Comeback kids: Tigers rally from 4 down to beat Gadsden City

By Staff
Staff Reports, Hartselle Enquirer
Hartselle 8, Gadsden City 4
The Tigers picked up a win in the opening round of the Buccaneer Classic in Hoover Monday. Hartselle trailed 4-0 after three innings before coming back.
Jake Bradford's solo home run in the fourth inning tied the game at 4-4 and in the fifth Josh Aycox scored the winning run on an RBI single by Ryder Brasher.
Chad Girodo picked up the win for Hartselle, striking out four and allowing two hits in 4.2 innings.
Aycox scored three runs after reaching base thanks to the Titans' lack of control; he walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Luke Bole finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Opelika 7, 3
Hartselle 2, 4
The Tigers managed a split at home Saturday against Opelika, when Ryder Brasher's RBI single scored Luke Bole in the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 2.
In Game 1, Brasher pitched three innings and allowed five hits while striking out four. Chad Girodo pitched the next four innings and allowed four hits while striking out three.
The Tigers had five hits against Opelika's pitching. Josh Aycox, Jake Bradford and Luke Bole each finished 1-for-3. Girodo was 1-for-2 and scored a run and Quinn Dunlap finished 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base and a run.
In Game 2, Justin Hargett pitched the first six innings and struck out nine while allowing six hits. J.C. Bates picked up the win, pitching the last two innings and allowing one hit while striking out one.
Aycox finished 2-for-3 with an RBI; Bole was 2-for-3 with a double and scored a run; and Dunlap was 1-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases. Caleb Murphy had an RBI and Brasher was 1-for-2.
The teams were tied at 3-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. With two outs in the inning, Bole laced a double down the right-field line and Brasher followed with a hard line-drive to left field to score the game-winning run.
Hartselle is currently 12-7 for the season.
Madison Academy 5, Hartselle 0
The Mustangs' Corey Williams held Hartselle to just three hits in the Tigers' home loss to Madison Academy March 15.
Will Rankin started the game, pitching five innings and allowing three hits while striking out five. J.C. Bates pitched an inning and allowed one hit and struck out a batter and Girodo pitched an inning, allowing two hits and striking out one.
Caleb Murphy finished 1-for-2 and Tony Weaver was 1-for-3. Ryder Brasher was 1-for-2 with a double and a stolen base.
Hartselle 4, 11
Brewer 0, 0
The Tigers improved to 4-0 in Area 13 play with a sweep of Brewer in Hartselle March 14.
In Game 1, Hartselle (11-5, 4-0) scored two runs in the first inning, with Josh Aycox picking up an RBI single and Caleb Murphy earning an RBI with a sacrifice fly. Hartselle added another run in the fourth when Jake Bradford came home to score on a throwing error.
Justin Hargett's sacrifice fly scored Quinn Dunlap in the fifth inning to bring home Hartselle's final run.
Chad Girodo started the game for Hartselle, pitching the first three innings before giving way to J.C. Bates for the final four. Girodo allowed no hits and Bates allowed two, both hits coming in Brewer's seventh inning.
Brewer's Luke Mosteller and Kyle Frost each had consecutive one-out hits against Bates, but the Patriots could not break onto the scoreboard.
Eric Parker took the loss for the Patriots, allowing seven hits and striking out one in seven innings.
In game two, the Tigers scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning to help put the game out of reach.
Bradford hit a three-run home run and Murphy had a two-RBI single in the inning. The game ended in the fifth inning with the 10-run mercy rule.
Will Rankin started the game and struck out two batters in two innings of work. Ryder Brasher allowed one hit in two innings of relief, striking out three. Hargett closed out the game by striking out the side in the fifth inning.
Dunlap finished 2-for-2 with an RBI.
Frost had the only hit of the game for the Patriots.