For the second time this season, Adairsville softball defeated Cartersville Monday night in non-region diamond action. The Tigers won 6-3 last Thursday at home and took Monday’s game at Cartersville, 7-5. Adairsville posted single runs in the second, fourth, and fifth innings to hold a 3-0 advantage heading into the sixth inning. The Tigers then scored four times to build a 7-0 lead. Cartersville rallied with a run in the bottom of the sixth and four more in their final frame, but came up two runs short in the end. Megan Gregory tossed a complete game in the circle to pick up the pitching win for Adairsville. She allowed four earned runs on six hits and four walks. She struck out eleven. McKenzie Pullam paced the Tigers’ offense with four hits and two RBIs. Jenna Young homered and doubled, driving in two runs. Kelsey Gleason and Annalee Morris followed with two hits and one RBI each. Alissa Winters finished with one hit and one RBI. Brie Patterson, Riley Mounger, and Gregory added one hit apiece. McKinley Chada (5.2 IP, 7ER, 14H, 2BB, 2K) started in the circle and suffered the pitching loss for Cartersville. Kennedy Stevens (1.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 2K) retired the final four outs. Kiley Arnold had a double and three RBIs for the Canes’ offense. Layne Callan produced one hit and one RBI. Elizabeth Nelson, Jordan Bishop, Ava Perkins, and Mikey Lewis added one hit each. Adairsville (3-2) hosts Armuchee Tuesday at 5 p.m. Cartersville (1-3-1) begins Region 7-5A play Tuesday at home against Hiram at 5:55 p.m.

Both Adairsville and Woodland finished third in their respective pools at the Adairsville High School Welcome to the Jungle volleyball Invitational Saturday and both teams were ousted in the opening round of bracket play. Woodland went 1-1-1 in their pool winning two sets over Temple; splitting sets with Pickens; and dropping a pair of sets to Sonoraville. Adairsville was 0-1-2 in its pool. The Tigers split sets with both Paulding County and Southeast Whitfield before losing two sets to Kell. In the tournament quarterfinals, Woodland dropped its match with Paulding County and Adairsville was eliminated by Pickens. Kell topped Temple and Sonoraville defeated Southeast to set up the semifinal round. Kell beat Paulding County in one semifinal and Sonoraville defeated Pickens in the other semifinal. Kell won the championship match over Sonoraville. Both local teams return to regular season play this week. Woodland hosts Southeast and Paulding County Tuesday. Adairsville travels to Oakwood Christian Academy Tuesday and Hiram Thursday.

Both Cass and Woodland split their games Saturday at the Dalton Invitational while Cartersville played McEachern to a tie and dropped a decision to visiting Trion. CASS 12, SONORAVILLE 9 Cass senior Ansley Hight smacked her fourth home run in four games this season and drove in five runs Saturday morning as the Colonels beat Sonoraville at the Dalton Invitational at Heritage Park, 12-9. Hight reached base in all four plate appearances including a three run homer in the third inning that gave Cass a 4-2 advantage. She walked and added a two RBI single in the fifth inning when the Lady Colonels batted around and scored eight runs. Hight reached on an infield error in her other at bat. The Colonels and Phoenix exchanged the lead four times in the first four frames with Sonoraville leading 9-4 going into the fifth inning. Alexis Woods had two hits including a triple and one RBI on offense. She also earned the pitching win with 2-2/3 innings of relief work. Woods allowed a pair of unearned runs on four hits and struck out three. Darianna Sosa (2 RBIs) and Harley Thomason (RBI) also produced two hits each for the Colonels. Braelyn Franklin (2 RBIs) and Emma Gibson (RBI) added one hit apiece. GORDON LEE 10, CASS 1 The Lady Colonels dropped their final game of the Dalton Invitational Saturday afternoon to Gordon Lee, 10-1. The Lady Trojans broke open a scoreless game in the top of the third inning with four runs and added to their lead in the final two frames. A pair of Gordon Lee pitchers limited the Colonels to only two hits. The lone Cass run came in the fifth inning on an RBI bunt single by Braelyn Franklin that scored Darianna Sosa. Sosa had singled to open the inning. Cass (3-2) finished the weekend event with two wins and two losses. The Lady Colonels open Region 7-5A play Tuesday at home against Dalton. First pitch is scheduled for 5:55 p.m. CARTERSVILLE 2, McEACHERN 2 Kiley Arnold hit a home run in the sixth inning to knot the score at 2-2 and McKinley Chada tossed a seven inning complete game Saturday morning as the Lady Canes played Class 7A McEachern to a 2-2 draw. Chada scattered six hits and five walks and only one of the Indians’ two runs was earned. The Canes’ pitcher struck out four. McEachern took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third but Cartersville tied the score in the bottom of the inning on a single by Layne Callan, a stolen base, a passed ball, and a sacrifice fly by Campbell Rogers. The hit by Callan was one of three on the day for the Cartersville outfielder. The Indians went ahead again with a run in the top of the sixth before Arnold’s dinger tied the game a second time. Jordan Bishop added one base hit for the Hurricanes as they finished with five total. TRION 5, CARTERSVILLE 2 In the Lady Canes’ second game of the day, visiting Trion scored single runs in the first, second, and third innings to build a 3-1 lead on the Bulldogs’ way to an eventual 5-2 win. Cartersville’s Jaycee Blackwell narrowed the margin to 3-2 with a solo homer in the fourth inning, but Trion added on single runs in the fifth and seventh for the final margin. Kiley Arnold (RBI), Elizabeth Nelson, and Campbell Rogers had the other Cartersville base hits. Ava Perkins (6 IP, 4R, 3ER, 7H, 5BB, 7K) started in the circle for the Canes and suffered the pitching loss. Kennedy Stevens (1 IP, 1ER, 1H, 1BB) pitched the final inning for Cartersville. The Lady Canes (1-2-1) begin play in Region 7-5A Tuesday at home against Hiram. HERITAGE-CATOOSA 11, WOODLAND 5 Woodland softball led Heritage-Catoosa 4-0 early Saturday afternoon, but the Generals posted 11 runs across the second and third innings to defeat the Lady Cats 11-5 in a Dalton Invitational matchup. Kamryn Smith (RBI) and Peyton Dorn (double) had two hits each for Woodland. Haley Collum (double, RBI) and Bailey Sakacsi (RBI) had the other Lady Cats’ base hits. Cambrie Carrington drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. WOODLAND 2, NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 1 The Lady Cats trailed 1-0 through six innings Saturday in their final game at the Dalton Invitational before rallying in the seventh for a 2-1 win over Northwest Whitfield. Woodland pitcher Haley Collum (7 IP, 1ER, 7H, 1BB, 1K) surrendered a first inning run but settled in to shutout the Bruins the rest of the way and earn the pitching win. In the seventh, the Wildcats took advantage of a pair of errors for their first run and Elizabeth Hartsfield drove home the game winning run with a single to centerfield. Woodland finished with four total hits including a double by Peyton Dorn and singles by Mackenzie Araya and Collum. Woodland (2-3) begins Region 7-5A action Tuesday at home against Calhoun. First pitch is scheduled for 5:55 p.m.

SOFTBALL ROUNDUP Adairsville evened its season record, Cass split a pair of games at the Dalton Invitational, and Woodland was shutout by Gordon Lee in softball action Friday night. ADAIRSVILLE 10, CHATTOOGA 3 The Tigers posted runs in every inning except the third as they cruised past Chattooga Friday night, 10-3. Adairsville (2-2) pounded out 14 hits in their five inning victory. Jordan Clay (2 IP, 1ER, 3H, 0BB, 3K) picked up the pitching win for Adairsville. Ashlyn Carlton (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB) and Chelsea Bates (2 IP, 2ER, 4H, 1BB, 2K) pitched in relief. Kelsey Gleason led the Adairsville offense with three hits and one RBI. Annalee Morris finished with two hits including a double and two RBIs. Brie Patterson and Alissa Winters also had two hits with one RBI each. Riley Mounger (RBI), Taylor Evans (RBI), Halle Chasen, McKenzie Pullen, and Bates contributed one hit apiece. NORTHWEST WHITFIELD 8, CASS 2 In both teams’ initial game at the Dalton Invitational Friday, Northwest Whitfield scored eight runs across the first two innings and held on the defeat Cass, 8-2. The Lady Colonels managed only three hits — all singles — against Bruins’ pitching. Haylee Dishmon, Ansley Hight, and Harley Thomason had the Cass hits. Alexis Woods (2 IP, 8ER, 9H, 2BB) started in the pitching circle for the Colonels and suffered the pitching loss. Emma Gibson (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB) retired the final nine outs for Cass. CASS 9, RIDGELAND 6 The Lady Colonels trailed Ridgeland 6-2 through three innings Friday night at Heritage Park in Dalton, before rallying for six runs in the fourth and an insurance run in the fifth inning for an eventual 9-6 win. Alexis Woods (2 IP, 0R, 2H, 2BB) picked up the Cass pitching win in relief with a pair of shutout frames. Ansley Hight homered, doubled, and drove in three runs to lead the Lady Colonels’ offense. Reese Howard and Harley Thomason also had two hits with one RBI each. Dariana Sosa contributed a double and one RBI. Woods and Braelyn Franklin added one hit each. Cass (2-1) has games Saturday in the Dalton tournament against Sonoraville and Gordon Lee. GORDON LEE 13, WOODLAND 0 Gordon Lee out hit the Lady Cats 14 to 1 in both teams’ first game at the Dalton Invitational Friday night. The Trojans scored six runs in the first inning, added five in the second, and posted two more runs in the third inning. Alana Carnes had the only Woodland base hit. It came in the second inning. Woodland (1-2) will continue play in the Dalton Invitational at Heritage Park Saturday.

Adairsville softball took a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning Thursday night at home against Cartersville, then added three insurance runs in the sixth inning to defeat the Lady Canes, 6-3. Tigers’ catcher Halie Chasen drove in the first three Adairsville runs with a solo home run in the third inning and a two-run single in the fourth. She finished the night with four hits including singles in the first and sixth innings. In Adairsville’s three-run sixth inning, Megan Gregory drove in two runs with a double and Kelsey Gleason added an RBI single. Gregory, who also earned the pitching win with a complete game, finished with a pair of hits and two RBIs. In the circle, she scattered four hits and two walks while striking out nine. McKenzie Pullam also had two hits for the Lady Tigers. Jenna Young, Brie Patterson, Riley Mounger, and Taylor Evans added one hit apiece for Adairsville. Kiley Arnold hit a two-run home run for Cartersville in the fourth inning and was one of four Hurricanes with one hit each. Elizabeth Nelson, Mikey Lewis (RBI), and McKinley Chada had the other Cartersville base hits. Arnold (6 IP, 6R, 4ER, 13H, 0BB, 5K) suffered the Canes’ pitching loss. Cartersville (1-1) hosts McEachern and Trion Saturday. Adairsville (1-2) travels to the Dalton Invitational Friday and Saturday at Heritage Park.

Adairsville volleyball took wins over Woodland and Temple Thursday night while Woodland lost twice in action at Adairsville High School. Lady Tigers’ head coach Kaylie Vaughn Martin picked up her 50th and 51st career victories as Adairsville defeated Temple 25-20, 25-15 and topped visiting Woodland 25-14, 25-12. Woodland also fell in three sets to Temple. In Adairsville’s win over Temple, Addie Pearson finished with four assists and three kills. Jenna Claire Hendley and Jordan Hartline also totaled three kills. Jayna Wilson contributed three blocks and three aces while Sherry Wells added a pair of digs. In the Tigers victory over Woodland, Richlyn Blair served four aces. Wells had five digs. Hartline totaled four kills with Pearson and Wilson adding three kills each. Woodland (0-4) returns to Adairsville Saturday for the Welcome to the Jungle Invitational. The Tigers, now 2-0, will also host Kell, Paulding County, Sonoraville, Pickens, Southeast Whitfield, and Temple in the tournament. WOODLAND DROPS SEASON OPENING MATCHES The Lady Cats dropped a pair of matches Tuesday in Canton, falling to Creekview 25-20, 25-13 and Cherokee 25-12, 25-11. In the loss to Creekview, Madison West had two kills, four blocks, and an ace for the Lady Cats. Kendall Condon finished with five assists, three digs, and an ace. Anastyn Jones contributed two kills, three digs, and one ace. Kailynn Mullinax totaled three digs, one kill, one block, and three aces while Lili Womack added six digs and one ace. In the loss to Cherokee, Madison West had two kills, one block, and one dig. Kendall Condon produced two assists, two digs, and one kill as Allie Southern finished with three digs. “We should have been more competitive and had a better chance to win against Creekview,” said Woodland coach David Condon. “We let our lack of mental toughness show in that match. We played better against Cherokee, but they were a more solid team.”

The offenses for Cass and Woodland had productive nights Wednesday with both local teams picking up non-region, road wins. Meanwhile, Adairsville rallied late but came up a run short at Armuchee. CASS 9, PAULDING COUNTY 2 Cass pitchers Bailey York and Alexis Woods limited the Paulding County offense while Ansley Hight blasted a pair of home runs to help lead the Colonels to a 9-2 season opening win Wednesday night in Dallas. York (4 IP, 1ER, 5H, 0BB, 2K) started in the circle and picked up the pitching win. Woods (3 IP, 1R, 0ER, 3H, 2BB) closed out the final three frames. Meanwhile, the Cass offense scored five runs in the first two innings to take a 5-1 lead. The Lady Colonels added a run in the fifth and Hight’s second homer made it 9-1 in the top of the sixth. Hight, who was the Region 7-5A Player of the Year in 2021, reached base in all four of her plate appearances and drove in five runs. She walked in the first inning, hit a two-run homer in the second, singled in the fifth, and delivered a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Haylee Dishmon had two hits for Cass. Bailey York produced one hit and two RBIs. Braelyn Franklin had one hit and one RBI. Darianna Sosa added a hit and Woods doubled to round out the Colonels nine-hit attack. Cass (1-0) will play four games in the Dalton Invitational at Heritage Park Friday and Saturday. The Colonels will face Northwest Whitfield, Ridgeland, Sonoraville and Gordon Lee. WOODLAND 12, PACE ACADEMY 2 Woodland softball posted ten runs in the second inning Wednesday evening at Pace Academy on the Lady Cats’ way to a 12-2 win in four innings. Haley Collum (2 IP, 2ER, 2H, 2BB, 3K) picked up the pitching win in the circle with Ashlyn Baines (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) working the final two frames for the Wildcats. Peyton Dorn led the Woodland offense with two hits including a double and three RBIs. Kamryn Smith and Alana Carnes finished with one hit and one RBI each. Cambrie Carrington also had one hit. Jordan Hammonds produced a pair of RBIs and Mackenzie Araya was credited with one RBI. Woodland (1-1) heads to the Dalton Invitational at Heritage Park Friday and Saturday where the Lady Cats will face Gordon Lee (6pm, Friday), Heritage-Catoosa (noon, Saturday), and Northwest Whitfield (2pm, Saturday). ARMUCHEE 7, ADAIRSVILLE 6 The Lady Tigers had the potential go-ahead run on base in the top of the seventh inning Wednesday night at Armuchee, but came up short in a 7-6 loss. Armuchee led 5-1 through the first three innings and held off Adairsville late although the Tigers rattled off a dozen hits in the game and scored four times across the final three frames. McKenzie Pullam and Brie Patterson both had three hits for the Tigers. Pullam’s three hits included a home run. Jenna Young followed with two hits. Annalee Morris had a triple while Kelsey Gleason and Riley Mounger both produced one hit, a sacrifice fly, and two RBIs apiece. Chelsea Bates (0.1 IP, 4R, 2ER, 3H, 1BB, 1K) started in the circle for the Lady Tigers and was tagged with the pitching loss. Jordan Clay (3.1 IP, 3R, 0ER, 3H, 3BB, 1K) and Megan Gregory (2.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2BB, 3K) pitched in relief. Adairsville (0-2) will host Cartersville Thursday at 5 p.m.

The Woodland Lady Cats softball team pounded out seventeen hits Tuesday night in their home opener but came up a run short on the scoreboard in a nine inning loss to Class 7A Hillgrove, 6-5. The visiting Hawks grabbed a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning but Woodland chipped away to send the game into extra innings. The Wildcats scored twice in the third inning and once in the fifth inning to narrow the margin to 4-3. Then after Hillgrove added a run in the top of the seventh, the Lady Cats rallied for two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. After a scoreless eighth inning, Hillgrove took the lead with a run in the top of the ninth that Woodland did not answer. Haley Collum (1 IP, 1ER, 2H, 0BB, 1K) suffered the Woodland pitching loss in relief of starter Peyton Dorn (8 IP, 5R, 1ER, 6H, 0BB, 1K). The Wildcats’ defense committed five errors leading to four, unearned runs. Senior shortstop Cambrie Carrington and freshman Kamryn Smith paced the Lady Cats attack with three hits each. One of Carrington’s safeties was a double. Mackenzie Araya (2 RBIs), Elizabeth Hartsfield (2 RBIs), Dorn, and Collum contributed two hits each for Woodland. Jordan Hammonds, Lainey Calhoun, and Alana Carnes added one hit apiece. Woodland (0-1) plays at Pace Academy Wednesday and will play in a tournament in Dalton Friday and Saturday where the Wildcats will face Gordon Lee, Heritage-Catoosa, and Northwest Whitfield.

Adairsville softball dropped an 11-2 non-region decision to Sonoraville Tuesday night in Tiger Valley. The visiting Phoenix broke open a tight game with a seven run, fifth inning to take the lead for good. Megan Gregory (4 IP, 7R, 5ER, 7H, 3BB, 3K) started in the circle for Adairsville and was tagged with the pitching loss. Jordan Clay (2 IP, 4R, 1ER, 2H, 0BB, 1K) worked two innings of relief for the Tigers. Kelsey Gleason led the Lady Tigers’ offense with a pair of hits. Brie Patterson and Gregory both his solo home runs. Riley Mounger and Annalee Morris had the other Adairsville base hits. Adairsville (0-1) travels to Armuchee Wednesday afternoon and will host Cartersville Thursday.

The Cartersville Lady Canes softball team opened the 2022 season Monday at home with a 12-4 non-region win over Ridgeland. Ava Perkins tossed a complete game in the pitching circle allowing no earned runs on four hits and four walks. All four Panthers’ runs were unearned. Perkins struck out five. Kiley Arnold had two hits including one home run and three RBIs for Cartersville. Perkins also produced two hits including a solo home run. Jordan Bishop finished with two hits and Elizabeth Nelson added two hits with one RBI. Mikey Lewis (3 RBIs), Amelia Elrod (double, 2 RBIs), and Erin McCrary had one hit each for the Lady Canes. McKinley Chada drove in one run with a sacrifice fly. Cartersville (1-0) plays at Adairsville Thursday.

The Adairsville Tigers won the first half of last Friday’s scrimmage with Woodland, 35-18, as both teams exhibited some nice offensive efforts. Host Adairsville scored on the first play from scrimmage. Quarterback Jonathan Gough connected with Ethan Blome in the middle of the Woodland defense and Blome did the rest scampering 40 yards for a touchdown. Arthur LeFler added the PAT to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead. Chris Roper added a 45-yard touchdown run that put Adairsville up 14-0. Woodland answered with a 33-yard scoring run by Chase Carson, but the extra point failed leaving the score 14-6 with 2:49 remaining in the first quarter. Adairsville marched back down the field with their own response. The drive included a 20-yard run by Gough with the scoring play coming on a 15-yard pass from Gough to Connor Ray for a 21-6 lead with less than a minute remaining in the opening quarter. The Tigers added another touchdown on their first possession of the second quarter. Gough made a nice option pitch to Roper for a 13-yard run and a 28-6 advantage. Woodland followed with a long drive later in the period. Wildcats’ quarterback Brelace Williams connected with Jay Walker on a 42-yard pass play narrowing the margin to 28-12. Adairsville responded with an 11-play drive that was finished off with a touchdown pass to Hayden Blalock sending the teams to the intermission with the Tigers up 35-12. No score was kept in the second half, but “unofficially” Woodland scored in the third quarter on a touchdown run by Jay Walker. Adairsville’s Joseph Thorne added the only touchdown of the fourth quarter with a scoring jaunt. Adairsville now prepares for the Tigers’ regular season opener August 26 at home against Cherokee Bluff. Woodland will host a second scrimmage Friday against Lassiter. CANES TUNE UP FOR SEASON OPENER WITH SCRIMMAGES AGAINST NORTH MURRAY AND PEPPERELL Cartersville head football coach Conor Foster viewed his team’s first scrimmage of the season as a successful night as the Hurricanes faced North Murray and Pepperell this past Friday night in Lindale. The scrimmage was extended to 11 p.m. as storms moved through the area and created delays. “I thought we played well,” noted Foster. “Paul Gamble played really well and our offensive line did a good job. I thought that group imposed their will and were a highlight of the night. We started a little slowly on defense, but that group came on and ended up playing a good game.” Foster liked the way his team improved throughout the night. “I thought we got better. I was pleased at the adjustments our players and coaches made.” Cartersville now prepares for the Purple Hurricanes’ season opener at Cherokee August 19.

The Bartow County Junior Little League (14U) baseball team had its tournament run come to a close Sunday morning with a 17-2 loss to Irmo, South Carolina in an elimination game at the 2022 Southeast Regional. Bartow County went 4-0 to win the Georgia state championship and advance to the seven state Southeast Regional, but finished 1-2 in the tournament with an opening round win over Tennessee followed by losses to West Virginia and South Carolina. Sunday, Bartow managed only single runs in the first two innings as South Carolina took control. Dutch Hernandez, who started on the mound for the locals, led the Bartow offense with a pair of hits. Harrison Cole and Barrett Fuller had the only other base hits. Tyler Parker and Zaylan Cochran pitched in relief for Bartow County. Irmo advanced to play Viera/Suntree (Melbourne), Florida in a second elimination game Sunday. The winner will advance to the final three of the tournament. Loudon South (South Riding), Virginia and Jefferson County (Shenandoah Junction), West Virginia remain undefeated in the regional tournament and will square off Monday morning. The winner of that game will be in the championship round Tuesday and the loser must play an elimination game against Sunday’s Florida vs. South Carolina game. The Southeast Regional winner advances to the Junior Little League World Series August 14-21 in Taylor, Michigan. Bartow County Junior Little League (14U) finishes the year as the Georgia District 1 champions and Georgia state champs. Team members include: Isaac Burnett, Landon Cassidy, Zaylan Cochran, Harrison Cole, Hunter Dudley, Barrett Fuller, Dutch Hernandez, Elisha Moore, Tyler Parker, Hudson Parr, Brylan Reynolds, Rylan Spivey, and Lyle Woody. The team was coached by: Mike Burnett, Nick Parr, and Todd Fuller. Little League and GRPA tournament results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Cartersville Little League and Bartow County Little League plus the Cartersville and Bartow County Parks and Recreation Departments. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by The Benefit Consulting Group of Cartersville and George F. Willis Realty.