By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
The Hartselle baseball team knows the numbers: six more wins brings a seventh state championship.
The Tigers will face a tough task against eighth-ranked Russellville in the best-of-three quarterfinal series beginning Friday.
Hartselle has one of the top offensive lineups in the state and the Tigers seem to be hitting on all cylinders right now.
Still, everyone is better with each round. And Russellville has a full stable of talented pitchers to use against the Tigers.
Hartselle’s offensive power was evident early against the Rockets - the team had eight hits in the second inning of the opening game to give starter Chad Girodo a comfortable cushion to work with.
The offensive run started around the midpoint of the season and has continued through the playoffs. The power surge has included a run of homers from several different players.
Luke Bole and Zac Waddell both homered in the sweep of Gardendale last week, but there have been plenty of other players adding to the long-ball party, including Garrett Turrentine, Zac Bodley, Tony Weaver and Will Chappell.
Hartselle’s lineup is loaded with hitters in all nine spots in the order. Almost every starter is hitting over .300 this season.
The Tigers put a tremendous amount of work on the offensive side of the game, often hitting up to three hours a day.
Two wins this week would put the Tigers right in the hunt for a state championship.
And that’s been the mission since day one.
Sports editor Todd Thompson can be reached at 773-6566 or by email at todd.thompson@hartselleenquirer.com