Hartville season ends one game shy of Final Four

Hartville’s baseball team finished just one game away from the Class 2 Final Four last week after falling to a now 23-5 Miller Cardinals team in the state quarterfinals.
In the postseason contest played at West Plains, Miller scored at least one run in four different innings for a 5-1 victory.
The Eagles’ offense had several hard hit balls that ended up finding their way to the Cardinals’ gloves.
In a two inning span, they left runners stranded on base after three hard hit balls led to fielder’s choice outs at second base.
Miller took a 2-0 lead in their first at-bat after a long two-RBI double. Hunter Walker then snagged a liner at his short stop position and doubled up a man at second base for a big double play.
Pitcher Truett Coryell struck out the Cardinals’ batter looking to end the early threat.
Gus Sinning’s RBI double in the top of the third inning scored Coryell for the Eagles’ only run.
Miller added one more run in the bottom half of the third, fifth and sixth innings to seal the win.
“I think the boys were definitely ready to play,” said Hartville head coach Bradey Welsh. “We just got outplayed. They did the little stuff right and we didn’t.”
On the mound, Coryell tossed five innings and gave up three earned runs on four hits with nine strikeouts and six walks.
“Truett did great,” Coach Welsh noted.
“He stepped up in a big game. I couldn’t ask for any more out of him.”
Brodyn Hulsey tossed one inning and gave up just one hit and one walk while striking out two.
Coach Welsh noted that he was also proud of Hulsey for his stint on the mound late in the contest.
With just one graduating senior in Gavin Stigall, the young Eagles gained a lot of valuable experience with this year’s postseason run.
“This should light a fire under them,” Coach Welsh noted.
In the Class 2 state sectionals also played in West Plains on the Zizzers’ home diamond, the Eagles drew Summit Conference rival Gainesville.
In the first inning, Hulsey’s bases-loaded walk scored Stigall for what would end up being the only run scored in the game as Hartville knocked off the Bulldogs, 1-0.
Gus Sinning tossed a complete game gem as he gave up no earned runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts and two walks.
“We rely on Gus and he did what he did, but this really was a team effort,” Coach Welsh noted about the state sectionals win over Gainesville.
The Eagles’ baseball team finished their season with a 15-10 overall record and were winners of five of the final six games.