Hartselle sweeps Southside-Gadsden
Zach Letson prepares to throw to first base after fielding a ground ball. | Brent Maze
Hartselle swept a doubleheader with Southside-Gadsden on Monday 14-8, 7-2 to get back on track after a tough outing at the Hoover Tournament last week.
In the first game, the Tigers rallied back from an 8-2 deficit in the second inning to win by six runs.
Starting pitcher Aaron Wooley started shaky giving up five runs in the first inning, including a 3-run home run.
Hartselle Chris Brown’s looping single to right field allowed Drew Cowan and Austin Spangler to score and cut the lead to 5-2.
An error allowed Southside to score three more runs in the second inning and made Hartselle coaches change pitchers. However, Southside wouldn’t score again as Jacob Garrison came off the bench and allowed no runs on five hits with no walks.
The Tigers’ Will Swann scored on Zach Letson’s base hit to cut the lead to 8-3 in the second inning.
In the meantime, the Tigers chipped away at the lead. Spangler’s double in the third inning scored Cowan. Spangler then scored on Brown’s single.
In the fourth inning, Letson scored on Cowan’s sacrifice ground ball, trimming the lead to 8-6.
Letson then tied the game with his two-run double in the fifth inning, to score Chris Brown and Dax Gillespie. Swann then scored on a wild pitch to put Hartselle up 9-8.
Garrison was also helped out by a double play that Colton Ord and Gibson converted in the sixth inning. Ord caught a flyball and threw back to second base to catch the runner off the bag.
In the bottom of the frame, Hartselle pulled away by scoring five runs. Brown, Gibson, Gillespie, Swann and Ord all scored.
Garrison then used just four pitches to sit down Southside’s batters in order. For the game, Garrison threw just 37 pitches in 5 1/3 innings.
Letson led the game going 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three doubles. Swann was also 2-for-2 with two walks, three runs and an RBI. Spangler was also 2-for-2 with two runs, three RBIs and two walks.
In game two, Hartselle racked up five runs in the second inning and cruised to a 7-2 win. Swann led the way with a pair of doubles, four RBIs and a run scored. Cowan was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Kaleb Jones also was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Spangler, Brown Gibson and Gillespie also scored runs.
Deacon Aldridge picked up the win going five innings, allowing two runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 75 pitches. Ethan Howell finished it up on the mound pitching two scoreless innings with two hits and two strikeouts.
Neither pitcher walked a batter in the contest.
