Following action Tuesday at Dellinger Park in the first two rounds of the 2023 Region 7-5A tennis tournament, the Cartersville girls and boys teams along with the Woodland boys and the Cass girls have locked up Class 5A state tournament berths. The top four teams from Region 7-5A will play opponents from Region 8-5A next week when the Class AAAAA State Tournament begins. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds from each region will host first round matches. GIRLS REGION TOURNAMENT RESULTS First round Cass defeated Hiram (Hiram eliminated) Cartersville defeated Woodland (Woodland eliminated) Semifinals Calhoun defeated Cass Dalton defeated Cartersville Wednesday, 1pm Third Place Match: Cartersville vs. Cass Championship Match: Dalton vs. Calhoun BOYS REGION TOURNAMENT RESULTS First round Dalton defeated Hiram (Hiram eliminated) Woodland defeated Cass (Cass eliminated) Semifinals Calhoun defeated Dalton Cartersville defeated Woodland Wednesday, 3pm Third Place Match: Dalton vs. Woodland Championship Match: Calhoun vs. Cartersville

South Georgia State scored five runs in the third inning Tuesday and it turned out to be enough for a 5-3 win over Georgia Highlands in the opening game of this week’s four-game conference series between the two teams. The Chargers led 1-0 with a run in the first inning but could only manage two more runs — one in the fourth and another in the seventh. GHC starter Declan Dun (2.2 IP, 5ER, 9H, 1BB, 2K) suffered the pitching loss. Trip DoVale (6.1 IP, 0R, 3H, 3BB, 4K) took the mound in the third inning and kept the Hawks off the scoreboard the rest of the way. CJ Blackwell had two doubles for the Georgia Highlands offense. Mitchell Walker also had two hits including one double, one triple, and one RBI. Hudson Sapp (RBI), Connor Faulkner (RBI), Parker Poteet (triple), and Bryson Stipling added one hit each for the Chargers. South Georgia (26-17, 9-4) will host the remainder of the series with Georgia Highlands (26-15, 6-7). Game two of the series will be Friday and the Hawks and Chargers will play a doubleheader Saturday afternoon.

The Adairsville Tigers won their game Monday night over Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe in dramatic walk-off fashion completing a 4-3 win at home. The visiting Warriors tied the game 3-3 in the top of the inning with a single run, but a Chris Roper RBI single on an 0-1 count in the bottom of the frame provided the Tigers’ deciding run. Both teams posted single runs in the second inning with Adairsville taking a 3-1 lead in the fourth with a pair of runs. The Warriors narrowed the margin with a run in the fifth before knotting the score in the top of the seventh. Jarrett Scott (1.1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 0BB) collected the pitching win for the Tigers in relief of starter Jack Nelson (5.2 IP, 2ER, 6H, 4BB, 6K). PJ Weeks ignited the Adairsville offense with three hits and two RBIs. Peyton Bowen followed with a pair of hits including a fourth inning solo home run. Nelson, Scott, and Roper (RBI) added the other Tigers’ hits. Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (12-11, 4-5) hosts Adairsville (12-9, 6-3) Tuesday to complete the home-and-home Region 6-AAA series. The Tigers host Coahulla Creek Thursday and travel to the Colts’ home field on Friday. All games are set for 5:55 p.m.

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes extended their current winning streak to 15 games last week with three wins in the 2023 Battle for Bartow. The Canes won earlier in the week on their home field over Cedartown and then swept a pair of games Friday at LakePoint over Sandy Creek and Decatur. In other Battle for Bartow action Friday involving local teams, Woodland dropped a decision with Alexander to finish 1-2 in the event while Cass lost twice and was 0-3 for the tournament. CARTERSVILLE 5, SANDY CREEK 1 The Canes trailed 1-0 heading to the sixth inning Friday afternoon before posting five runs in their final two offensive frames for a 5-1 win at LakePoint in a Battle for Bartow contest. Cartersville pitchers Phillip Schiltz and Nicholas Hruby combined for ten strikeouts and limited the Patriots to a lone run in the second inning. Schiltz (5 IP, 1R, 0ER 3H, 0BB, 9K) started on the mound and finished off the first five innings while recording nine strikeouts. Hruby (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 1K) struck out one and closed out the final two frames facing only one over the minimum. Five Hurricanes contributed one hit each on offense. Isaac McNair-Seigler (two RBIs), Landon Cole (double), Miles Owen, Caleb Daniel, and Hunter Kelly (RBI) had the Cartersville base hits. Kaden Stephenson added a sacrifice fly for one RBI. CARTERSVILLE 3, DECATUR 2 (12 inn.) The Purple Hurricanes extended their current winning streak to fifteen games Friday night by outlasting Decatur 3-2 in 12 innings in their 2023 Battle for Bartow finale at LakePoint. The two teams battled scoreless through seven innings. Sawyer Wilson started on the mound for Cartersville and scattered seven hits with two strikeouts. Ellington Hodge also worked seven shutout innings before giving up a pair of runs in the eighth. Hodge recorded four strikeouts in his start for the Bulldogs. The Canes, playing as the visitors, broke the ice with two runs in the top of the eighth but Decatur matched those runs in the bottom of the inning. The battle continued into the twelfth inning when the Hurricanes took the lead for good on Paul Gamble’s RBI double. Nate Russell took the mound for Cartersville in the bottom of the frame and closed out the game by facing the minimum. He had one strikeout. Logan Shrewsbury (4 IP, 2R, 0ER, 4H, 4BB, 5K) also pitched for Cartersville, retiring a dozen outs in the eighth through eleventh innings. Kaden Stephenson contributed three hits including a double for the Canes’ offense. Harrison Childers finished with two hits with one RBI. Miles Owen (RBI), Luke Miller, and Gamble (RBI double) had the other Cartersville hits. With their loss, Decatur slipped to 14-6 on the season. Top-ranked Cartersville (21-2) returns to Region 7-5A action Tuesday at home with a doubleheader against Cass. ALEXANDER 8, WOODLAND 5 Woodland led Alexander 5-4 going to the seventh inning Friday night at LakePoint but the Cougars took advantage of four timely hits and a hit batsman in the seventh inning to score four runs to take an 8-5 win. The game was played as part of the 2023 Battle for Bartow. The two teams traded the lead five times and the score was tied twice in the contest. Zach Lambert (2 IP, 4ER, 5H, 0BB, 2K) suffered the pitching loss for the Wildcats in relief of starter Ayden Ray (4 IP, 2R, 1ER, 2H, 4BB, 5K). Connor Stermer (1 IP, 2ER, 2H) also pitched and recorded the final three outs in the seventh. Ray led the Woodland offense with four hits including one double. Julian Wright hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that tied the game 3-3 at the time. Jakiyon Porter had one hit and two RBIs. Chase Carson (RBI) and Joshua Hicks had the other Wildcat base hits. Alexander improved to 16-8 on the season. Woodland (12-12, 6-3) returns to Region 7-5A play next week with a three-game series against Calhoun. The Wildcats will host a doubleheader Tuesday starting at 5 p.m. and play at Calhoun on Thursday. HERITAGE-CATOOSA 15, CASS 1 In the Colonels’ first of two games Friday at LakePoint in the Battle for Bartow, Heritage-Catoosa scored a dozen runs over the first three innings and a quartet of Generals’ pitchers combined to no-hit the Colonels in a 15-1 rout. Cass took advantage of two walks and one hit batsman in the first inning to score a run, but did not produce a hit in the game. The Colonels utilized four pitchers of their own. Hunter Lovett (1.1 IP, 9R, 4ER, 4H, 4BB, 3K) started on the mound and suffered the pitching loss. Justin Peace (0.2 IP, 3R, 2ER, 2H, 2BB), Wesley Collins (2.1 IP, 3ER, 2H, 4BB, 1K), and Chase Tatum (0.2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 1K) also pitched for Cass. JC Armour, Taylor Vinson, Ryland Black-Long, and Grayson May combined for the Generals’ no-hitter. Heritage improved to 17-7 on the season. WHITEWATER 7, CASS 6 In both teams’ final game at the 2023 Battle for Bartow, Whitewater grabbed a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning and never trailed in a 7-6 win over Cass. Cass scored single runs in the first and third innings to make the score 5-2. The two teams then matched runs in the fourth and sixth innings to leave the Colonels trailing 7-4 heading into the final inning. Cass added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the potential tying run in scoring position, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the Colonels’ rally. Devan Hutchinson (4 IP, 6R, 5ER, 6H, 2BB, 2K) was tagged with the Cass pitching loss. Cayden Roberts (3 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 1BB, 1K) retired the final nine outs. Hunter Lovett had a pair of doubles for the Colonels’ offense. Connor Jenkins and Chase Tatum finished with one hit and two RBIs each. Jesiel Moctezum, Roberts, and Wesley Collins contributed one hit each. Whitewater improved to 15-10 on the season. The Colonels (10-12, 5-4) have now dropped six straight games and will face No. 1-ranked Cartersville in a three-game Region 7-5A series Tuesday and Thursday. The first two games will be at Richard Bell Field on Tuesday starting at 5 p.m. The third game of the series will be at the Cass High Athletic Complex on Thursday.

This past week’s summary for ‘Athletes Beyond Bartow’ includes updates on 28 pro and collegiate competitors from Bartow County across North America. MiLB MASON BARNETT — Quad Cities River Bandits (2nd yr. pro; Kansas City Royals High Class A affiliate; Auburn University; Cartersville HS) … assigned to the Royals’ High Class A affiliate to begin the 2023 season in Davenport, Iowa. The River Bandits are in the Midwest League. Barnett did not pitch in his team’s opening weekend. Quad Cities dropped all three games Friday through Sunday to the South Bend Cubs. This week the Bandits play six games at the Cedar Rapids Kernels. ANTHONY SEIGLER — Somerset Patriots (6th yr. pro; NY Yankees Double-A affiliate; Cartersville HS) … started two of his team’s three games in an opening weekend series against the Harrisburg Senators going 1-for-7 at the plate. The Patriots won two of the three games. Somerset plays six games Tuesday through Sunday at the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. PRO BASKETBALL AJ MOSBY — Sudbury Five (6th yr. pro; National Basketball League of Canada; Alcorn State; Cartersville HS) … scored 22 points and had three rebounds, two assists, and one steal in a 121-119 home win Saturday over the Windsor Express. The Five (18-5) lead the NBL-C by one-half game over the London Lightning. TENNIS EMILY BUSH — Young Harris College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … had the Mountain Lions’ only team point in a 6-1 loss at the University of North Georgia last Thursday. Bush outlasted 66th-ranked Johanna Lippert of UNG at Line 2 singles, 7-5, 5-7, 1-0 (10-8). She and her doubles partner, Catarina Marcko Ferreira lost at Line 3 doubles, 6-0. Young Harris (7-10, 1-3 Peach Belt Conference) visits Shorter University Wednesday afternoon, hosts Georgia College Friday, Piedmont Saturday, and Columbus State University Sunday in a busy week. EMILY SURCEY — Mississippi State University (So., Cass HS) … lost both of her Line 6 singles matches last week as the Bulldogs dropped SEC matches at LSU and 2nd-ranked Texas A&M. Mississippi State (10-12, 0-11) host Georgia Friday and Tennessee Sunday in the final two regular season matches of the year. TRACK AND FIELD STEPHEN SMITH — Kennesaw State University (Jr., Cass HS) … cleared 15-06.25 (4.73m) and placed third in the pole vault last Friday and Saturday at the 18-team Kennesaw State Invitational. The Owls won the meet scoring 453 points followed by Life University, Cumberland University (Tennessee), and the University of Montevallo. Next for KSU is the Mt. Sac Relays Wednesday through Saturday in Walnut, California, and the Samford Invitational Friday in Birmingham. ERIC TOVIAVE — Belmont University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … placed 14th in the 400m hurdles (57.78) and 19th in the 110m hurdles (19.23) at the Lee University Flames Invitational last Friday and Saturday. Lee won the 20-team event followed by Alabama-Huntsville, Wingate, and Belmont. Next on the Bruins’ schedule is the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate in Long Beach, California on Thursday and the Bryan Clay Invitational Thursday through Saturday in Azusa, California. GOLF BUCK BRUMLOW — University of Georgia (So., Cartersville HS) … tied for 13th as an individual and helped the Bulldogs to a tie for fifth place April 2-4 at The Calusa Cup in Naples, Florida. The nine-team tournament was conducted at the 7,320-yard, par-72 Calusa Pines Golf Club. Brumlow carded rounds of 73-76-71 as Georgia finished behind North Carolina, Wake Forest, Arizona State, and Vanderbilt. The Bulldogs tied with Texas Tech. Georgia concludes the regular season this Sunday by hosting the Classic City One Day in Athens. The SEC Championship will take place April 19-23 at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons, Georgia. JAKE WEHUNT — Young Harris College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … shot 75-76 April 3-4 and tied for 13th individually at the Shorter University Hawks Invitational played at Stonebridge Golf Club in Rome. The Mountain Lions were co-runners-up with Cleveland State CC. The eight-team tournament was won by Kentucky State University. Next for YHC is the Peach Belt Conference Championship on April 21-23 at Forest Hills Golf Club in Augusta. CHANC WILLIS — Reinhardt University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … shot 83 Monday in the first round of the Eagles Spring Invitational hosted by Reinhardt at Barnsley Gardens Resort in Adairsville. Following the opening round, Reinhardt was third behind Point University and Truett-McConnell University in the five-team tournament that concludes on Tuesday. SOFTBALL COLBI BALLARD — Shorter University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … in a pair of starts at Delta State last Friday and Saturday, Ballard was 1-for-6 with a double and one RBI at the plate. The Hawks (6-34, 1-22 Gulf South Conference) play a doubleheader Tuesday at Emmanuel College and will host the University of West Georgia Friday and Saturday in a three-game conference series. ANSLEY EVANS — Reinhardt University (So., Woodland HS) … started one of two wins last Thursday at Brenau University but was 0-for-4 at the plate. The Eagles (19-9, 14-2 Appalachian Athletic Conference) host Kentucky Christian Tuesday before traveling to Johnson University (Tennessee) Wednesday, Bluefield University (Virginia) Thursday, and will host Columbia International University Saturday. SADYE JOHNSON — University of North Georgia (So., Adairsville HS) … the Nighthawks’ catcher was inserted defensively in the top of the seventh Sunday in a 19-10 home loss to Columbus State. NCAA D-II No. 1-ranked UNG lost both games Sunday of their conference doubleheader with CSU snapping a 38-game winning streak. UNG (40-3, 19-2) bounced back Monday to defeat the visiting Cougars. The Nighthawks host a doubleheader with Auburn-Montgomery Tuesday and play three games Saturday and Sunday at Georgia College. ERYN LEE — Reinhardt University (Fr., Cass HS) … was utilized as a pinch runner in one of last Thursday’s two wins at Brenau University. The Eagles (19-9, 14-2 Appalachian Athletic Conference) host Kentucky Christian Tuesday before traveling to Johnson University (Tennessee) Wednesday, Bluefield University (Virginia) Thursday, and will host Columbia International University Saturday. RACHAEL LEE — Gulf Coast State CC (Fr., Cass HS) … made one start and appeared in two games last week as the Commodores dropped a pair of doubleheaders to Chipola CC and Northwest Florida State CC. Lee was 1-for-2 at the plate in her start. Gulf Coast State CC (25-16, 6-6 Panhandle Conference) visits Northwest Florida State Monday, Tallahassee CC Tuesday, and plays at Pensacola State Saturday. LAUREN McELHANEY — University of West Georgia (Jr., Cartersville HS) … made one start in the Wolves’ three-game home series with University of West Florida last weekend going 0-for-2 at the plate. UWG (10-13, 5-16 Gulf South Conference) plays a non-conference doubleheader at Lander University Tuesday and visits Shorter University for a three-game conference series Friday and Saturday. HOPE SHORT — Shorter University (Jr., Cartersville HS) … was 1-for-3 as a pinch hitter in three different games last week for the Hawks. Short had a hit at home against Georgia College last Wednesday in one of two wins but had a pair of unsuccessful pinch hitting appearances last Friday and Saturday at Delta State University as the Hawks dropped three games. Shorter plays at Emmanuel College Tuesday and entertains West Georgia this Friday and Saturday in a three-game Gulf South Conference series. ALEXA VARNER — Shorter University (Jr., Adairsville HS) … scored one run in both games last Wednesday at home appearing as a pinch runner against Georgia College. The Hawks swept both games but lost three over the weekend at Delta State University. The Hawks (6-34, 1-22 Gulf South Conference) play a doubleheader Tuesday at Emmanuel College and will host the University of West Georgia Friday and Saturday in a three-game conference series. BASEBALL CURT BONNER — LaGrange College (Fr., Cartersville HS) … hit safely in all four of the Panthers’ games last week as LaGrange lost at home to Berry on Tuesday and swept a three-game series with Belhaven University (Mississippi) last Wednesday through Friday. Making starts in left field, Bonner was 7-for-14 with one home run and six RBIs. 10th-ranked LaGrange (21-7, 9-0 Collegiate Conference of the South) hosts Oglethorpe University Tuesday and plays a three-game conference series Friday through Sunday at Piedmont University. KENNY JINKS — Wheeling University (Sr., Woodland HS) … made one start last Saturday at home against Notre Dame College (Ohio) and received no decision in a 7-6 loss. Jinks went 5-⅔ innings allowing four earned runs on one hit, seven walks, and one hit batsman. Wheeling was 2-3 for the week losing to Walsh University (Ohio) and splitting four games with Notre Dame College. The Cardinals (16-14, 7-9 Mountain East Conference) visit Clarion University (Pennsylvania) Tuesday and play a four-game conference series at Frostburg State University (Maryland) Saturday and Sunday. LOGAN MARTIN — University of Kentucky (Sr., Cartersville HS) … made a two-inning scoreless start and received no decision as 9th-ranked Kentucky won 7-4 at Georgia last Friday. Martin walked two and struck out three. He was lifted with the game still scoreless. The Wildcats went 2-2 for the week with one other win at home against Dayton and two losses at Georgia. Kentucky (27-5, 9-3) plays at Louisville Tuesday and has a three-game SEC series at LSU from Thursday through Saturday. COLT McKIBBEN — Lee University (Fr., Cartersville HS) … received no decision in a 3-⅓ inning home middle relief appearance against the University of Montevallo last Thursday. The Flames lost to the 10th-ranked Falcons, 19-16. McKibben allowed six earned runs on six hits and three hit batsmen. He struck out one. Lee won the other two games in the series 8-7 and 7-6. The Flames (20-17, 10-11 Gulf South Conference) host Tusculum University Tuesday night and a three-game series with Union University (Tennessee) Friday and Saturday. DREW ROTHSCHILD — Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (Fr., Cartersville ) … started three of four games going 2-for-10 at the plate as the Stallions went 2-2 in a series with South Georgia State CC. He had one triple and three RBIs and stole one base. ABAC (21-22, 7-5 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) has four games this week with East Georgia CC. The Stallions visit East Georgia Tuesday and host the Bobcats Thursday and Saturday. STEVEN SPELL — Young Harris College (Sr., Cass HS) … the Mountain Lions were 1-3 last week with a loss at 2nd-ranked North Greenville and a three-game home sweep of Claflin University. Spell hit safely in all four games and was 5-for-17 with two walks, five runs scored, and four RBIs. YHC (28-11, 18-6 Peach Belt Conference) entertains Mars Hill University Tuesday afternoon, Carson-Newman University Wednesday, and visits USC-Beaufort Friday through Sunday for a three-game conference series) DEVIN WARNER — Georgia Gwinnett College (Jr., Cartersville HS) … was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs in the Grizzlies' only game last week on Friday at USC-Beaufort. He was also hit by a pitch and stole a base during the 11-5 win. Third-ranked GGC (32-5, 5-0 Continental Athletic Conference) hosts Talladega University Tuesday night and plays three games at home Friday through Sunday in the CAC Showdown. The Grizzlies will play Crowley’s Ridge (Arkansas), Voorhees (South Carolina), and Florida National. COHEN WILBANKS — Georgia Gwinnett College (Jr., Cartersville HS) … was 1-for-2 with one RBI in the Grizzlies’ 11-5 win last Friday at USC-Beaufort. The remaining two games of the scheduled three-game series were not completed. Georgia Gwinnett (32-5, 5-0 Continental Athletic Conference) is now ranked No. 3 in NAIA and will host three conference opponents — Crowley’s Ridge, Voorhees, and Florida National this weekend. JORDAN WILKIE — Augusta University (Sr., Cartersville HS) … in four games last week Wilkie was 4-for-17 at the plate and scored three runs as the Jaguars went 1-3. They lost last Tuesday at Francis Marion University and dropped two of three Thursday and Friday at USC-Aiken. Augusta (18-18, 11-13 Peach Belt Conference) plays at Erskine College Tuesday, at Anderson University Wednesday, and at Columbus State University Friday through Sunday in a three-game conference series. ZACH WILSON — Penn State Greater Allegheny (Jr., Woodland HS) … had two unsuccessful plate appearances last week as PSUGA dropped four games with Penn State Du Bois. Penn State-GA (13-14, 5-7) has four games Saturday and Sunday with Penn State Fayette.

Georgia Highlands and Gordon State split a doubleheader Friday at LakePoint to complete the four-game series between the two teams this week. Georgia Highlands won the first game 3-2 and Gordon State took the second game Friday 8-4. The doubleheader split earned the visiting Highlanders three wins in the four-game conference series. Trey Baker (6 IP, 2ER, 6H, 3BB, 5K) picked up the pitching win in Friday’s opener with a six inning performance. Chandler Anderson (1 IP, 0R, 1H) earned a save by closing out the seventh. Six Chargers contributed one hit each in the victory. Jay Murdock (two RBIs), Bryson Stripling (RBI), CJ Blackwell (double), Mitchell Walker (double), Trippe Moore, and Parker Poteet had the GHC hits. In Friday’s second game, Gordon State led 3-2 after the first two innings but the Highlanders took control of the game in the fourth by adding four more runs. The visitors added an insurance run in the sixth to build an 8-2 lead and held on for the win. Georgia Highlands scored single runs in the first and second innings. The Chargers' final two runs came in the bottom of the seventh. Poteet had two doubles and two RBIs for GHC. CJ Blackwell hit a solo home run in the second inning. Ryan Wideman contributed a hit and one RBI. Moore added the other Chargers’ hit. Friday’s split left Gordon State at 17-21 for the season and 6-6 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. Georgia Highlands (26-14, 6-6) hosts South Georgia Tuesday and will complete the four-game series next Friday and Saturday at South Georgia.

The Woodland Wildcats split a pair of games Thursday participating in the 2023 Battle for Bartow Baseball Classic at LakePoint. Woodland defeated Sonoraville 10-3 and lost to Heritage-Catoosa 14-4. WOODLAND 10, SONORAVILLE 3 Woodland starting pitcher Austin Daves battled through a rough first inning Thursday afternoon and his efforts were rewarded in a 10-3 win over Sonoraville in the Wildcats’ opening game of the Battle for Bartow at Lakepoint. Daves gave up three runs in the top of the first to the Class 4A 7th-ranked Phoenix and then tossed six shutout innings to register the pitching win. Sonoraville had three of their seven hits in that opening frame. Daves walked one, hit one batter, and struck out five. Meanwhile, the Woodland offense scored in each of its first four innings including two runs in the first, four in the second, and two more in both the third and fourth innings. Jakiyon Porter finished with three hits including one double and three RBIs. Ayden Ray had two hits and three RBIs. Chase Carson and Connor Stermer also pitched in with two hits each. Mason Williams contributed one double with one RBI. Julian Wright drove in a run with one hit and Rowan Billings added one RBI. HERITAGE-CATOOSA 14, WOODLAND 4 After taking an early 3-1 lead in the second inning, Woodland fell behind 6-3 in the bottom of the frame and ultimately lost to the Heritage-Catoosa Generals 14-4. The Wildcats narrowed their deficit to 6-4 in the third inning but an eight-run fifth inning by Heritage ended the game. Woodland utilized five pitchers in the loss with starter Hunter Shirley (1.2 IP, 6R, 5ER, 0H, 5BB, 1K) tagged with the loss. Zach Lambert (2.1 IP, 0R, 2H, 3K), Luke Evans (0.0 IP, 3ER, 3H), Coby Barrett (0.1 IP, 4ER, 2H, 2BB), and Logan Bentley (0.1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 1BB) also pitched. Ayden Ray had two hits including one double. Billings (RBI), Jakiyon Porter, Julian Wright, and Brett Good added one hit each. Conner Lujan was credited with one RBI. The win lifted Heritage-Catoosa to 15-7 on the season. Woodland (12-11) returns to LakePoint Friday night to play the Alexander Cougars.

Sonoraville pitchers AJ Hensley and Jaxon Pate combined to limit Cass to five hits and a single run in the sixth inning to edge the Colonels 2-1 in a Battle for Bartow contest at LakePoint. The Phoenix, ranked No. 7 in Class 4A, posted single runs in the second inning and fourth inning to build a 2-0 lead. The first run came on a solo home run by Brock Clements. Dawson Townsend singled home Sonoraville’s fourth inning run. Cass scored in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Cayden Roberts. Carson Hill (4 IP, 2R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 5K) made the pitching start for the Colonels and was saddled with the loss. Trenton Payne (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 2K) and Hunter Lovett (1 IP) also pitched for Cass. Hill had two hits including a double. Chase Tatum, Lovett, and Roberts had the other base hits for the Colonels. Sonoraville improved to 15-5 on the season. Cass (10-10) plays Heritage-Catoosa Friday at 4 p.m. in another Battle for Bartow matchup.

Ringgold won a pitchers’ duel and a battle of Tigers at Adairsville Thursday night, taking Game 2 of their home-and-home Region 6-AAA series 1-0 in eight innings. Ringgold won 9-0 at home on Tuesday. Dawson Craig (6 IP, 0R, 3H, 3BB, 2K) threw six strong innings in a start for Adairsville. Jarrett Scott (2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 2K) was the pitcher of record completing the final two innings on the mound. Ringgold’s Sebastian Haggard and Sam Crew combined for ten strikeouts while shutting out Adairsville. Adairsville managed just three hits — all singles. Evan Sanders, Peyton Bowen, and Scott had one hit apiece. Class AAA 5th-ranked Ringgold improved to 18-5 on the season and stayed atop the region standings at 8-0. Adairsville (11-9, 5-3) hosts Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Friday in the first game of their home-and-home series with the Warriors.

Harrison Childers launched a first inning grand slam home run Thursday afternoon and the Purple Hurricanes stormed to an 8-3 win over Class 4A 3rd-ranked Cedartown in both teams’ opening game of the 2023 Battle for Bartow at Richard Bell Field. Cedartown scored a single run in the top of the second to narrow the margin to 4-1, but the Canes added two runs in the fourth to make the score 6-1. Another run by the Bulldogs in the fifth narrowed the margin to 6-2 before Cartersville scored twice in the fifth for an 8-2 advantage. The visitors added a run in the next inning to close out the scoring. Ryan Johnson (4 IP, 1ER, 3H, 3BB, 5K) made the pitching start for the Hurricanes and collected the win. Geoffrey Gore (1.2 IP, 2ER, 3H, 3BB, 2K) and Nicholas Hruby (1.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) closed out the final three innings. Childers had one other hit to go with his first inning slam. Paul Gamble hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning that gave Cartersville a 6-1 lead at the time. Caleb Daniel had the only other Canes’ base hit. The Bulldogs’ loss ended a 10-game win streak for Cedartown (15-4). Cartersville, ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, improved to 19-2. The Hurricanes will play two more games in the Battle for Bartow at LakePoint on Friday. They will face Sandy Creek at 4 p.m. and Class 5A 8th-ranked Decatur at 7 p.m.

The Georgia Highlands Chargers dropped their second straight game Thursday afternoon to the Gordon State Highlanders, falling 11-10. Georgia Highlands rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning and had the go-ahead run in scoring position, but the threat ended with a strikeout. The Chargers led 6-2 through the first three innings, but the visiting Highlanders scored four runs in the top of the fourth inning and two more in the fifth to grab an 8-7 lead. Three more runs by Gordon State in the seventh built an 11-7 lead heading into the final two innings. Jude King (9 IP, 10ER, 8H, 17BB, 10K) pitched all nine innings for Gordon State to earn the win even though he walked 17 batters. He recorded ten strikeouts. Georgia Highlands utilized four different arms. Oliver Wood (5 IP, 8R, 6ER, 9H, 1BB) made the start. Davis Mortland (1.2 IP, 3ER, 1H, 2BB, 1K), Cason Rich (0.1 IP, 1H, 1BB), and Trippe Moore (2 IP, 0R, 1H) also took the mound for the Chargers in their loss. Ryan Wideman had three hits including two doubles and four RBIs to lead the GHC offense. Bryson Stripling homered. Adam Love tripled, had a sac fly, and drove home a pair of runs. Parker Poteet finished with one RBI on a sac fly and one double. Connor Faulkner (RBI) and Austin Slate added one hit each. Zayd Brannigan contributed one RBI. Gordon State (16-20, 5-5 Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association) and Georgia Highlands (25-13, 5-5) conclude their four-game series Friday afternoon with a doubleheader at LakePoint.

Cartersville pitchers Caden Carroll and Phillip Schiltz combined Wednesday for 14 strikeouts and limited the visiting Alexander Cougars to just five hits in a 5-1 non-region win at the Cartersville Baseball Complex. The Canes scored two runs in the third inning on a run-scoring double by Caleb Daniel and an infield error off the bat of Harrison Childers. After Alexander narrowed the margin to 2-1 in the top of the fourth, Cartersville went up 4-1 on a two-run homer by Paul Gamble. The Hurricanes added an insurance run in the fifth when Kaden Stephenson singled home Childers. Carroll (5.2 IP, 1ER, 5H, 0BB, 10K) started on the mound for Cartersville and worked into the sixth inning. He struck out ten and issued no walks. Schiltz (1.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 4K) retired the final four outs with strikeouts. Luke Miller, Miles Owen, Harrison Childers, and Landon Cole added one hit apiece for the Canes. The loss dropped Alexander to 13-8 on the season. Cartersville (18-2), ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, hosts Cedartown -- ranked No. 3 in Class 4A -- Thursday at 4 p.m. and will play Sandy Creek and Class 5A 8th-ranked Decatur Friday at LakePoint in the Battle for Bartow.