Hardin County Tigers win three of four in Courier Classic

The Hardin County Tigers had another successful season in the Courier Diamond Classic last week. The Tigers had finished the tournament as champions in each of the last two years before losing to Lawrence County in this year’s title game. The Tigers also picked up wins over Wayne County, Loretto, and Adamsville in Classic play.

The Tigers are now 6-4 on the season.

Tigers 8, Adamsville 6

Adamsville took an early lead against Hardin County with three runs in the opening inning. Hardin County got one back with a Cade Smith RBI double in the fourth inning, but Adamsville got the run back in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 advantage.

The Tigers plated seven runs in the bottom of the fifth to take their first lead of the game at 8-4. The big fifth inning was started by back-to-back doubles from David Morton and Mason Tidwell. The Tigers then took advantage of four Cardinal errors in the inning. Walker Vaughn picked up a RBI on a bases-loaded walk to help the Tigers.

Adamsville scored two runs in the sixth inning to cut the lead to 8-6 but couldn’t get any closer. Joe Greer did not allow a baserunner in the seventh as he struck out two of the three that he faced in the inning. Justin Daniel (1-0) was the winning pitcher for the Tigers. Daniel pitched the first five innings for the Tigers in the game.

Tigers 11, Loretto 4 (Semifinals)

Hardin County scored at least one run in each of the seven innings as they defeated Loretto to get to the championship game. The Tigers held a 10-0 lead before Loretto scored four runs in the final two innings. Mason Tidwell was the leader at the plate by going 4-for-5. Tidwell scored three runs and also hit a 3-run home run in the second inning. Jordan Lambert and Joe Greer each picked up two hits in the game. Lambert and Dakota Lowe each picked up two RBIs.

Lowe (1-1) was the winning pitcher for Hardin County. He didn’t allow a run in five innings of work.

Tigers 6, Wayne County 1 (Quarterfinals)

Wayne County scored the first run of the game in the opening inning, but it would be the only run of the game for the Wildcats. Hardin County scored single runs in the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead. They added four runs in the fifth and sixth combined to set the final score at 6-1.

The Tigers used the long ball to pick up the win against Wayne County with three home runs. Justin Daniel, Dakota Lowe, and Barker Burnham each had a solo home run. Daniel and Lowe each had a pair of hits. Michael Davis helped out by going 3-for-4 at the plate.