Lady Tigers advance to regionals following area tournament
For the Enquirer
The Lady Tigers will return to the Northwest Regionals following their runner-up finish in the area tournament last week in Athens. The Tigers won three games while dropping two onerun games to Athens.
Athens 9, Hartselle 8 Hartselle fell in the area tournament deciding game, 9-8, following a game of blown leads as Athens scored four in the top of the sixth to grab the win.
After jumping out to a 4-1 lead, the Tigers found themselves trailing going into the bottom of the fifth. After loading the bases, Ryley Cate Wolf hit a grand slam to give Hartselle an 8-5 lead.
Brit Godfrey finished 4-of-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Hartselle. Katie Norgard added three hits with an RBI and two runs scored. Wolf added three hits and five RBIs, while KJ Prater had two hits and two runs scored.
Hartselle 12, Athens 7 After falling behind 6-0 in the top of the third, the Lady Tigers responded with 12 runs in innings three, four and five to force a deciding game in the area tournament.
Zoe Hitt finished 3-of-4 with two runs scored to lead Hartselle. Morgan Osborn added two hits, three RBIs and two runs scored, while Hatsumi Peterson added a home run and three RBIs. Godfrey had a hit and two RBIs.
Abigail Kubica picked up the win with five innings of relief, allowing two runs on five hits.
Hartselle 17, Muscle Shoals 10 The Lady Tigers jumped out to a 12-1 lead after the first inning on their way to a 17-10 win over Muscle Shoals in the loser’s bracket final. The Trojans cut the lead to 13-9 before Hartselle pulled away with four runs in the final two innings.
Peterson finished 2-of-4 with a home run and four RBIs to lead Hartselle. Norgard added two hits, three RBIs and three runs scored. Kaelin Perdue added a home run and thzee RBIs.
Athens 7, Hartselle 6 In their first meeting of the area tournament, the Lady Tigers and Golden Eagles battled back and forth, with Athens pulling out the win with a run in the bottom of the seventh.
Norgard finished 2-of-4 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored to lead Hartselle. Peterson added a home run and three RBIs, while Perdue had a hit and an RBI.
Hartselle 14, Muscle Shoals 4 The Tigers jumped out to a 9-0 lead after four innings and cruised to the 14-4 win over Muscle Shoals in the opening game of the 6A Area 15 tournament in Athens.
Morgan Osborn finished 3-of-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored to lead Hartselle. Wolf added two hits and three RBIs, while Godfrey had a hit, three RBIs and two runs scored. Hit finished 4-of-4 with four runs scored.
