Off to a flying start

By Staff
Hartselle Darlings win first games of Dixie World Series in North Carolina
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
Through games played Monday evening, the Hartselle Darlings (7/8-year-olds) All-Stars had won their first three games at the Dixie World Series in West Stanly, N.C. Hartselle was the last undefeated team left in the bracket heading into Tuesday night's semifinal game against Spring Hill (Fla.).
Monday night, Hartselle met fellow undefeated team Pineville (La.) and took the game by a nail-biting 5-4 score. Louisiana led off with a home run to take an early 1-0 lead but Hartselle responded with two runs in the bottom of the first to move in front 2-1.
Hartselle added a run in the bottom of the second and two in the bottom of the third to take a 5-1 lead. Louisiana then mounted a comeback, scoring three runs in the top of the fourth inning.
In the top of the fifth inning, Louisiana put its first two runners on base with no outs when the Hartselle defense stepped up to preserve the win. A Louisiana batter popped up to shortstop for the first out of the inning and the second out came on a fielder's choice. The final out of the inning came on a flyout to the pitcher.
"Our defense has been really solid so far," Darlings head coach Danny Ikard said.
In its earlier tournament games, Hartselle defeated Rustburg (Va.) 11-0 on Saturday and knocked off Monroe County (Ga.) 14-3 in its opening game Friday.
Through the first three games, Hartselle's Callie Partlow is a perfect 7-for-7 hitting. Courtney Blackwood and Gracie Poe are each 5-for-7 and Kenzie Parker is 3-for-5.
Scores from Tuesday's game and onward were unfortunately not available at press time. Check next week's issue for full results of the Darlings' World Series trip.