Cullman coach Brent Patterson hugs Nicholas Braswell.

HARTSELLE — Cooper Beck came through in the clutch with a two-run homer, Brennen Norton escaped a bases-loaded jam, and Cullman outlasted Hartselle 10-8 in eight innings on Thursday to take home the Class 6A, Area 14 championship.

The Bearcats (18-11) held an 8-1 lead entering the seventh inning, but the homestanding Tigers plated seven runs — Drew Nix tied things up with a two-out, two-run homer — to send the clash into extras with momentum firmly in their corner.

Beck quickly seized it back for Cullman.

The second baseman followed Niklas Fondren’s one-out single with a no-doubt-about-it shot over the right-field fence to put the Bearcats back in front by two.

Hartselle, though, didn’t go away quietly.

The first two Tigers reached base in the bottom half of the eighth before coach Brent Patterson made the call to the bullpen.

Then, it was Norton’s time to shine.

He sandwiched two strikeouts around a walk before retiring the side and sealing the deal by coaxing a groundout to third baseman Peyton Colvard.

Crisis averted. Celebration mode engaged.

“You know, they had a few hits, but we just kept competing,” Beck said. “We trust our guys to throw strikes, and I’m just blessed to be in a position to be able to do that (hit a home run). Now we’re getting to host in the first round. It doesn’t get any better than that.

“When the game was over, I just thought about the victory. Coach P preaches to us every day, ‘Don’t give up.’ And it makes it so much sweeter against your arch-rival Hartselle.”

Norton, meanwhile, was as relieved as anyone when the final out was recorded.

“The last one took a bad hop, and I was kind of scared for a second,” he said. “But I was like, ‘Those are my infielders, and I believe in them.’ And we got ’em out. We’ve worked for this since the beginning of school. I’m just glad to be on this team.”

Dylon Wallace also homered for Cullman in a two-hit, four-RBI performance.

Fondren added two hits of his own, while Beck (two RBIs), Nicholas Braswell (RBI), Ben Hollis (RBI), Brady Patterson (RBI), Norton and Colvard provided one apiece.

Cullman will host Albertville in the first round of the 6A playoffs next week.

The Bearcats are in the postseason for the 19th straight year.

See more local roundup below:

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Cold Springs 3, West End 0 (Baseball)

— Logan Rice: two hits, one RBI

— Brodee Bartlett: two hits

— Lawson Burgess: one hit, two RBIs

— Jake Abbott: 7 IP, 5 H

*Eagles secured a spot in the Class 2A playoffs

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Oneonta 3, Fairview 1 (Baseball)

— Dalton Payne: two hits, one RBI

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Ashville 5, Good Hope 2 (Baseball)

— Preston Bagwell: two hits

— Lane Speegle: one hit, two RBIs

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Russellville 5, West Point 3 (Baseball)

— Levi Farley: three hits, one RBI

— Aubry Cleghorn: two hits, one RBI

— Whitt Laney: two hits

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West Point 5, Russellville 4 (Baseball)

— Rylan Jones: three hits (HR), two RBIs

— Hunter Persall: one hit, one RBI

— Eli Folds: one hit, one RBI

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Fairview 1, Danville 0 (Boys Soccer)

— A.B. Diaz: one goal

— Mason Roberts: shutout

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Fairview 7, Danville 0 (Girls Soccer)

— Emma Gardner: three goals

— Greta Bishop: two goals

— Sydney Babb: two goals

— Addie Eddleman: shutout

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Addison 8, Winston County 2 (Softball)

— Sam Brannon: two hits, three RBIs

— Destiny Walker: two hits, two RBIs

— Anna Grace Luker: one hit, one RBI

— Madison Aderholt: one hit, one RBI

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Hazel Green 7, Cullman 1 (Softball)

— Alex Stansell: one hit, one RBI

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Other Scores

Baseball

Oneonta 14, Fairview 1

J.B. Pennington 14, Holly Pond 0

Lindsay Lane 19, St. Bernard 0

Lindsay Lake 20, St. Bernard 0

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Soccer (Boys)

Collinsville 10, Holly Pond 0

Guntersville 11, West Point 1

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Soccer (Girls)

Collinsville 10, Holly Pond 0

Guntersville 11, West Point 1