Georgia Highlands baseball split a doubleheader at South Georgia State Saturday afternoon to salvage one game in this past week’s four-game series with the Hawks. South Georgia won 5-3 at GHC on Tuesday and defeated the Chargers 6-3 Friday night in Douglas. Saturday, the Hawks won the first game of a doubleheader 2-0 on the complete-game pitching effort of Bradley Wilson (7 IP, 0R, 3H, 2BB, 4K). Jay Murdock was 3-for-3 in the loss for the Chargers and had the only GHC hits. The Chargers flipped the tables in Game 2 with pitchers Zach Valentine (4 IP, 0R, 4H, 2BB, 4K), Skyler Thellman (2 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB, 3K), and Chandler Anderson (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1K) combining to blank the Hawks. Georgia Highlands scored six runs in the first two innings for an early lead and added an insurance run in the seventh on Adam Love’s solo home run. Mitchell Walker had three hits for the Chargers. Love (RBI) and Jay Murdock (2 RBIs) followed with two hits each. Zayd Brannigan contributed a double with one RBI. Ryan Wideman (sac fly, 3 RBIs), CJ Blackwell, and Nic Ferrer added one hit each as GHC outhit the Hawks eleven to six. South Georgia (28-18, 11-5) continues to lead the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association standings. Georgia Highlands (27-17, 7-9) has a four-game series with Andrew College beginning Tuesday with a single game in Cuthbert. The two teams will then complete the series at GHC with a single game Friday at 5 p.m. and a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

Georgia Highlands softball lost both games of a home doubleheader Saturday with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, falling 4-0 and 14-5. ABAC led the opening game 1-0 through four innings before taking control with two runs in the fifth and an insurance run in the seventh. Fillies’ pitcher Karis Smith completed the shutout with a seven-inning shutout that included five strikeouts with no walks. In the second game, ABAC held a 4-1 lead heading into the fifth inning when the Fillies broke it open with a 10-run inning. ABAC moved into first place in the GCAA with their two wins Saturday. The Fillies, who have played two more conference games, hold a one-game lead over Georgia Military College. Both teams have two conference losses. On Saturday, Georgia Highlands utilized three different pitchers during the two games. Jaycie Hand (6.1 IP, 5R, 1ER, 8H, 1BB) was the starter in the circle and took the first game loss. She also retired one out in the second game. Rena Fraga (1.1 IP, 3ER, 4H, 1K) was the pitcher of record in the second game. Emma Veitch (4.1 IP, 10R, 2ER, 6H, 2BB, 4K) also pitched in Game 2. Madison Dennis totaled three hits including one double with one RBI during the two games. Abigail Lathrop (RBI), Avery Fisher (double, RBI), and Allison Deweese (double, RBI) had two hits on the day. Brady Tharp (double), Audrey Johnson (double, RBI), and Annsley Todd had the other Chargers’ base hits. ABAC improved to 20-14 overall and 12-2 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. Georgia Highlands (16-24, 8-8) returns to action Tuesday in a conference doubleheader at East Georgia State.

The 2023 local high school baseball schedule is down to its final week of the GHSA regular season with all four teams in playoff contention in their respective regions. The top four teams from each region will advance to the state playoffs. Below are the current standings for Region 6-AAA and Region 7-AAAAA including the final week’s schedule. In Region 6-AAA, Adairsville can secure a state playoff berth by winning one of two games next week with Bremen. Adairsville could potentially catch Gordon Lee for second place by winning both games with Bremen. Gordon Lee has a home-and-home series with region-leading Ringgold while Adairsville plays a home-and-home with Bremen. Bremen could catch Adairsville with a two-game sweep and would hold a head-to-head tie-breaker with the Tigers. REGION 6-AAA REGION ALL Ringgold ... 11-0 ... 21-5 Gordon Lee ... 10-2 ... 18-6 Adairsville ... 8-4 ... 14-10 Lakeview-FO ... 7-5 ... 15-11 Bremen ... 6-6 ... 15-9 Coahulla Creek ... 5-7 ... 12-12 LaFayette ... 0-11 ... 7-18 Ridgeland ... 0-12 ... 2-17 The final week of the regular season: Tuesday - Gordon Lee at Ringgold; LaFayette at Ridgeland; Coahulla Creek at LFO; Bremen at Adairsville Thursday - Ringgold at Gordon Lee; Ridgeland at LaFayette; LFO at Coahulla Creek; Adairsville at Bremen In Region 7-AAAAA, Cartersville clinched the program's 28th region championship last week during the three-game series of Cass. Woodland also secured a first-round state playoff series by sweeping three games from Calhoun. Cass is in a battle for the third or fourth seed with Calhoun and Dalton. One of those three teams will miss the state playoffs. Calhoun holds a tie-breaker advantage over Cass and the Colonels won two of three games earlier this season in their series with Dalton. REGION 7-AAAAA REGION ALL Cartersville ... 12-0 ... 24-2 Woodland ... 9-3 ... 15-12 Calhoun ... 6-6 ... 9-17 Cass ... 5-7 ... 10-15 Dalton ... 4-8 ... 7-16 Hiram ... 0-12 ... 4-18 The final week of the regular season: Monday - Calhoun at Dalton (DH); Hiram at Cartersville (DH); Woodland at Cass (DH) Tuesday - Dalton at Calhoun; Cartersville at Hiram; Cass at Woodland

The losing streak for the Georgia Highlands reached six games Friday night as the Chargers dropped a 6-3 decision at South Georgia State CC. The Hawks won the four-game series opener Tuesday at GHC, 5-3. South Georgia led 3-1 at the end of the first inning and that lead held through the end of the fifth. In the sixth inning, both teams posted two runs and the Hawks added an insurance run in the seventh inning. Oliver Wood (6 IP, 5R, 2ER, 6H, 0BB, 6K) made the pitching start for Georgia Highlands and was tagged with the loss. Cason Rich (2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 2BB, 1K) retired the final six outs on the bump for the Chargers. Hudson Sapp and Ryan Wideman had two hits each for the GHC offense. CJ Blackwell, Jay Murdock, Nic Ferrer, and Walker (2r-HR) added one hit each. Parker Poteet was credited with one RBI. South Georgia State (27-17, 10-4) will host Georgia Highlands (26-16, 6-8) Saturday in a doubleheader to conclude the week-long series.

The Adairsville Tigers completed an important two-game region sweep of Coahulla Creek in Whitfield County Friday night with a 6-1 road victory. The Tigers and Colts battled scoreless through the first three innings before Adairsville’s Peyton Bowen gave his team the lead with a two-run homer to left field in the top of the fourth. Coahulla Creek cut the margin in half with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Then the Tigers’ Chris Roper hit a grand slam home run in the top of the seventh inning for a 6-1 final. Jack Nelson collected the pitching win for Adairsville with a complete game. He scattered seven hits, two walks, and four hit batsmen to allow just one earned run. Jarrett Scott was the only Tiger with two hits. One was a double. Evan Sanders, Landon O’Neal (double), and Easton Elrod had one hit each to go with the two Adairsville home runs. The Colts fall to 12-12 on the season and 5-7 in Region 6-AAA. The Tigers (14-10, 8-4) can secure a state playoff berth by winning one of two games next week with Bremen. Adairsville could potentially catch Gordon Lee for second place by winning both games with Bremen. Gordon Lee has a home-and-home series with region-leading Ringgold next week. The Tigers host the Blue Devils Tuesday at 5:55 p.m. and are scheduled to visit Bremen Thursday for a 5:55 p.m. start.

Woodland and Cartersville closed out three-game region sweeps of Calhoun and Cass Thursday night while Adairsville won the first game of a home-and-home region series with Coahulla Creek. WOODLAND 3, CALHOUN 2 Host Calhoun scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning Thursday evening to take an early lead, but the Wildcats posted single runs in the third, fourth, and sixth innings to win 3-2 and complete a three-game series sweep of the Yellow Jackets. Two Wildcats’ hurlers combined on a one-hitter and gave up only two, unearned runs. Hunter Shirley (5 IP, 2R, 0ER, 1H, 5BB, 10K) struck out ten in five innings to earn the pitching victory. Zach Lambert (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) retired the final six outs for a save. Five Wildcats — Chase Carson (double, RBI), Jakiyon Porter, Mason Williams, Julian Wright, and Connor Stermer — contributed one hit each. The loss drops Calhoun to 9-16 on the season and 6-6 in Region 7-5A. Woodland (15-12, 9-3) plays a doubleheader starting at 5 p.m. at Cass Monday and will host the Colonels Tuesday to complete regular season play. CARTERSVILLE 3, CASS 1 Cass had the potential tying runs on base with one out in the bottom of the seventh Thursday night, but Cartersville relief pitcher Phillip Schiltz came in and struck out the only two batters he faced to preserve the Canes’ 3-1 win. The Cartersville victory also completed a three-game series sweep and kept the No. 1-ranked Hurricanes unbeaten in region play. Additionally, the win locked up the Region 7-5A title for Cartersville. The Canes' 28th region championship in program history. Canes’ starting pitcher Ryan Johnson allowed just one, unearned run in 6-⅓ innings of work. He scattered four hits and one walk while striking out eleven. Luke Miller, Miles Owen, and Isaac McNair-Seigler had two hits each to pace the Cartersville offense. Harrison Childers (RBI), Kaden Stephenson (RBI), and Caleb Daniel added one hit each for the Canes. Landon Cole contributed one RBI with a sac fly. Carson Hill had two hits for Cass. Wesley Collins (double) and Nic Wright added one hit apiece for the Colonels. Connor Jenkins had one RBI with a sacrifice fly. Devan Hutchinson (2 IP, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 2K) was tagged with the pitching loss for Cass in relief of starter Trenton Payne (5 IP, 1ER, 5H, 2BB, 2K). Cartersville (24-2, 12-0) will host Hiram in a region doubleheader Monday starting at 5 p.m. and wrap up regular season play Tuesday at Hiram. Cass (10-15, 5-7) hosts a region doubleheader with Woodland Monday starting at 5 p.m. and closes out regular season play Tuesday at Woodland at 5:55 p.m. ADAIRSVILLE 9, COAHULLA CREEK 5 The Adairsville Tigers scored one run or more in all but one offensive frame Thursday evening to beat the Coahulla Creek Colts, 9-5. Adairsville hit three home runs in the process. Dawson Craig (6.1 IP, 5R, 2ER, 7H, 3BB, 5K) started on the mound for the Tigers and earned the pitching win. Jarrett Scott (0.2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1K) took over in the seventh to retire the final two outs. Chris Roper homered, doubled, and drove in three runs. Evan Sanders contributed two hits including a solo home run and PJ Weeks also finished with two hits. Braxton Ryan (solo home run), Peyton Bowen (RBI), Hayden Blalock (RBI), Jack Nelson, Landon O’Neal, and Scott (RBI) added one hit each for Adairsville. The Tigers (13-10, 7-4 Region 6-AAA) travel to Coahulla Creek (12-11, 5-6) Friday to complete the two-game series.

The four local boys' soccer teams in the state playoffs all dropped their first round games Wednesday night. SANDY CREEK 3, ADAIRSVILLE 1 (Overtime) The Adairsville boys led 1-0 at halftime on a goal by JJ Grimaldo and carried that goal deep into the second half. The Tigers had multiple scoring opportunities in the half to add to their lead but, according to coach John Terrell, did not capitalize on open looks. The host Patriots scored an equalizer with about three minutes remaining in regulation to send the game into overtime. Sandy Creek scored twice in the overtime periods. This was the first-ever state playoff appearance for the Adairsville boys soccer program. “We return 10 of 11 starters next year,” noted Terrell. “We also have a big group moving up from the middle school so we expect to continue moving in the right direction next year.” Sandy Creek improved to 11-8 on the season and advances to host Hebron Christian in the second round next Tuesday. The Tigers’ season ends with a 7-9 mark. FLOWERY BRANCH 2, CARTERSVILLE 0 The Cartersville boys lost their first round state playoff game at Flowery Branch Wednesday night, 2-0. The Falcons (10-5-3), champions of Region 8-5A, advance to host Cambridge in the second round next Tuesday. The Hurricanes’ season ends with a 5-8-3 record. CLARKE CENTRAL 2, WOODLAND 0 The Woodland boys lost their first round state playoff game at Clarke Central Wednesday night, 2-0. The Gladiators (16-2), Region 8-5A runner-up, advance to play at Midtown in the second round next Tuesday. The Wildcats’ season ends with a 6-5-1 mark. LOGANVILLE 6, CASS 1 The Cass boys lost their first round state playoff game Wednesday night at Loganville, 6-1. The Red Devils (9-9), a three-seed from Region 8-5A, advance to the second round next Tuesday and will travel to Region 6-5A champion, Centennial. The Colonels’ season ends with an 8-8 record.

The Cartersville boys tennis team defeated Calhoun Wednesday in the Region 7-5A championship match to advance to next week's state playoffs as a No. 1 seed. The Canes will host Clarke Central in their first-round match which has been scheduled for Wednesday, April 19 at 4:30 p.m. at Dellinger Park. As the region's No. 2-seed, the Calhoun boys will host Loganville next week. In Wednesday's third place boys match, the Woodland boys lost to Dalton which will send the Wildcats to Region 8-5A champion Jefferson in the first round of the state tournament. In girls' action, Calhoun defeated Dalton to win the Region 7-5A title while Cartersville beat Cass to take third place. The Cartersville girls travel to the Region 8-5A runner-up, Jefferson, to start the state tournament. The match will be played Monday, April 17 at Jefferson Middle School at 4 p.m. The Cass girls will also play a first round road match next week at Region 8-5A champion, Loganville. GIRLS REGION TOURNAMENT RESULTS First round Cass defeated Hiram (Hiram eliminated) Cartersville defeated Woodland (Woodland eliminated) Semifinals Calhoun defeated Cass Dalton defeated Cartersville Wednesday Third Place Match: Cartersville defeated Cass Championship Match: Calhoun defeated Dalton State Tournament seeds: 1. Calhoun 2. Dalton. 3. Cartersville 4. Cass BOYS REGION TOURNAMENT RESULTS First round Dalton defeated Hiram (Hiram eliminated) Woodland defeated Cass (Cass eliminated) Semifinals Calhoun defeated Dalton Cartersville defeated Woodland Wednesday Third Place Match: Dalton defeated Woodland Championship Match: Cartersville defeated Calhoun State Tournament seed: 1. Cartersville 2. Calhoun 3. Dalton 4. Woodland

Georgia Highlands College softball hit 10 home runs in a doubleheader sweep at Andrew College Wednesday winning 14-4 and 12-8. In the opener, the Chargers scored 12 of their 14 total runs over the final three innings to pull away. In the second game, Georgia Highlands rallied for five runs over the final two innings to escape with a 12-8 win. GEORGIA HIGHLANDS 14, ANDREW COLLEGE 4 In Game One, the Chargers outhit the host Tigers 18 to six and did most of their damage late in the game for a 14-4 victory. Malone Aldridge led the Chargers' offense with three hits including a pair of doubles, one grand slam, and five RBIs. Audrey Johnson homered twice, doubled, and drove in three runs. Abigail Lathrop also had three hits including one double and one RBI. Madison Dennis hit a pair of home runs with three RBIs. Brady Tharp finished with two hits including one double and one RBI. Annsley Todd also contributed two hits. Jordan Blair (RBI), Avery Fisher, and Sydney Goddard each added one double. Jaycie Hand (7 IP, 4R, 3ER, 6H, 1BB, 1K) went all seven innings in the pitching circle to collect the victory. GEORGIA HIGHLANDS 12, ANDREW COLLEGE 8 The host Tigers scored seven runs early, but Georgia Highlands chipped away and came up big again late to complete Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep with a 12-8 win at Andrew College. Three Chargers pitchers combined to only allow a pair of earned runs. Rena Fraga (1 IP, 5R, 2ER, 4H), Emma Veitch (5 IP, 3R, 0ER, 4H, 2BB, 3K), and Jaycie Hand (1 IP, 0R, 0H) each spent time in the circle. Malone Aldridge led the offense again with three hits including one double, one home run, and two RBIs. Audrey Johnson hit two more home runs and had four RBIs. Avery Fisher had two hits including a solo home run and Brady Tharp also contributed two hits including a double. Allison Deweese homered. Madison Dennis and Annsley Todd both added one hit each. The two losses leave the Andrew College Lady Tigers at 5-39 overall and 0-14 in conference play. Georgia Highlands (16-22, 10-6 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) will host Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in another conference doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m.

Elite Stone Supply, in conjunction with WBHF and Bartow Sports Zone, presents the ELITE ATHLETES OF THE MONTH. Each month, local high schools are provided the opportunity to name an Elite Athlete of the Month from their varsity programs and present the information on their honoree through Bartow Sports Zone and on 100.3FM and AM1450, WBHF in Cartersville. Ansley Griffin is the Elite Athlete of the Month representing Cartersville High School for March 2023. A junior on the Lady Canes’ basketball team, Griffin was named All-Region 7-5A 2nd Team. She averaged 11.7 points per game and totaled 305 points this season making 43 percent of her two-point field goal attempts, 24 percent from behind the arc, and 72 percent from the free throw line. Griffin added 2.3 steals per game. “Ansley is a great 2 guard,” said Cartersville girls basketball head coach Karisma Boykin. “She’s a knockdown shooter and works well with her teammates. She was a captain and an excellent leader guiding us to a 17-11 season. We are looking forward to her leadership next year as a senior.” Griffin is the daughter of Denise Hammock. The Adairsville High School Elite Athlete of the Month for March 2023 is JJ Grimaldo. A sophomore, center midfielder on the Tigers’ soccer team, he is the son of Salvador and Elizabeth Grimaldo. “JJ is the leader of the team offensively,” said Adairsville head coach John Terrell. “He has scored or assisted on most of the goals scored. We started the season 0-4 but have now won six of our last ten games since his return from injury. He has become the driving factor in leading us to the playoffs for the first time in school history. He continues to grow as a leader on the field.” Grimaldo has a 3.4 GPA and would like to play soccer at the next level. He is considering a major in engineering. The March 2023 Elite Athlete of the Month representing Woodland High School is Knox Neal. A senior, Neal plays the No. 1 position on the Wildcats’ golf team and has won low medalist honors for most of his team’s tournaments this season. “Knox is a vital part of Woodland’s golf team,” said golf coach Middleton. “He has been on the team for four years and represents Woodland High School well in every event. Knox makes a concerted effort to help each player on the team improve. He is always willing to put his clubs down and work one-on-one with his teammates any time they ask for his advice.” The son of Jeff and Kelli Neal, Knox plans to pursue a Business degree at Jacksonville State University. Cayden Roberts is the March 2023 Elite Athlete of the Month for Cass High School. The son of Chris and Michelle Roberts, Cayden is a junior on the Colonels’ baseball team. For the month of March, Roberts carried a .303 batting average, a .452 on-base percentage, and a .515 slugging percentage as a hitter. He also pitched 18 innings collecting a pair of wins on the mound. He had a 3.75 strikeout-to-walk ratio during March. Roberts has been elected by his teammates as a team leader — a role he fills exceptionally by playing with passion and constantly uplifting and encouraging his teammates. “Cayden is an excellent representation of our program pillars of working hard and supporting our teammates,” said Colonels baseball coach Matt Thompson. Editors Note: Photos and bios are supplied to Bartow Sports Zone and WBHF by the respective schools and their athletic departments. Elite Stone Supply Co., LLC is the monthly sponsor. Athletes receive a plaque along with recognition during a radio feature on WBHF. #EliteAthletesoftheMonth #Cass #Cartersville #Woodland #Adairsville #highschool

The No. 1-ranked Cartersville Purple Hurricanes swept a doubleheader with visiting Cass Tuesday night at the Cartersville Baseball Complex while the Woodland Wildcats were also busy completing a doubleheader sweep of visiting Calhoun. In Adairsville, the Tigers dropped a Region 6-AAA decision with the Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Warriors. CARTERSVILLE 4, CASS 1 The Purple Hurricanes got another strong start from pitcher Caden Carroll to win the first game of Tuesday night’s doubleheader with Cass 4-1. The Colonels scored a run in the top of the first for an early 1-0 lead but the Hurricanes answered with three runs in the bottom of the inning and never trailed again. Carroll pitched 5-⅓ innings and allowed just one earned run on six hits and two walks. The Kennesaw State commit struck out seven. Phillip Schiltz took the mound with one out in the sixth inning and closed out the game without allowing a run or a hit. Schiltz fanned four in 1-⅔ innings of work. Harrison Childers had two hits including one triple and two RBIs for Cartersville. Caleb Daniel also had two hits. Luke Miller (RBI), Isaac McNair-Seigler (RBI), Paul Gamble, and Kaden Stephenson (double) had the other hits for the Canes. Carson Hill started on the mound in a losing cause for Cass. He allowed four earned runs on eight hits and a pair of walks while striking out five in five innings. Trenton Payne worked a scoreless sixth inning for the Colonels without allowing a hit. He did walk one. Jesiel Moctezuma had two hits for the Colonels’ offense. Hunter Lovett (RBI), Connor Jenkins, Wesley Collins, and Hill had one hit apiece. CARTERSVILLE 10, CASS 0 In Game Two on Tuesday at the Cartersville Baseball Complex, Canes’ pitchers Nicholas Hruby and Geoffrey Gore combined for six shutout innings and ten strikeouts to blank the Colonels, 10-0. Hruby worked the first five innings, scattered six hits and fanned seven without issuing a walk. Gore struck out the side to close out the sixth inning. Landon Cole and Luke Miller (triple) had two hits each for the Hurricanes’ offense. Paul Gamble (two RBIs), Kaden Stephenson (double, two RBIs), Harrison Childers (RBI), Caleb Daniel (double, RBI), and Miles Owen (double) added one hit each. Six different Colonels — Hunter Lovett, Connor Jenkins, Cayden Roberts, Justin Peace, Carson Hill, and Nic Wright — had one hit each. Roberts (2.1 IP, 6ER, 7H, 1BB, 1K) made the start on the mound for Cass and took the loss. Peace (3.1 IP, 4ER, 1H, 5BB, 4K) relieved Roberts in the third inning and finished out the game on the mound. Cass (10-14, 5-6) will host Cartersville (23-2, 11-0) in the final game of their three-game series Thursday at 5:55 p.m. WOODLAND 8, CALHOUN 7 In the first game of their doubleheader Tuesday night, Woodland and Calhoun traded runs early and often but it was the host Wildcats who came away with an 8-7 victory. The game had four lead changes. Calhoun led 2-0 in the top of the first before the Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the first for a 3-2 advantage. Following a scoreless second inning, Calhoun scored four runs in the third to grab a 6-3 lead. The teams traded single runs in the fourth, but it was Woodland that came up with two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth to squeeze out an 8-7 win. Woodland utilized four pitchers with Hunter Shirley (1 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 2K) picking up the win by working a scoreless sixth inning. Ayden Ray (3 IP, 6R, 2ER, 4H, 2BB, 6K) made the pitching start for the Wildcats and Coby Barrett (2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 3K) retired six outs across the fourth and fifth innings. Zach Lambert (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 1K) collected a save by closing out the final inning. Julian Wright had three hits to pace the Woodland offense. Ray finished with two hits including one double and one RBI. Connor Stermer (double, RBI) had the only other Wildcats’ hit. Mason Williams (sac fly) and Brett Good added one RBI each. WOODLAND 11, CALHOUN 0 In Game Two Tuesday night, Woodland starting pitcher Austin Daves tossed a five-inning, complete game shutout as the Wildcats cruised to an 11-0 win. Daves scattered two hits, two walks, and one hit batsman and kept the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard. Meanwhile, the Woodland bats scored five runs in both the third and fourth innings to end the contest in five innings. Ayden Ray led the Wildcats’ offense with three hits including one double and one RBI. Connor Stermer followed with a pair of hits including one double and two RBIs. Mason Williams contributed one double and one RBI while Brett Good added one RBI. Woodland (14-12, 8-3) heads to Calhoun Thursday for the third game of their series with the Yellow Jackets (9-15, 6-5). First pitch is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. LAKEVIEW-FORT OGLETHORPE 9, ADAIRSVILLE 4 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe scored eight runs in the first two innings Tuesday night and earned a series split with Adairsville, 9-5. The visiting Tigers, who won the first game of the series at home Monday night, scored twice in the top of the first inning to lead 2-0 on a Chris Roper homer but LFO erased that lead in the bottom of the frame. The Warriors scored three times in the bottom of the first to take a 3-2 lead and added five more runs the next inning to lead 8-2. Adairsville narrowed the deficit to 8-4 in the fourth but got no closer. Chris Roper doubled, homered, and finished with two RBIs in the loss. Tyler Driggers had a double and two RBIs. Landon O’Neal and Evan Sanders added one hit apiece. Jack Whitley (1.1 IP, 6R, 2ER, 2H, 3BB, 1K) made the start for the Tigers and was tagged with the loss. Grayson Belcher (0.0 IP, 2ER, 0H, 2BB), Kaiden Coker (3.2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 6H, 1BB, 5K), and Hudson Parr (1 IP, 0R, 0H) pitched in relief. LFO improved to 13-11 overall and 5-5 in Region 6-AAA. Adairsville (12-10, 6-4) has a two-game series with Coahulla Creek Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s game is at home at 5:55 p.m. The Tigers visit the Colts at 5:55 p.m. on Friday.

The Adairsville girls' soccer team opened the 2023 Class AAA state playoffs Tuesday night with a convincing 8-1 win at Douglass-Atlanta. Lizzie LeMay scored three goals and had one assist for the Lady Tigers. Alivia Joslin had a pair of goals and two assists. Gabi Becerra assisted on three goals and scored Adairsville’s first goal. Carly Edwards finished with one goal and one assist while Emma Ridley added one goal. Adairsville led 4-0 at the half and outscored the Astros 4-1 in the second half. The Lady Tigers (11-5) will play at Oconee County in the second round on April 17. Oconee County (13-4-1) defeated Dawson County 5-1 Tuesday night in their first round matchup. LOGANVILLE 10, WOODLAND GIRLS 0 The Lady Cats were eliminated by Region 8-5A champion Loganville Tuesday night in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs, 10-0. Loganville raced to an 8-0 lead by halftime. The season ends for the Woodland girls with a 3-9-1 record after reaching the state playoffs for a second straight season. Loganville (14-2-2) will host the Villa Rica/Greater Atlanta Christian winner in the second round on April 17. JEFFERSON 7, CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 0 The Lady Canes were eliminated in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs Tuesday night at Jefferson, 7-0. The Dragons (12-1-1) advance to the second round and will face the Chattahoochee/Midtown winner on April 17. The Cartersville girls have their season end with a 6-8-1 record.