Hartselle can't solve Cullman mystique

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
CULLMAN - The team that had averaged more than nine runs a game in the playoffs this season was silenced with a spot in the Class 5A state championship game on the line.
Hartselle’s offensive freight train was derailed by Cullman pitchers Matt Drake and Drew Bryson in the semifinals Friday night, getting swept 5-1 and 8-3 in a game played in front of a packed stadium.
The Tigers finished the season with a 39-12 record, a year that featured four losses to Cullman, the defending Class 5A state champions.
Only four Hartselle teams in the last 20 years have finished with more than 39 victories - the 1992, ‘94, ‘98 and 2000 teams. Three of those four teams won state championships.
Cullman, a program that has reached the state finals six times in the past seven years, prevented the Tigers from reaching the 40-win mark for the first time since 2000 with the sweep.
Stepping up in the semifinals to keep Hartselle from advancing to the finals for the first time in eight years was Cullman aces Drake and Bryson.
Drake went the distance in the first game, allowing Hartselle’s potent lineup just six hits.
Bryson was equally as masterful in the second game, striking out 10 including three in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the final touches on the sweep.
The Bearcats Chaise Mathis, Jacob Smith and Kyle Johnson sparked the series sweep with homers for the Bearcats.
Cullman wasted little time in taking the early lead in the series with three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Hartselle starter Chad Girodo walked Josh Bell and Drake before surrendering a 3-run blast by Johnson.
Smith drove in Mathis with a single off Girodo in the fourth inning to push the margin to 4-0.
Hartselle scored its lone run of the opener when Garrett Turrentine singled to drive in Tony Weaver in the sixth inning.
But Smith answered in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff solo homer to make it 5-1.
Both teams finished with eight hits in the opening game of the series.
J.C. Bates was dominating early in the second game for the Tigers, striking out 10 in the first four innings.
But a rough fifth inning proved to be more than Bates could overcome.
Cullman sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs with the help of some costly Hartselle errors.
Bates allowed three hits in the inning, but only one of the hits ever got out of the infield.
Cullman scored twice on passed balls. One of those runners reached on a Hartselle error on a routine groundball to second.
By the time Bates got out of the inning with a deep fly to center, the Bearcats were already celebrating a comfortable 6-0 advantage.
Weaver hit a monstrous shot to leadoff the Hartselle sixth inning to trim the margin to five runs.
After a walk to Will Chappell and a double by Ethan Widener, Zack Waddell doubled to score both runners to make it 6-3.
Cullman answered with Johnson’s 2-run homer in the top of the seventh to cap the scoring.
Bryson struck out the Hartselle side in the bottom half of the inning to close out the Tigers.