Hartselle rallies for title

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
HOOVER - Hartselle took advantage of a handful of Spain Park errors in the championship of the Hoover Spring Break Tournament and came home with an 11-10 victory.
Hartselle trailed by as many as seven runs before rallying for the victory when Andrew Hampton scored on a Spain Park throwing error.
Dax Gillespie went 3-for-4 for the Tigers and drove in a pair of runs to lead the Hartselle offensive attack.
Zach Letson added two hits and scored two runs as the Tigers overcame a 10-4 Spain Park lead with seven runs in the final three innings.
Seven of Hartselle’s 11 runs in the game were unearned.
Hartselle 3, Hoover 2
Jackson Reeves drove in the winning run as Hartselle beat Hoover 3-2 in eight innings to advance to the championship game of the tournament.
Reeves finished the game with two hits, including a triple for the Tigers.
Andrew Hampton added two hits for Hartselle.
Hoover 8, Hartselle 3
Ryan Joy hit a solo homer and finished with two hits as Hartselle fell to the host Buccaneers in the tournament.
Joy had two hits in the loss.
Hoover’s Michael Kennedy singled twice and drove in three runs to lead the Buccaners. Scott Head added two RBIs.
Spain Park 7, Hartselle 1
Dax Gillespie had two hits and drove in Hartselle’s only run in a 7-1 loss to Spain Park.
Hartselle finished with six hits against Spain Park starter Mark Abernathy, who had six strikeouts in the win.
Chris Ellis homered and drove in four runs to spark Spain Park’s offensive attack.
Ellis had a two-single that broke a 1-1 tie and added a two-run homer.
Hartselle 9, Oxford 6
Hartselle exploded for nine runs on 10 hits in the Hoover tournament.
Ryland Blankenship earned the win in relief, allowing just one run in three innings.
Ryan Joy hit a 3-run homer to spark a five-run fifth that gave the Tigers the lead for good.
John Roberts had three hits and drove in three runs, Zach Letson and Jackson Reeves had two hits each.
Letson drove in one run and Reeves added a pair of runs.
Andrew Hampton and Jax Gillespie added one hits each for the Tigers.
Austin Reeves allowed five runs in four innings before yielding to Blankenship.
Reeves allowed seven hits and struck out three batters.