Cole Griffin picked his moment. With Hartselle needing production against a scrappy Buckhorn squad, the Tigers' hitter delivered the kind of performance that gets replayed in team highlight reels for years.

Griffin went 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run and four RBIs, powering Hartselle to a 5-3 victory over Buckhorn on Friday night, according to the Decatur Daily. It was the sort of offensive clinic that can shift momentum heading into the critical final weeks of the Alabama high school baseball season.

The game stayed tight throughout, with Buckhorn refusing to fold despite Griffin's heroics. The three-run margin suggests a competitive contest where every at-bat mattered — the kind of baseball that prepares teams for postseason pressure.

For Hartselle, Griffin's performance represents more than just one player having a good night. When a hitter can account for four of a team's five runs, it changes how opposing pitchers approach the entire lineup. That kind of threat creates opportunities up and down the batting order.

The Tigers will look to build on this momentum as the regular season winds down and playoff positioning becomes clearer. Meanwhile, Buckhorn showed enough fight in the loss to suggest they'll be a tough out for anyone they face down the stretch.

Sometimes high school baseball comes down to who steps up when it matters most. On Friday night in Hartselle, Cole Griffin made sure there was no question about the answer.