HARTSELLE – The math was simple for the Cullman Bearcats Friday afternoon, April 15, as they strode into Ruben Sims Field, the home of their long standing rivals, the Hartselle Tigers. Win the first game, claim the Area 15 title and start defense of their 2015 6A State Championship while Hartselle takes the number two seed…or lose and Hartselle takes the area crown and Decatur snags the second spot leaving Cullman, who is the top seed, sitting at home during the post-season. The Bearcats chose the former, downing Hartselle 4-2.
The Cats were swinging the sticks from the moment they stepped into the box. Colby Robinson led the game off, hitting the ball on the nose but right at the Hartselle center fielder, Will Foote. Levi Thomas followed and ripped a triple over the head of Foote that rolled all the way to the fence. Big bopper Owen Lovell was up next but he could not bring Thomas home, nor could third baseman Noah Fondren and Thomas was left stranded at third.
Thomas was the hurler of choice for Cullman in the all-important game. He quickly retired the first two Tigers he faced, on a strikeout and a groundout, but then ran into a bit of trouble. He walked the number three batter and clipped the clean-up hitter with an inside pitch but then got catcher Zeth Malcom to foul out to third to end the Hartselle threat.
Carter Bowen got the Cullman offense going in the second, drawing a one out walk. Two batters later, Wheeler Eastman smashed a two out pitch to the right center gap for a double, but more importantly, the screamer scored Wheeler and put Cullman on top 1-0.
Both teams traded hits over the course of the next two innings, bringing the Cats to the plate in the top of the fourth, still leading by one.
Down two, Hartselle looked for any offense they could find and Malcom was happy to oblige. He took the offering from Thomas and blasted it over the left field fence for a home run that put Hartselle on the board. Thomas retired the next three batters and Cullman got out of the inning with the lead in tack, 2-1.
Hartselle would dent the scoreboard again in the bottom of the fifth. Riley Wood was plunked, sending him to first and prompting Cullman head coach Brent Patterson to make a pitching change, going to righty Bowen. He got Foote to pop out to short, but Colin Blackwood would reach on a fielder’s choice putting two on with one out. Hayden Bradford would then find a gap, scoring Wood and knotting the game at 2-2. The Tigers would load the bases with two out, but Bowen would come up strong, striking out Tyler Easterling to avoid further damage and get out of the inning still tied.
The game carried its 2-2 score past the allotted seven innings and into an extra frame, treating all in attendance to a little free baseball, but it was the Cullman fans who would come away smiling. Fondren led off the inning with a rifle of a single up the middle and Jacob Heatherly followed with a single of his own, putting two Cats on with nobody out. Bowen was then called on to lay down a sacrifice to move the runners over but it was not needed as the Hartselle pitcher was called for a balk, advancing the runners to second and third. With the bunt signoff, Bowen hit a ringing double off the center field fence, scoring Fondren and Heatherly to put Cullman up 4-2. The next three batters were retired in order and it was up to Bowen to shut the door on the game and open the door to the playoffs for Cullman.
Malcom led off for Hartselle in the bottom of the eighth, looking to hit another dinger but he over swung and fouled out to the Cats’ third baseman for the first out. Easterling then singled and was followed by Austin Parker who lined a pitch to the left center gap. In what looked like a sure hit for Hartselle, Lovell came streaking across the outfield grass and laid out every inch of his 6’5” frame to make the diving catch to keep Easterling at first. With new life and the lead, Bowen got the next Hartselle hitter swinging to give Cullman the 4-2 win and most importantly, the Area 15 title.
For a full photo gallery, visit https://www.facebook.com/CullmanSense/photos_stream?tab=photos_albums.
