The Hartselle Tigers opened the season with two wins over ranked opponents in the AL Kickoff Classic. The 6A No. 3 Tigers defeated 6A No. 7 Gardendale 5-4 Friday and 7A No. 3 Bob Jones 4-0 Saturday.
“I thought our kids competed well this weekend. Our schedule is always very tough and we faced some very good competition with some playoff-type atmospheres, and our kids seemed to step up to the challenge,” coach Jake Miles said. “We have some battle-tested guys, some inexperienced guys, and some injuries, so it’s always interesting to see how we put it all together, but I couldn’t be happier with the effort and attitude we played with. Our goal is to try and get a little better each day, and our senior leadership is helping guide that path.”
Hartselle 4, Bob Jones 0
Hartselle finished the weekend with a 4-0 victory over Bob Jones in a game played at Hoover High School. The Tigers scored a run in the first and third innings and added two in the sixth to cap off the victory.
Senior Nic Chumley (1-0) earned the win after pitching a complete-game shutout. He allowed three hits over seven innings while only throwing 65 pitches.
Cam Palahach led Hartselle (2-0) with a hit and two RBI, while Carter Lee added two RBI. Jo Williamson had two hits, while Cade Miles had a hit and two runs scored. Lawson Williams and Cole Miles each added a hit and a run scored.
Hartselle 5, Gardendale 4
The Tigers opened the 2024 season with a 5-4 on the road at Gardendale last Friday. The Rockets took an early 1-0 lead before Hartselle would take a 3-1 lead in the top of the second. They added a run in the fifth and sixth and held on for the win as Gardendale scored three in the bottom of the sixth.
Junior Jace Meadows (1-0) earned the win after pitching 5.1 innings. He allowed four runs on six hits while striking out two. Andrew Coleman earned the save with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.
Jo Williamson doubled and drove in two runs to lead the Tigers. Asher Doepel had a single and two RBI, while Cade Miles had a double and an RBI.