Hartselle High School won the Morgan County Tournament Saturday at Wilson Morgan Park. Team members are, from left, (front) Kennadi Hogan, Jada Hayes, Taylor Wascavage, Sydnee Wiley, (middle) Hope Cain, Makayla Hayes, Ali Forth, Riley Corum, Mary Jane Wooley, Sara Faulk, (back) assistant coach Anna Wilson, assistant coach Robin Riley, Anna Stinson, Bailey Powell, Sydney Crow, Hannah Jenkins, assistant coach Robert Slack and head coach Christy Ferguson. | Brent Maze

Lady Tigers battle through loser’s bracket to take top spot

Hartselle head coach Christy Ferguson knows winning a Morgan County Championship is never easy.

This year, was no different.

After dropping its opening game Saturday, Hartselle won five consecutive games, including a pair of wins over Austin in the championship round to claim the title.

While Ferguson didn’t like the way that they lost to West Morgan, she is proud of the way that her team fought back the entire day to win it.

“We did a lot of good things out here today,” Ferguson said. “We made a lot of plays, and we found some things that we need to work on. All of them are correctable. But I’m just proud of the way we battled the whole day. We hope it sets up the rest of our season the rest of the way.”

Hartselle might not have been celebrating if it hadn’t been able to play small ball to score a run in the first game with Austin.

Trailing 1-0 with one out in the sixth inning, Sydnee Wiley laid down a bunt on a squeeze play to score Bailey Powell.

“That’s something we’ve been working on in practice,” Ferguson said. “We needed it today, and we executed it well.”

Hartselle then rallied for three runs in the top of the eighth inning to hang on for a 4-2 win.

Powell led the way with a 2-for-3 effort with an RBI and two runs scored. Wiley was also 2-for-3 while Hope Cain was 2-for-4 with a run. Sara Faulk and Hannah Jenkins each had hits for Hartselle.

Jada Hayes struck out 10 batters while allowing two runs on five hits with no walks.

There was little drama in the final game, as Hartselle exploded for five runs in the top of the first inning and cruised to a 7-1 victory.

Hayes allowed one unearned run on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts in seven innings. She was also 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

Cain paced the Tigers with a 3-for-3 effort while Taylor Wascavage and Ali Forth each added two hits. Forth drove in three runs for the Lady Tigers.

Powell added a triple while Jenkins had a RBI double.

“We had to play six games in one day – all back-to-back,” Ferguson said. “We knew coming in here we had a target on our backs. Anyone out here could have won the championship this year with how close all of the games were.

Members of the all-tournament team included Hayes, Wascavage, Powell and Cain from Hartselle; Anna Leigh Mitchell, Sara Griner and Ashton Hill from Austin; Anna Sharp and Madi Evans from Brewer; Callie Ryan and Savannah Bolton from Danville; Kayla Moore and McKenzie Orr from Decatur; Chandler Sparkman and Brianna Cagle from Decatur Heritage; Maddie White and Callie Garner from Falkville; and McKenzie Parker and Abby St. John to Priceville.

HHS 8, West Morgan 0

The Lady Tigers avenged an earlier loss to West Morgan by scoring six runs in the fifth inning to cruise to a win.

Powell led the way, going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Wascavage was 2-for-3 with two RBIs while Hayes was 2-for-4 with a run.

Faulk, Jenkins and Forth added hits.

Cain earned the shutout, allowing two hits and one walk with six strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings.

HHS 9, BHS 2

Wascavage was 2-for-3 with a double an RBI to lead the Lady Tigers.

Wiley, Riley Corum, Anna Stinson, Forth, Makayla Hayes and Sydney Crow added hits. Corum also had two RBIs.

Cain allowed two runs on five hits and no walks with nine strikeouts in a six-inning win.

Kayla Mitchell led Brewer with a double while Anna Sharp, Taylor Ledbetter, Madison Evans and Kennedy Winton added hits. Winton also had two RBIs.

Mitchell took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in one inning of work. Bailey Watkins allowed six runs on five hits and three walks in five innings.

HHS 5, FHS 2

Wascavage hit a solo home run, finished 2-for-3 and scored twice in a win over Falkville.

Hayes was 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run while Cain added a double. Jenkins and Forth had the only other hits.

Hayes got the five-inning win, allowing two unearned runs on three hits and no walks with 13 strikeouts.

Maddie White had a double with two RBIs to lead Falkville. Callie Garner and Mackenzie Smith added singles and runs.

Garner took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits and no walks with a strikeout in two and one-third innings. Paige Garner allowed another run on two hits and two walks.

West Morgan 3, HHS 2

The Lady Rebels scored a run on an error on the last play of the game to defeat Hartselle.

Cain and Hayes each went 2-for-3 to lead the Lady Tigers. Cain had a double while Hayes had an RBI. Faulk, Wascavage and Forth had the other hits.

Cain took the loss, allowing one unearned run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts in two and two-thirds innings of relief. Hayes allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with five strikeouts.

HHS 5, Decatur Heritage 1

Cain struck out 11 in a six-inning win over Decatur Heritage. She allowed a run on two hits. She also had a hit and an RBI at the plate.

Faulk led the way with a 2-for-4 effort with an RBI. Wascavage was 1-for-1 with two RBIs while Hayes, Jenkins and Forth added hits.

FHS 5, PHS 3

White was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs to pace the Lady Blue Devils against Priceville. She also got the win, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Cheyenne Wilson added a double while Callie Garner, Bailey Anders, Smith, Bracey Thompson and Emily Gray added hits.

Abby St. John took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks with a strikeout. Of those runs, only two were earned. At the plate, she was 1-for-3, doubled and scored.

Sara Beth Wilson, Alex Shields and Abby Hensley each had an RBI single. Kathleen Wheeler, Bobbie Ann Mason and Kenzie Price each singled.

Austin 9, PHS 1

Sara Beth Wilson, Hannah Wheeler and Mia Grantland each were 1-for-2 with single in the loss. Abby St. John also stole a base and scored.

“We played well and battled at the plate,” Potter said. “They’re a good offensive team, and they found some holes. We couldn’t get ours to fall or sneak through. Thought we had a few, but their shortstop is really good and made some good plays. I’m pleased with how we played today, especially compared to yesterday.”

PHS 4, Decatur 1

Priceville played its most complete game of the year in a win over Decatur.

“We were solid on defense, had good pitching and came up with timely hitting,” said PHS coach Preston Potter.

McKenzie Parker was 2-for-3 with an RBI double and scored a run. Abby St. John finished 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base. Alex Shields went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Hannah Wheeler singled and scored. Kathleen Wheeler and Destinee Hargrove each stole a base and scored.

St. John held Decatur to three hits and struck out two to get the win.

BHS 5, FHS 2

Brewer scored five runs despite only having three hits in a win over Falkville.

Bailey Watkins, Anna Sharp and Katy Couch had singles while Winton had two RBIs and Evans and Julie Daugette had RBIs.

Watkins got the win, allowing two runs on five this and three walks with five strikeouts in seven innings.

White took the loss, allowing three runs on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts in three innings.

Callie Garner pitched four innings and allowed two runs on one hit and no walks. She was also 3-for-4 with an RBI. Kaitlyn McMurray had a double and two runs scored while White had the only other hit.

HHS 4, DHS 1

Hannah Jenkins was 2-for-3 drove in two of four runs in a win over Danville during pool play of the Morgan County Softball Tournament.

Bailey Powell had a double with a run scored while Hope Cain, Sydnee Wiley, Taylor Wascavage, Jada Hayes and Makayla Hayes each had hits. Cain had an RBI while Hayes, Jenkins and Anna Stinson scored runs.

Hayes struck out 13 in a six-inning win. She allowed two hits, one run and a walk.

Savannah Bolton took the loss despite striking out nine Hartselle batters. She allowed three earned runs on eight hits with two walks.

Callie Ryan had the only two Danville hits and scored the only run on a wild pitch.

Grace Cobb was the only other Lady Hawk to reach base with a walk.

HHS 4, FHS 0

Hope Cain overcame two hits and two errors to pitch a five-inning shutout against Falkville during pool play of the Morgan County Softball Tournament Thursday. She finished with five strikeouts.

Hannah Jenkins and Taylor Wascavage led the way with 2-for-3 nights. Wascavage had two RBIs while Cain was 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Sara Faulk, Ali Forth, Sydney Crow and Sydnee Wiley each had hits.

Makenzie Smith and Maddie White had the only hits for Falkville. Paige Garner and Kaitlyn McMurray also reached on errors.

McMurray took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits with four walks and two stirkeouts in three and one-third innings. Garner also pitched one and one-third inning while allowing two hits with two strikeouts.

FHS 6, DHS 3

Makenzie Smith capped off a six-run outburst with a two-run home run in the fourth inning of Falkville’s win over Danville during pool play of the Morgan County Tournament Thursday.

Smith, Bailey Anders and Kaitlyn McMurray each finished 2-for-3 for Falkville. Anders, Maddie White and McMurray had doubles while Callie Garner and Breanna Thompson added hits. Thompson had two RBIs while Anders and Emily Gray added RBIs.

White earned the five-inning win, allowing three runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout.

Savannah Bolton took the loss for Danville, allowing one earned run on nine hits and no walks with two strikeouts in four and one-third innings.

Kristen Dobbins paced Danville with a 2-for-2 effort. Morgan Weatherwax added an double and a run scored while Danielle Roof and Bolton added hits. Roof also had an RBI.

Austin 16, PHS 3

Seven errors allowed Austin to break the game open against Priceville during pool play of the Morgan County Tournament Thursday.

After Austin took a 5-0 lead after two innings, Priceville settled down defensively in the third inning and answered to make it 5-3.

Hot hitting and a couple of more errors allowed Austin to blow the game open.

Abby St. John paced Priceville with a 3-for-3 outing with a double and two RBIs. Sara Beth Wilson followed with an RBI and 2-for-3 at the plate while McKenzie Parker and Abby Hensley were both 1-for-3 with a run scored.

Decatur Heritage 11, PHS 6

Ten walks doomed Priceville in a loss to Decatur Heritage during pool play of the Morgan County Softball Tournament.

Destinee Hargrove paced PHS with a 2-for-2 effort with a walk and two runs scored. Abby St. John, Sara Beth Wilson and Hannah Wheeler were each 2-for-3. St. John had a double, three RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base. Wilson drove in a run while Wheeler scored a run. McKenzie Parker also had a single, a walk and a run scored.