HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Day One of the 2026 Cullman County Baseball Tournament got underway on Friday afternoon, and in the second game of the day, (4) Vinemont took on (5) Cold Springs. In their first and only meeting so far, Vinemont knocked off Cold Springs, 6-2, but this time, a chance to take on (1) Fairview in the semifinals was on the line. Cold Springs got out to a quick lead and stretched it to 9-1 in the sixth and had to withstand a late rally by Vinemont to win the game, 9-4, to move on to the semifinals.Â
Tucker Mauter got the starting nod for Vinemont and quickly found himself in early trouble, as he walked Ayden Black to lead off the game, then Lindan Hill lined a single to right field to put runners at the corners with nobody out. What looked like the start of a potential big inning for Cold Springs quickly went by the wayside, as Hill got caught trying to steal second. Mauter then struck out Boston Archer, and he got Cooper Johnson to ground out to end the inning. Mauter led off Vinemont’s half of the first with a single, and Carson Drummond drew a one-out walk to put runners at first and second. Cold Springs’ starter Brandon Chasteen struck out Will Conquest and looked to match what Mauter did to start out the game. A double steal, though, put runners at second and third, then two pitches later, Mauter scored on a passed ball to give Vinemont the early lead.
Cold Springs quickly responded in the top of the second. Brooks Black reached on a dropped third strike, then Chasteen helped out his own cause by hitting an RBI triple to left field to tie it up at one. They were just getting started, though. Dru Prevatt blopped an RBI single to right field to give Cold Springs a 2-1 lead. One out later, Black’s RBI double drove in Prevatt, and Hill followed that up with an RBI single up the middle to stretch their lead to 4-1.
After that, it quickly turned into a pitcher’s duel between Mauter and Chasteen. Starting in the bottom of the second inning, they matched zeros in the scoring column for the next two innings. Chasteen did find himself in a jam in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Ryne Dalton hit a one-out double on the first pitch, then Davey Johnson hit a single to right field to put runners at second and third. After Johnson moved up to second, Chasteen struck out the next two hitters to get out of the inning unscathed.
Drummond came out to start the top of the fifth for Vinemont and allowed a one-out single to Johnson. One out later, he walked Chasteen to put runners on first and second with two outs, then Colt Perdue hit a single up the middle, and an error by Vinemont allowed Johnson to score to put Cold Springs up, 5-1. Cold Springs broke the game wide open in the top of the sixth. A hit by pitch, a single, and an error loaded the bases with nobody out, then with one out, another Vinemont error allowed Elijah Cole to cross the plate to make it 6-1. Black got hit by the pitch to force home another run, then Chasteen lined a two-run single to right field to widen their lead to 9-1.
The score stayed the same until the bottom of the seventh, as Vinemont looked to make a late push to get back into the game. Randi Torres and Banks Borwick led off the inning with back-to-back singles, then Mauter lined an RBI single to right field to cut it to 9-2. Josh Rhodes brought home both Borwick and Mauter on a two-run triple to make it a 9-4 game. One out later, Conquest got hit by the pitch to put runners at the corners, then he stole second. Chasteen, though, was able to settle down after that and ended up collecting the final two outs of the game to help seal Cold Springs’ 9-4 win over Vinemont.
Chasteen went three-for-three with a trio of RBIs for Cold Springs (11-5). Hill (three hits), Black (two hits), Prevatt (one hit), and Black all added an RBI. Chasteen pitched a complete game for Cold Springs, allowing nine hits, four runs (three earned), walking one, and striking out seven. For Vinemont, Rhodes finished with a pair of hits and two RBIs, and Mauter added a pair of hits and an RBI in the loss.
Cold Springs will take on top-seeded Fairview on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. The Aggies knocked off the Eagles, 8-1, a couple of weeks ago, but with a trip to the championship game on the line, both teams will lay it all on the line to make it there Saturday afternoon.
