By Michael A. Cummings
michaelc@cullmantimes.com
May 07, 2008 12:12 am
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Remember the last time Cullman and Hartselle hooked up on the diamond?
Believe it or not, it was back on April 8, and the Bearcats came from behind to hand the Tigers a 7-5 loss that handed Cullman first place in the Class 5A, Area 13 standings.
And that’s why this weekend all of us — and about half the city of Hartselle — will be over at Bill Shelton Field. That win, and the 14-0 one Cullman recorded over Hartselle in March, ensured the Bearcats would have home field advantage in the event of a semifinal showdown with the Tigers.
Remember all that from way back in April? Before three rounds of grueling best-of-three series? No? Neither did I.
But guess who does.
When the Bearcats and Tigers meet on Friday, it will have been just over one month since Hartselle lost a baseball game. That’s right, the last team to beat coach Booth’s team plays right here in Cullman.
Since then, the No. 7 Tigers have swept playoff series from Southside-Gadsden, Gardendale and No. 8 Russellville. And a lot of those games weren’t even close.
With all that winning, you can believe the Tigers and their fans will be fired up come Friday. And they’ll surely show up in large numbers.
That’s why, ever since Cullman finally put Athens away Saturday, Bryan Bowen has been talking about bringing out the crowd. The Bearcats, he reasoned, don’t just represent themselves. They represent the whole school and even the entire city.
With that in mind, Bowen’s been quite frank in telling the press how much his team needs the fans.
But the only way for Cullman fans to be able to cheer on their team is to show up early. Whenever the Bearcats and Tigers play, Bowen said, it’s always one of the biggest gates of the year. And many of those in the stands are early birds from up I-65.
So it seems to me that Bowen is right. Come early. Bring your friends. It’s going to be a spectacle.
Maybe you’ll be able to help Hartselle remember what it feels like to lose.
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