Hartselle’s Lady Tigers came out on top in the loser’s bracket at the North Regionals in Huntsville on Saturday to win their first trip to the State Softball Toruanment in three years.

As reginal runner-up, they will face Valley, winner of the Southeast Regional, on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. The game will be played in Montgomery’s Lagoon Park on Field #5.

A send-off rally will be held Wednesday (today) at 10:30 a.m.

This team is in a good place,” said head coach Christy Ferguson.“It has been battle tested in every way possible the past two weeks.”

“These players are very excited and they know when Hartselle plays at their best, there’s no other team out there that can beat them.”

The Lady Tigers are currently batting .318 as a them and have two players hitting over .400. Their pitching ERA is 1.48.

Hartselle punched its ticket for the final eight playoff by defeating Muscle Shoals 3-2.

Jada Hayes emerged as Hartselle’s leading hitter. She smashed a home run and a double, had three RBIs and scored a run. Ashley Boggs added a pair singles, Hannah Jenkins, Ali Forth and Hope Cain each singled and Taylor Wascavage scored a run.

Hayes was also the winning pitcher. She alowed two runs on seven hits while striking out five batters and walking three in five innings. Cain pitched two innings in relief, allowing no runs on two hits while striking out two batters.

Athens 8, Hartselle 1

Hartselle was knocked out of the winner’s bracket by Athens Lady Golden,8-1, on Saturday mornring,

The winner s collected 16 hits to four for Hartselle.

Wascavage accounted for Hartselle’s only run with a homer. Sydnee Wiley added a double and Sarah Ellen Battles and Al Forth each had a single.

Cain was the losing pitcher. She allowed four runs on 12 hits while striking out five batters and walking two. Hayes gave up four runs on four hits as a reliever.