February 25, 2024 Georgia Highlands baseball won a day-night doubleheader at home on Saturday with an afternoon 8-2 win over Wabash Valley College and an evening 13-3 victory over Chattahoochee Valley CC. Six pitchers worked for the Chargers' win over Wabash Valley. Andrew Arnold (2 IP, 1ER, 1H, 3BB, 2K) was credited with his second win in relief of starter Chandler Anderson (1.1 IP, 2ER, 3H, 2BB, 2K). Brodie Chestnutt (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 1K), Declan Dun (2 BF, 1BB), Reece Robertson (0.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1K), and Logan Spivey (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 2K, SV) all contributed. Luke Orfi (solo HR), Davis Newman (triple, RBI), and Ryan Wideman had two hits each for Georgia Highlands. Grayson Godbee (RBI), Ali Banks, and Will Cawthon added one hit. Trevor Lovett had one RBI with a sacrifice fly. In the five-inning win over Chattahoochee Valley, the Chargers peppered the Pirates with 13 hits. Wideman had three hits including a homer, a double, and five RBIs. Luke Orfi also had three hits including one double. Godbee (homer, three RBIs) and Newman (two doubles, one RBI) followed with two hits each. Clay Wiesen (RBI), Tyler Phillips, and Lovett added one hit apiece. Michael Sharman (2-1) tossed all five innings for GHC. He yielded a pair of earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 12 of the 24 batters he faced. The Chargers (16-2) host a doubleheader Tuesday at 1 p.m. with Roane State CC and will play a four-game home series with USC Salkehatchie on Friday and Saturday.

February 25, 2024 Georgia Highlands softball lost both games of a doubleheader Saturday at Cleveland State CC, 6-1 and 5-3. The host Lady Cougars scored five runs in the first inning of Game 1 and kept the Chargers off the scoreboard until the final frame. Hayden Joyner  (5 IP, 6R, 2ER, 5H, 0BB, 1K) made the start in the circle in Game 1 and was tagged with the pitching loss. Jaycie Hand worked a three-up, three-down sixth inning for GHC. Chloe Fowler had three hits including a double. Cailey Barnett produced two hits. Haylee Dishmon and Ally Graden added one hit each. The Chargers led 2-0 through 3-½ innings in Game 2 but the Cougars scored two runs in the fourth inning to tie. Georgia Highlands went back ahead with a run in the top of the sixth before Cleveland State answered with a three-run sixth to finish off a 5-3 win. Grace Kendrick (5 IP, 2ER, 6H, 0BB, 3K) made the pitching start for the Lady Chargers. Hand (1 IP, 3ER, 4H) was charged with the loss. Aliza Martinez led the GHC offense with three hits. Dishmon finished with two hits including a first-inning, solo home run. Avery Fisher contributed two hits, while Raegan Ford (two RBIs) and Fowler added one. With Saturday’s sweep, Cleveland State improved to 10-0. Georgia Highlands (3-14) travels to Sumiton, Ala. on Saturday for a doubleheader at Bevil State CC.

February 24, 2024 Caleb Daniel and Cameron Cochran combined for five hits and five RBIs Saturday while Sawyer Wilson gave the No. 1-ranked Canes a strong five-inning start in a 9-2 win over Ringgold. The victory gives the Purple Hurricanes, who regularly play a challenging non-region schedule, their first 6-0 start since 1999. Wilson (5 IP, 2R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 6K) scattered four hits and a walk to earn the pitching victory. Nate Russell (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 5K) closed out the final two frames on the bump. Daniel was 3-for-4 at the plate including a double and one RBI. Cochran was 2-for-4 including a double and three RBIs. Luke Miller and Landon Cole (RBI) also had two hits for the Canes. Andrew Purdy (RBI), Charlie Rothschild (RBI), and Nolan Elrod (double, RBI) added one hit each. Ringgold falls to 3-3 on the season with their loss. Cartersville (6-0) will play four games on Thursday through Saturday at the Hoover, Alabama Perfect Game High School Showdown. The schedule has not yet been released.

February 24, 2024 The Adairsville Tigers completed a doubleheader sweep of the Darlington Tigers Saturday afternoon at Adairsville. Adairsville won 12-2 in six innings and 16-3 in five innings. Jack Nelson (5 IP, 2R, 0ER, 1H, 4BB, 9K) and Hudson Parr (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 2K) combined on a two-hitter in the 12-2 victory. The pitching duo combined for 11 strikeouts. Ryan Farr (two RBIs), Hayden Blalock (RBI), E Elrod, and Nelson each contributed two hits. Jarrett Scott (double, RBI), Landon O’Neal (two RBIs), Peyton Bowen (RBI), PJ Weeks (two RBIs), and Braxton Ryan (RBI) added one hit each. Adairsville’s 16-3 victory was similar with McCayden Hufstetler (4 IP, 2ER, 0H, 3BB, 5K) and Kaiden Coker (1 IP, 1ER, 0H) combining on the mound to toss a no-hitter. Nelson had three hits and one RBI. Parr (three RBIs) and Elrod (three RBIs) followed with two hits each. Bryson Chatman (RBI), Cole (two RBIs), Ryan (RBI), and Blalock (RBI) added one hit apiece. With the two losses on Saturday, Darlington falls to 1-5. Adairsville (3-1) plays at Cass on Monday and hosts the Colonels on Thursday in a home-and-home series. Both games are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. starts.

February 24, 2024 The Georgia Highlands College softball team snapped a 12-game losing skid Friday by earning a split in the second game of a home doubleheader with USC Union. The Lady Chargers, who dropped the first game 8-5, blasted the Lady Bantams in Game 2, 11-2, in five innings. Grace Kendrick worked all five innings in the circle to pick up her third pitching win for the Lady Chargers. Kendrick allowed two earned runs on six hits and no walks while striking out two. Meanwhile, the GHC bats produced a dozen hits. Ally Graden (HR, four RBIs), Aliza Martinez (two RBIs), Chloe Fowler (two RBIs), Haylee Dishmon (double, RBI), and Avrey Fisher (triple, RBI) all had two hits. Cailey Barnett (double, RBI) and Raegan Ford (double) added one hit apiece. In Friday’s loss, USC Union hit a pair of home runs and scored seven times in the second inning to take control early. The Lady Bantams outhit GHC, 14 to 10. Hayden Joyner (5 IP, 8R, 4ER, 10H, 1BB, 5K) suffered the pitching loss for the Chargers. Kendrick (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 2K) also worked in the circle in Game 1. Graden (RBI) and Barnett (RBI) had two hits each. Ford (two RBIs), Fisher (RBI), Dishmon, Joyner, Martinez, and Cayden Warren added one hit for GHC. The Lady Chargers (3-12) play a doubleheader at Cleveland State CC (Tenn.) on Saturday starting at noon.

February 24, 2024 Georgia Highlands baseball won the first two games of a home, four-game weekend set on Friday by beating Chattahoochee Valley CC 4-2 and Wabash Valley College 4-3. The Chargers will play those same two teams again on Saturday — facing Wabash at noon and Chattahoochee Valley at 6 p.m. Pitchers Oliver Wood and Hunter Ward kept Chattahoochee Valley (4-9) off-stride most of the day in the Chargers’ Friday opener. Wood (5.1 IP, 2R, 1ER, 2H, 1BB, 7K) pitched into the sixth inning and gave up just one earned run while striking out seven to collect the win. Ward retired the final five outs allowing just one walk. Ward struck out two to pick up his second save of the season. The Pirates and Chargers traded early runs and were tied 2-2 after two innings. Georgia Highlands moved ahead in the bottom of the third on Grayson Godbee’s solo home run and added an insurance run in the sixth on Tyler Phillips’ RBI single. Clay Wiesen (double, RBI), Barrett Eldridge, and Trevor Lovett (RBI) had two hits each for the Chargers. Ali Banks added a triple in GHC’s nine-hit attack. Solid pitching again carried the Chargers in their nightcap win over Wabash Valley, 4-3. Andrew Arnold (2 IP, 1ER, 1H, 3BB, 2K) was credited with the win in relief of starter Chandler Anderson (1.1 IP, 2ER, 3H, 2BB, 2K). Brodie Chestnutt (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 1K), Declan Dun (2 BF, 1BB), and Reece Robertson (0.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1K) set up Logan Spivey’s second save of the season. Spivey walked one and struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning. The Warriors (8-8) posted a pair of first-inning runs to take an early lead but the Chargers answered by scoring a single run in the bottom of the first, two in the second, and one more in the third the gain a 4-2 advantage. Wabash added a solo home run in the top of the fourth but that would be all of the scoring. Davis Newman (double, RBI), Ryan Wideman (triple), and Luke Orfi (solo HR) had two hits each for GHC. Banks and Will Cawthon added one hit each and Trevor Lovett drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

Friday, February 23 The Adairsville Tigers scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday night to walk off with a 5-4 win over White County. Trailing 4-2 heading into their final frame, H Cole was hit by a pitch with one out for the Tigers' first base runner. Peyton Bowen followed with a double into left field to put the tying runs in scoring position. While Jack Nelson was at the plate, Cole scored on a wild pitch making the score 4-3. Nelson then doubled to drive in Bowen and — following an intentional walk to Jarrett Scott — Ryan Farr singled home the game-winning run with two outs. Scott (1.2 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 3K) collected the pitching win for Adairsville in relief of starter Farr (4 IP, 2ER, 3H, 6BB, 7K) and middle reliever Dawson Craig (1.1 IP, 2ER, 3H). Farr (RBI) and Bowen finished with two hits each. Nelson (RBI), Scott, Hayden Blalock, and Easton Elrod added one hit each. The loss drops White County to 5-2 on the season. Adairsville (1-1) hosts Darlington on Saturday for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.

February 23, 2024 Ansley Griffin scored 29 points, including all nine of the Lady Canes’ points in overtime Friday night, as Cartersville won at 3rd-ranked Jefferson in the Class 5A state tournament’s second round, 66-64. The Lady Canes led much of the way, but a furious rally by the host Dragons in the fourth quarter sent the game into a four-minute overtime period tied at 57-all. Cartersville led 12-10 after one quarter and held a 30-20 advantage at halftime. Griffin scored 16 of her points in the first half. The Dragons kept the Lady Canes’ guard scoreless in the third period and narrowed their deficit to 43-38 heading into the final eight minutes of regulation. KK Arnold, Nayel Camper, and Senai Camper each made crucial three-pointers in the fourth quarter for Cartersville, and Griffin added another bucket and a pair of free throws. In the extra session, Griffin knocked down a pair of threes and made three of four free throws, while Jefferson got five points from Skyler Brady and two from Anni Aldridge. Brady led the Dragons with 15 total points. Emeri Billings followed with 14. Delaney Dewitt scored 12, and Karlee Law added 10 for Jefferson. In addition to Griffin’s 29 points, she had five rebounds and one steal. Arnold finished with 12 points, five assists, and three steals. Nayel Camper contributed 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Senai Camper and Taff Bradley tossed in six points each. Zoie Shiflett and Jayda Cothran added two and one, respectively. The Dragons have their season end with a 25-4 record. "The girls fought so hard," said an ecstatic Lady Canes' coach Karisma Boykin. "They fought the entire way! I am one proud coach." Cartersville (17-12) advances to the Class 5A Elite Eight next Tuesday. The Lady Canes will travel to Harris County (25-3). The Lady Tigers, ranked No. 10 in Class 5A, outlasted Bradwell Institute in the second round Friday night, 50-48.

February 23, 2024 The Woodland Wildcats boys soccer team took care of business on Friday night on their home pitch defeating Paulding County, 10-0. Chris Sanchez opened the scoring for Woodland on a Chris Sanchez header off a precise cross from Joel Alberto in the game’s first minute. Sanchez struck again in the 7th minute off an assist from Juan Pineda.  Just one minute later, David Silva found the net off a slick pass from Sanchez to give Woodland a fast 3-0 lead. Sanchez added his third and fourth goals of the night in the 15th and 16th minute—the first of those off an assist by Saul Ortega and the next off a pass from Pineda. Milo Gonzalez scored off a set piece in the 21st minute — assisted by Juan Mendoza — and the first-half scoring concluded with goals by Joel Alberto and Deiby Sanchez in the 37th and 39th minutes, respectively. The final two goals of the half were off Silva's assists. Following the intermission, Alberto scored in the 43rd minute on a free kick and Alberto sealed the deal with a goal in the 48th minute to invoke the 10-0 mercy rule. Goalkeeper Miguel Pineda had two saves to preserve the shutout. Woodland (3-0) hosts Rockmart on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

February 23, 2024 The Cass Colonels let a 3-0 lead slip away Thursday night and lost to Hebron Christian 7-3 in both teams’ final game at the Pickens Mountain Classic in Jasper. Cass led 3-0 through four innings and 3-2 heading to the sixth. The Lions posted a run in the sixth to tie the score 3-3 and took advantage of five walks, a hit batsmen, and an error to score four times in the seventh for their winning margin. Justin Peace (1.1 IP, 5R, 3ER, 1H, 5BB, 4K) suffered the pitching loss for the Colonels in relief of starter Cayden Roberts (5 IP, 2R, 0ER, 2H, 2BB, 3K). Israel Contreras (0.2 IP) had one strikeout and allowed no runs in the seventh. Nic Wright had two hits for Cass with one RBI. Jesiel Moctezuma and Hunter Lovett added one hit each. Hebron Christian improved to 3-5 on the season with their win. Cass (3-3) hosts Adairsville on Monday at 5:30 p.m. and Central-Carroll on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The Colonels will play at Adairsville on Thursday with first pitch slated for 5:30 p.m.

February 22, 2024 The Hurricanes, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, pushed across a single run in the bottom of the third and a quartet of pitchers made it stand up in a 1-0 home win over Etowah on Thursday afternoon. The Eagles, ranked No. 1 in Class 6A, were shut out for the first time this season and handed their first loss. Luke Miller walked to begin the Canes’ third inning and stole second base. Caleb Daniel singled to advance Miller to third base and he later scored on a passed ball. It was the only run Cartersville would need. Ryan Johnson (5 IP, 0R, 1H, 3BB, 9K) made the pitching start and was credited with the win. Nicholas Hruby (0.1 IP, 0H, 1BB), Logan Shrewsbury (0.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB), and Andrew Purdy (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 2K) wrapped up the final two frames. Purdy earned a save. Daniel, Purdy, and Landon Cole had one hit each for Cartersville. Etowah drops to 4-1 on the season. Cartersville (5-0) hosts Ringgold on Saturday at noon.

February 22, 2024 The Woodland Wildcats lost a true pitchers’ duel Thursday afternoon at the Pickens High School Mountain Classic, falling 1-0 to the Franklin County Lions. Austin Daves of Woodland and Caden Cawthon of Franklin County both tossed complete game gems, but it was Cowthon who received the single run of support. The game was a scoreless battle until the Lions pushed across a run in the bottom of the sixth on an infield error and an RBI single. Connor Stermer, Jake Clowers, and Cam Williams had the only Woodland hits. Daves worked all six innings on the mound for the Wildcats. He allowed just one unearned run on two hits and two walks while striking out five. Franklin’s Cawthon pitched all seven innings scattering three hits with no walks and three strikeouts. The Lions improved to 5-0. Woodland (3-3) plays at Southeast Whitfield on Monday.