6U Hartselle All-Stars win World Series title
Hartselle’s 6U All-Star softball team was crowned champions of the 2014 USSSA World Series Tournament in Gulf Shores on Friday.
They defeated state champion Sharpsburg, Ga, 10-3 to complete a string of seven straight wins in tournament play.
Hartselle went up 3-0 after two innings, but Sharpsburg tied the score at 3-3 in the third inning. Hartselle retook the lead by two runs in the third and Katie Gillott put the game out of reach with a three-run double in the fourth.
Tiger Howell ended the game by fielding a hard hit ground and stepping on first base.
Hartselle all-stars outscored their opponents 120-40 during the series. They opened with a 23-5 win over Sharpsburg and followed with a 15-3 win over Rogersville, an 18-4 win over Winston, Ga., a 19-13 win over Spanish Fort, a 20-6 win over Winston and a 15-9 win over Sharpsburg in the semifinals.
Gillott has the team’s only home run in the tournament.
The team finished post-season play with a 30-3 record.
Named to the World Series All-Tournament team from Hartselle were Isabella Guest, Anna Hampton Burroughs, Katie Gillott and Tiger Howell.
Team members received World Series championship rings to commemorate their. achievement.
Coach Johnny Howell said a large contingent of Hartselle fans followed the team and participated in a 10-minute cheer for the team before the championship game.
“Our fans played a big part in our success, Howell said. ”We deeply appreciate the people who purchased pizza cards and 31 raffle tickets from our players as well as the businesses that made contributions.”