Hartselle's quest for another state baseball championship is alive and well after a thrilling 2-1 victory over Pell City in the opening game of their Class 6A quarterfinal series on Friday. The Tigers, known for their late-game heroics this postseason, struck again with a two-run rally in the top of the seventh inning to snatch the win. Game 2 of the best-of-three series was still in progress with Hartselle leading late, but the winner will face Hazel Green in next week's semifinals—a team that just upset No. 1 Homewood.
While Hartselle's championship dreams continue, other area teams weren't as fortunate. East Limestone (5A) and Athens Bible School (1A) both saw their seasons end with sweeps on Friday, highlighting the tough competition in the quarterfinals.
In the opener, Hartselle's Carter Lee sparked the comeback with a game-tying single, followed by Sam Gillette's sacrifice fly to take the lead. Lee finished with two hits, and Asher Doepel added two singles. On the mound, Doepel earned the win with two perfect innings of relief, striking out three. Barrett McKelvey started and held his own, allowing one earned run over five innings with five strikeouts.
East Limestone's season ended in heartbreaking fashion against American Christian Academy. In the first game, Landon Compton homered and drove in two runs, but the Indians fell 6-5 after American Christian scored once in the top of the seventh. Coleby Davis had a single and two RBIs, and Alex Adkins added a solo homer. The second game was a blowout, as American Christian's Hunter Elmore hit a walk-off three-run homer in the fifth inning to end the series 12-0. Elmore finished with two home runs and four RBIs, leading a barrage of five team homers. Davis, Brantly Stinson, and Josh Thallas each had one hit for East Limestone.
Athens Bible School also faced a tough exit, losing 9-5 and 7-3 to Hubbertville. Luke Murrell was a bright spot, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in the opener, and adding two hits in the finale. Ethan Barnes contributed two singles and two RBIs in the first game, while Chandler James had two hits in the second. Murrell also pitched six innings in the finale, striking out 10 batters, but it wasn't enough to keep the Trojans alive.