Primed for the playoffs

By Staff
Tigers win 15 of 18 to close regular season
Editors note: Due to an early deadline the score of the Tigers' playoff win over West End-Birmingham was not available at press time.
Staff Reports, Hartselle Enquirer
The Hartselle Tigers finished off 5A, Area 16 play unbeaten with sweeps of Muscle Shoals and Athens. The Tigers then dropped a home game to Albertville on Thursday night before whipping Guntersville and then splitting a doubleheader at Grissom to close out the regular season. The Tigers finished the regular season with 15 wins in their final 18 games.
Hartselle 12, Muscle Shoals 8
Andrew Reeves reached double-figures in wins with six-and-a-third innings of eight-hit ball, while striking out seven. Reeves upped his record to 10-2 as he allowed only five earned runs. Seth Watson finished up with two-thirds of an inning. Watson struck out two batters.
At the plate, Ja'Cote Ward had two hits, scored twice and drove in three runs, including two on a home run. Joe McClanahan had two hits, including a double and drove in two, while Justin Hargett had a three-run triple and scored twice. Jordan Parker was three-for-five with two RBIs, scored two runs and stole two bases. Chris Wiley had two doubles and scored one run, while Hunter Brasher had a double and scored twice. Justin Youngblood had a hit and scored twice, while Alex Thompson had a one hit and scored one run.
Hartselle 11, Muscle Shoals 1
Chris Russell improved to 7-3 with five innings of one-hit ball and struck out seven. Youngblood had two hits, including a double, drove in four runs and scored once, while Parker had two doubles, scored once and drove in one run. Hargett scored two runs and stole a base, while Ward had one hit and scored a run. Wiley was two-for-two, including a double, scored three times and drove in one. Zac Long had a hit and scored one run, while Brasher had one hit and scored twice and stole a base, while Daxton Maze had on hit and drove in two runs. Watson added one RBI.
Hartselle 8, Athens 2
Zach Smith improved to 8-2 with six innings of five-hit ball, while allowing only one earned run and striking out seven. Chase Lusk finished up with one scoreless inning and struck out one.
The Tiger hitters were led by Ward with a grand slam. Thompson had one hit, stole two bases and scored twice, while Brasher had two hits, scored twice and had a RBI. Wiley had one hit, drove in two, stole a base and scored once.
Hargett stole two bases and scored a run. Youngblood had one run.
Hartselle 10, Athens 0
Jacob Wray improved to 2-1 with a six-inning performance. He struck out eight and allowed only two hits. McClanahan had a two-run homer and scored twice, while Keith McCaghren had a double, drove in three runs and scored once. Youngblood had two hits and scored a run, while Hargett had one hit, stole two bases, scored one run and drove in another. Brasher had one hit, stole a base and scored once. Parker scored twice, while Kris Berry scored one run and Maze had one run and one RBI.
Nathan Kimbrell had one hit and two RBIs.
Albertville 6, Hartselle 5
McCaghren threw all seven innings allowing nine hits and striking out four. He slipped to 5-3 when the Aggies pushed two runs across in the top of the seventh.
Parker had a solo home run among two hits, while Scott had one hit and one RBI. Brasher stole a base and scored a run, while Hargett and Youngblood had one hit and one RBI each.
Ward had one hit, while Thompson had one RBI and Watson drew three walks.
Hartselle 8, Guntersville 4
Seth Watson improved to 2-3 with two innings of no-hit ball, while striking out three. Lusk threw five innings of four hit ball and gave up three earned runs, while fanning four batters.
Parker and McClanahan each went three-for-three. Parker scored one run, while McClanahan had two doubles and two RBIs.
Ward had a three-run homer in the third, while Youngblood scored one run and had one hit. Wiley had one hit, scored once and drove in one run.
Grissom 5, Hartselle 4
Russell started and threw six innings of one-hit ball. He stuck out two and allowed only one earned run. Watson followed and took the loss giving up two runs.
Reeves finished up by striking out the final two batters.
Brasher and Wiley had one hit and one RBI each, while Ward had a double among two hits and scored twice as he stole three bases.
Thompson had two hits, drove in one run and scored once and stole a base, while Scott had a stolen base, an RBI and scored once. McClanahan and Hargett had one hit each.
Hartselle 11, Grissom 1
Smith got the win with five innings of five-hit ball. He improved to 9-2. At the plate, Brasher had two hits, scored twice and had a RBI, while Ward and Hargett had one hit, one RBI and scored twice. Parker had two hits, including a double, scored two runs and drove in two, while McClanahan had three hits, two RBIs and scored one run.
Youngblood had two hits and scored once, while Maze had a hit and scored once.
McCaghren had a hit, scored once and drove in one run.
Hartselle ended the regular season with a 37-16 record.