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Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa baseball defeats Hartselle and claims the AHSAA Class 6A Championship

JACKSONVILLE — In the final AHSAA championship game of the week, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa defeated Hartselle 7-6 in Game 3 of the Class 6A state championship Friday afternoon.

This is the fourth state championship for Hillcrest and its first since 2016.

More: Hartselle baseball takes Game 2 vs Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa, one win from state title victory

More: Weather causes schedule changes to AHSAA softball and baseball finals: See updated schedule here

Hartselle took an early 3-1 lead in the second inning. The momentum changed immediately after a grand slam from Hillcrest’s Jackson Henderson.

After Hillcrest's four runs in the fifth, Hartselle’s Cam Palahach smacked a single that scored two runs, making it a one score game. A Crisler Wit RBI in the sixth tied the contest up heading into the final inning.

Henderson hit a deep single to put Hillcrest in scoring position in the seventh. Brooks Tunnell's sacrifice fly sent a runner home to give Hilcrest a 7-6 lead. Patriots pitching allowed one hit from Hartselle to close out the game. Henderson was named the Class 6A tournament MVP.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa baseball wins fourth state title beating Hartselle