By Staff
Hartselle wins District I Championship
Contributed, Hartselle Enquirer
KILLEN – Pitching and defense.
Any good baseball coach likely would say a team with solid pitching and an airtight defense would be successful.
The Hartselle National 9 and 10 year old All-Stars have it, and that is why the team will be traveling to Oxford to compete in the State Tournament, beginning Saturday.
After a loss to Decatur Central nearly two weeks ago, Hartselle rallied to win the next four at Sub-district. Hartselle beat Monrovia (6-0), Decatur American Red (2-1), Decatur Central (3-2) and Decatur Central again 18-2 in the championship.
Hartselle then squared off with Brooks for a best-of-three series, a series Hartselle took two games to none.
In their first game with Brooks Friday, Hartselle jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Jackson Reeves, Will Swann and Will Lang all scored after leading off the game with three consecutive hits.
Jake Hartselle scored on a passed ball in the third for Hartselle's final score.
Corey Holladay, Ethan Rose and Lang combined to pitch a three hitter. Catcher Jacob Garrison gunned down a base runner trying to steal in the sixth inning for the final out.
The team traveled to Killen Saturday to close out the series with a 3-1 win.
Brooks held a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
Hartselle responded to the run, as Holladay delivered a two-out hit to score Chance Partlow and Austin Dupper in the second inning.
Ethan Rose added a RBI double in the fourth, scoring Seth Wiley, for the final run of the game.
Brooks began a rally in the fifth, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Hartsell was brought in and was able to get out of the jam, and he finished out the game for the win.
Hartselle begins play in Oxford at 8 p.m. Saturday for a shot at the State Championship.