers traveled to Gulf Shores to compete in the Gulf Coast Classic III. They had a successful week, winning five of seven and finishing in a tie for third place.

The 6A second-ranked Lady Tigers (25-4-1) defeated 7A No. 3 Thompson 5-2, Pleasant Grove 16-0 and Oakland, Tennessee, 3-1 while losing to Columbia Academy, Tennessee, 2-1 in pool play. Hartselle defeated Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, 6-5 and Enterprise 8-0 before falling to 6A No. 1 Athens 5-3 in the semifinals.

“It was a good week for us,” said Coach Christopher Reeves. “It was good to get away and see some different teams and face some great competition. This tournament helps prepare us for the second half of our season.”

Larissa Preuitt and Kaelyn Jones led Hartselle at the plate, each batting .471 (8-17). Preuitt had a double, a triple, five RBIs, 10 stolen bases and eight runs scored. Jones had a double, a triple, nine stolen bases, eight runs scored, and three RBIs.

Emily Hall was six-for-13 with a triple, four RBIs and a run scored, while Katie Gillott was four-for-nine with a home run, a double, three RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases. Brityan Godfrey finished five-for-13 with two home runs, seven RBIs and two runs scored.

Blayne Godfrey pitched 18 innings, allowing four earned runs and 10 hits while striking out 35 in picking up three wins. Zoey Crawford earned two wins while throwing 5.2 innings, allowing zero earned runs and two hits while striking out seven.

“I think we grew as a team last week,” said Reeves. “We were able to overcome some difficult situations and find different ways to win. This was important as we look to accomplish our goal.”