Cartersville volleyball split matches at Ringgold Thursday night defeating the host Tigers in straight sets, but fell narrowly to Northwest Whitfield in three sets. The Canes defeated Ringgold 25-13 and 26-24. Cartersville also won the opening set against Northwest Whitfield 25-22, but dropped the final two sets 25-23 and 15-2. Cartersville plays in a tournament Saturday at Calhoun High School. WOODLAND SPLITS MATCHES WITH CEDARTOWN AND CASS Woodland volleyball narrowly dropped its home match Thursday with Cedartown in three sets, but then outlasted Cass in the nightcap in another three set match. Cedartown won the opening set 25-22. Woodland took the middle set 25-22, but the visiting Bulldogs held on in the deciding set, 15-13. Delaney Tuplin had eight kills, four digs, and a pair of aces for the Lady Cats. Lili Womack totaled ten digs with one service ace. Kailynn Mullinax contributed 20 assists and one ace. Madison West had eight kills and five aces while Hailey Roach added five kills, two digs, and one ace. Woodland won the opening set against Cass 25-21 with Cass taking the second set, 25-17. The Lady Cats then won the deciding set 15-12. Tuplin had ten kills and seven digs. Womack finished with 17 assists and Roach totaled nine kills, seven digs, and one ace. ADAIRSVILLE DEFEATS ROCKMART AND GORDON CENTRAL Adairsville won a pair of matches Thursday night defeating Rockmart 25-13 and 25-16. The Tigers also swept Gordon Central 25-14 and 25-9. Richlynn Blair had seven aces and Kaylee Jordan had six kills in the win over Rockmart. Blair then had four kills and two service aces in the win over Gordon Central. Autumn Henderson, Yatorrean Hale, and Haley Stiles contributed a pair of kills each. Adairsville improves to 7-3-1 on the season and plays a tri-match Tuesday at Hiram against the Hornets and East Paulding.

Woodland softball fell behind early and never recovered Wednesday evening in an 11-2, five inning, Region 7-AAAAA loss at Calhoun. The host Yellow Jackets led 7-0 before Woodland posted two runs in the top of the fourth. Calhoun closed out the game with four more runs in the fourth inning and kept the Lady Cats off the scoreboard in the top of the fifth. Avery Greeson tossed a complete game for Calhoun to earn the victory in the circle. Paris Kirby had four hits including a double and two RBIs to pace the Jackets’ offense. Kayleigh Warren had two hits including a home run and three RBIs. Espee Reyes also contributed three RBIs on a pair of hits. Cassie Jones, who was tagged with the pitching loss for Woodland, had a hit and one RBI on offense. Michiah Hicks and Dylynn Motes also added one hit each. Lainey Baker was credited with an RBI on a sac fly. Calhoun improved to 5-3 overall and 4-0 in Region 7-AAAAA. Woodland (1-7-1, 1-4) travels to region foe Hiram Thursday for first pitch at 5:30 p.m.

The Cartersville softball team scored late runs in both games of their doubleheader at Atco Park Tuesday night to sweep the visiting Cass Colonels, 5-3 and 12-9, in Region 7-AAAAA games. In other local action, Woodland dropped both games of a doubleheader at Blessed Trinity and Adairsville was shutout by Rockmart. CARTERSVILLE 5, CASS 3 Cartersville scored three times in the bottom of the sixth in Game 1 to take a 5-2 lead on their way to a 5-3 victory. Cartersville led 2-1 through four innings but Cass tied the game in the top of the sixth. The final Cass run came in the top of the seventh on three walks and an infield error, but Kennedy Stevens got a line out double play to end the Lady Colonels’ threat. McKinley Chada and Stevens combined in the circle for the Hurricanes. Chada went the first six innings and allowed just two earned runs on six hits and two walks for the pitching win. Stevens earned a save by working a scoreless seventh inning. Chada and Ava Perkins both had three hits including one double each. Chada drove in three runs. Perkins had one RBI. Mikey Lewis followed with two hits for the Canes. Kiley Arnold, Erin McCrary, Reese Dumas (double), and Layne Callan added one hit each. Cass pitcher Rachael Lee suffered the pitching loss in a complete game effort. Lee gave up four earned runs on 12 hits and five walks. She sat down two. Haylee Dishmon had two doubles and one RBI for the Colonels. Ansley High smacked a solo home run while Eryn Lee, Rachael Lee, and Savannah Tatum (RBI) added one hit apiece. CARTERSVILLE 12, CASS 9 Cartersville posted six runs in the second inning of Tuesday night’s second game to grab an early 6-3 lead, but four by Cass in the fourth and two more in the top of the sixth knotted the score 9-9. The Lady Canes then rallied for three more runs in their half of the sixth inning to take a 12-9 lead. Cartersville pitcher Kiley Arnold then retired three of four batters faced in the bottom of the seventh to finish off a complete game effort and secure the Hurricanes’ doubleheader sweep. Arnold (7 IP, 9R, 5ER, 12H, 4BB, 2K), who also hit a three-run home run in the second inning, earned the win in the circle. Rachael Lee (3.1 IP, 5R, 2ER, 6H, 1BB, 2K) was tagged with the pitching loss for Cass in relief of starter Alexis Woods (2.2 IP, 7R, 6ER, 5H, 5BB). McKinley Chada paced the Cartersville offense with three hits including a double and two RBIs. Jordan Bishop followed with two hits including a double and three RBIs. Campbell Rogers contributed two hits including a double and one RBI. Mikey Lewis drove in a pair of runs with one hit. Reese Dumas doubled in one run and Ava Perkins added one hit. Cass pounded out a dozen hits in the nightcap loss. Ansley Hight had three hits including a fourth inning grand slam that tied the score 7-7 at the time. She finished with five RBIs in Game 2. Alexis Woods had three hits and scored four times for the Colonels. Eryn Lee finished with two hits including a double and two RBIs. Reese Howard had two hits while Saydee Najaro and Kelly Young added one safety each. Cartersville improves to 4-3 overall and 2-1 in Region 7-AAAAA. Cass slips to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in region play. The Lady Canes host Blessed Trinity Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Cass will entertain Calhoun, also in a 5:30 p.m. start. ROCKMART 7, ADAIRSVILLE 0 Adairsville managed only a pair of hits Tuesday night at Rockmart in a 7-0 loss to the Yellow Jackets. Rockmart pitcher Kaylee Huckaby tossed a complete game in the win. She walked four and struck out three. Emma Hindmon, Gracey Arnold, and Zori Williams combined for six hits and five RBIs for Rockmart. Jordan Clay (5.1 IP, 6R, 5ER, 7H, 5BB, 1K) suffered the pitching loss for the Tigers. Chelsea Bates (0.2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 2BB, 1K) retired the final two outs. Alissa Winters and Halle Chasen had one single each for Adairsville. Rockmart improved to 6-2 overall and 3-0 in Region 6-AAA action. Adairsville (3-4, 2-2) plays at LaFayette Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and at Armuchee Saturday. BLESSED TRINITY 4, WOODLAND 3 In the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader in Roswell, Blessed Trinity broke a 3-3 tie with a run in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out triple. Woodland pitcher Lainey Baker (6IP, 4R, 2ER, 8H, 1BB, 11K) was the tough-luck loser despite a solid six inning performance. Ally Fleck tossed a complete game in the Lady Titans’ win. She scattered seven hits and two walks while fanning seven. Katelin Lanier had three hits for Blessed Trinity including a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Jessica Ryan had a three hit game for the Lady Cats that included one RBI. Jordan Hammonds drove in one run with one hit. Alana Carnes tripled while Cambrie Carrington and Michiah Hicks added one hit each for Woodland. BLESSED TRINITY 4, WOODLAND 2 The Wildcats led Game 2 Tuesday night until the host Titans scored four times in the bottom of the sixth inning. Blessed Trinity used a pair of walks, three singles, and an RBI groundout to plate the go-ahead runs. Woodland scored its two runs in the first inning on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Lainey Baker and an RBI single by Alana Carnes. Michiah Hicks, Dylynn Motes, and Cambrie Carrington also had hits in the opening frame. Motes and Carrington finished with two hits each. Bitsy Hartsfield and Bailey Sakacsi added base hits for the Wildcats. Blessed Trinity improved to 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in Region 7-AAAAA. Woodland (1-6-1, 1-3) travels to Calhoun Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. start and plays at Hiram Thursday — also at 5:30 p.m.

Short-handed Woodland volleyball lost a pair of matches Tuesday night at Coahulla Creek, falling to Rome 25-15, 25-13 and the host Colts 25-20 and 25-20. The Lady Cats entered the night missing three players to quarantine protocol and then had starting setter, Kendall Condon, go down with a knee injury. Delaney Tuplin had four kills, three digs, two blocks, and an ace in the loss to Rome. Lili Womack followed with three digs and one service ace. Kailynn Mullinax contributed four assists and one dig. In the loss to Coahulla Creek, Anastyn Jones finished with two kills and four digs. Tuplin had five kills and two digs. Mullinax totaled seven assists, two kills, and one ace. Rylan Martinak added four digs, two aces, and one assist. Woodland (2-6) hosts Cedartown and Cass Thursday starting at 5 p.m.

Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars dropped a 23-21 road loss Monday night at the New Orleans Saints, but new head coach Urban Meyer will continue to rely on his No. 1 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Lawrence, who made a few impressive throws in the game, managed to only produce three points with the first team in the first half of play. There were multiple bright spots in the former Cartersville Hurricanes’ performance including his management in a two minute drill. Lawrence played only 15 snaps in the Jags’ opening preseason encounter against the Cleveland Browns. Monday night, he played the entire first half — six possessions — and compiled 14 completions on 23 attempts for 113 yards. He also had no turnovers despite a harassing Saints defense that put a lot of pressure on the rookie quarterback. The stats show only one sack, but the level of pressure on the signal caller was present much more often. Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault were Lawrence’s favorite targets. The two combined for nine of his 14 completions. Lawrence also scrambled for a first down on a third-and-8 midway through the second quarter. Jacksonville plays its third preseason game Sunday afternoon at the Dallas Cowboys.

A pair of local high school softball teams picked up victories Monday night. Cartersville handed Pepperell its first loss of the season in non-region action while Adairsville collected its second Region 6-AAA win.f CARTERSVILLE 2, PEPPERELL 1 Cartersville softball scored twice in the bottom of the first to overcome an early 1-0 deficit and that was enough for Canes’ pitcher Kiley Arnold and the defense in a 2-1 win. Arnold tossed a seven inning complete game. She allowed just a single, unearned run on three hits. The hurler did not issue any walks and fanned six. McKinley Chada had two hits and drove in both Canes’ runs. Arnold and Erin McCrary had one hit each for Cartersville. It was the first loss of the season for Pepperell (4-1). Cartersville (2-3, 0-1) hosts Cass Tuesday in a Region 7-AAAAA doubleheader at Atco Park. ADAIRSVILLE 7, COAHULLA CREEK 4 The Adairsville softball team took a 5-3 lead with two runs in the bottom of the third inning Monday night and added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth inning on their way to a 7-4 Region 6-AAA victory over Coahulla Creek in Tiger Valley. Tigers pitcher Chelsea Bates tossed a complete game in the win. The hurler scattered six hits and eight walks allowing four earned runs. Bates struck out two. Kelsey Gleason had two hits including a double and two RBIs. Halle Chase also finished with a pair of hits. McKenzie Pullam, whose solo home run gave Adairsville a 3-2 lead in the second inning, finished with three RBIs. Makayla Wade contributed a triple. Jordan Clay (RBI), Alissa Winters, and Taylor Evans added one hit each for the Tigers. The loss dropped the visiting Colts to 1-4 overall and 1-3 in region play. Adairsville (3-3, 2-1) plays at Rockmart Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

Former Cartersville High School pitcher Sam Howard made a pair of rehab appearances this past week for the Pirates' Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians while former Hurricane Connor Justus was transferred for a second time this season from Double-A to Triple-A. Anthony Seigler remains on the IL for the Hudson Valley Renegades and Cartersville native Luke Schiltz made a pair of pitching appearances during the week for the Arizona Complex League Rangers. SAM HOWARD — Pittsburgh Pirates (8th-year pro; Cartersville HS) … the 28-year-old was sent to the Indianapolis Indians last Tuesday to begin a rehab assignment. Howard has been out of action since July 9 recovering from a right oblique strain. Tuesday the southpaw reliever was inserted in the sixth inning where he faced four batters. He did not allow a run, but gave up one hit and a walk with one strikeout in an Indianapolis 7-1 loss to the Toledo Mudhens. Howard then pitched in the seventh and eighth innings Friday night earning a hold in the Indians 5-0 win. He did not allow a baserunner and struck out two. The former Georgia Southern pitcher is 2-2 in 29 and 2/3 innings this season at the Major League level across 38 appearances. He has nine holds with a 5.76 ERA and 41 strikeouts. CONNOR JUSTUS — Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (6th-year pro; Miami Marlins organization; Cartersville HS)… was reassigned for a second time this season last Tuesday from Double-A Pensacola to Triple-A Jacksonville. The infielder started at third base for the Shrimp Friday night. He finished 0-for-2 at the plate with one walk in a 3-0 loss at the Triple-A East, Southeast Division leading Durham Bulls. Jacksonville (53-43) is 8.5 games back in the division and travels to Norfolk for a six game series through Sunday with the Tides. LUKE SCHILTZ - ACL Rangers (Texas Rangers organization; 3rd year pro; Cartersville native; Stoneman Douglas HS, FL). . . made pitching appearances last Tuesday and Thursday for a total of 2-1/3 innings without allowing a run. He issued one walk in each appearance and gave up one hit, but recorded two strikeouts against Royals Blue and fanned three facing the Mariners. Schiltz has now appeared in seven games with a 9.82 ERA. The ACL Rangers are 17-20 and in tenth place in the 18-team rookie level league. ANTHONY SEIGLER — Hudson Valley Renegades (4th-year pro; New York Yankees organization; Cartersville HS)… the 22-year-old, 2018 draft first round pick remains on the 7-day injured list and has not appeared in a game since August 5. For 2021, the switch hitter has a .219 batting average in 151 official at-bats. He has four home runs and 24 RBIs. Hudson Valley remains in first place in the High A East North Division. The Renegades (60-35) lead Aberdeen by 11 games and plays at the Winston-Salem Dash this week in a six-game series through Sunday.

North Cobb softball took an early 5-0 lead over Cartersville Saturday at Atco Park and eventually held on for a 6-3 rain-shortened and non-region win over the Lady Canes. The two teams were originally scheduled for a doubleheader before showers shortened the day. Cartersville scored single runs in the second and fourth innings to narrow the margin to 4-2 before the two teams swapped single runs in the sixth inning. Samantha Mathews collected the pitching win for the Warriors allowing two unearned runs on five hits and two walks. Mathews struck out five and added a double at the plate for the North Cobb offense. Aubrey King had two hits for North Cobb. Riliegh Queen added three RBIs with one hit and a sacrifice fly. Ava Perkins (1.1 IP, 5R, 3ER, 1H, 3BB) was tagged with the pitching loss for the Lady Canes. Kennedy Stevens (4.2 IP, 1ER, 4H, 4BB, 2K) also took the circle for Cartersville. Perkins finished with two hits including a double. She also stole two bases. Campbell Rogers also produced a pair of hits including a triple. Erin McCrary also finished with two hits and one RBI. Mikey Lewis, Marly Pruitt, and Amelia Elrod added one hit each for the Hurricanes. North Cobb improved to 5-3 with the win. Cartersville (1-3, 0-1) hosts a Region 7-AAAAA doubleheader with Cass Tuesday at 5 p.m.

The Cartersville cross country teams got their 2021 season underway Saturday by competing in the Pickens Preview hosted by Pickens High School at Roper Park in Jasper. The Cartersville boys placed ninth of 23 teams while the Lady Canes finished 14th of 20 competing teams. Cambridge High School won the girls race followed by South Forsyth and Etowah. Carmel Yonas of South Forsyth was the individual winner completing the 5K course in 19:28.6 ahead of 155 other runners. Cartersville was led by freshman Kaylana Pennington-Brooke (51st, 23:04.4). She was followed by teammates: Samantha Herrera (58th, 23:35.1), Elizabeth Nelson (89th, 24:36.2), Trinity Atkins (93rd, 24:47.6), and Grace Smith (100th, 25:12.0) as the top five Lady Canes runners. The boys race was won by West Forsyth ahead of Etowah and South Forsyth. Sequoyah, Gainesville, Cambridge, and Centennial placed just ahead of Cartersville with Lassiter rounding out the top ten. Ben Bergy of South Forsyth won the individual race in 16:05.6. There were 205 harriers in the competition. Sam Peters led Cartersville, placing 14th overall in 17:03.4. The remainder of the Canes’ top five included: Levi Booth (44th, 18:16.6), Malachi Vosburgh (55th, 18:27.4), Cainen Crowder (83rd, 19:01.7), and Paul Hyman (85th, 19:11.0). Next on the Cartersville schedule is the 15th annual Run at the Rock on September 4 hosted on the campus of Woodland High School.

All four Bartow County football teams earned opening night wins Friday with Woodland overwhelming Gordon Central 43-9; Adairsville winning at Chattooga 35-14; Cartersville blanking visiting Morrow 55-0; and Cass winning at Dawson County 27-19. Wildcats overwhelm Warriors, 43-9 The Woodland Wildcats scored 35 unanswered points in a variety of ways during the second and third quarters Friday night to overwhelm the visiting Gordon Central Warriors, 43-9. Woodland led 8-0 at the end of the first quarter and was up 8-3 near the midway point of the second quarter before reeling off five unanswered touchdowns in the rout. Freshman running back Isaiah Livsey capped a 10-play, 64 yard drive in the first quarter for the Wildcats first score with 2:03 remaining in the period. Chase Carson tossed a two-point conversion pass to Harlin Morris from the ‘swinging gate’ extra point formation to give the hosts an 8-0 lead. A fumbled punt set up Gordon Central at the Woodland 15 yard line, but the Wildcats’ defense stiffened to keep the Warriors out of the end zone. Allen Garcia connected on a 29-yard field goal to narrow the Woodland lead to 8-3 with 7:41 remaining in the second quarter. Carson then started the Woodland rally by returning the ensuing kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead with 7:26 left in the first half. Woodland’s Jaeden Smith picked off a Gordon Central pass on the next possession and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown. He also added a two-point conversion run taking a pitch from the Wildcats’ same ‘swinging gate’ extra point formation. On Woodland’s next possession, sophomore quarterback Brelace Williams connected with freshman Adarrian Wilson for a 36-yard touchdown pass and a 29-3 halftime lead following a PAT kick by Chris Sanchez. Gordon Central attempted an onside kick to start the second half, but the effort backfired and turned into a Woodland touchdown. Lineman Jeremiah Rhodes fielded the bouncing kick on the dead run and raced untouched for 47 yards and a kickoff return for a score. Another Sanchez kick gave Woodland a 36-3 lead only eight seconds into the second half. Woodland’s longest drive of the game came on their next possession. Asa James had three chunk yardage runs to move the Wildcats quickly down the field. Heath Tatum finished off the 91-yard drive with a 7-yard run and a 43-3 lead following a third PAT kick by Sanchez. Gordon Central added a 1-yard touchdown run by Sean Gray in the waning seconds of the third quarter against mostly Woodland reserves. The Warriors 24-yard drive was set up by a fumble. The extra point failed leaving the score 43-9. A scoreless fourth quarter saw both teams play many reserves under a running clock. Gordon Central (0-1) travels to Northwest Whitfield next Friday. Woodland (1-0) travels to Marietta to take on the Osborne Cardinals in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Second half surge lifts Tigers to win at Chattooga Following a scoreless first half, Adairsville exploded for five second half touchdowns as the Tigers won at Chattooga, 35-14. It was a long return of the opening second half kickoff that sparked the Tigers. Eli Agnew’s long return set up Adairsville’s first touchdown two plays later. Coach Eric Bishop called for a pooch kick on the ensuing kickoff that Ethan Blome recovered for the Tigers -- the first of two such kicks recovered by Blome on the night. On the next play, sophomore quarterback Jonathan Gough connected with Grayson Belcher for a 41-yard touchdown and Adairsville suddenly led 14-0. Gough added a 23-yard touchdown pass to Chris Roper in the third quarter and threw for a pair of two-point conversions in the contest. He finished 9-for-14 for 172 yards in his first start. Roper caught three passes for 55 yards and added 22 rushing yards. Caden Copeland contributed a nine yard touchdown run for the Tigers and Agnew returned an interception 77 yards for a pick-six. Adairsville (1-0) will host Cass next Friday night in a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. Canes saddle Mustangs with shutout The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes cruised past visiting Morrow with seven rushing touchdowns and four safeties Friday night at Weinman Stadium to win 55-0. Malachi Jeffries scored three rushing touchdowns. Khristian Lando ran for two scores while Keylan McCarty and Paul Gamble added one touchdown run each. Meanwhile, the Canes’ defense was dominant with head coach Conor Foster praising the play of the entire defensive unit. He was especially impressed with the opening night play of Nasir Grandberry, Ben Robinson, and Chris Ryan. Cartersville led 42-0 at halftime with quarterback Jake Parker credited by Foster for being consistent and confident in leading his team. Cartersville (1-0) travels to West Forsyth next Friday for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. The Wolverines were 38-8 winners over Carver-Atlanta Wednesday. The game was part of the 2021 Corky Kell Classic. Colonels pull out road win at Dawson County Devin Henderson threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third score as the Cass Colonels came from behind to win at Dawson County, 27-19. Henderson had a 14-yard scoring strike to Tino Jones late in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead and connected with Sacovie White late in the third quarter from 16-yards out that put the Colonels ahead 20-16. The sophomore quarterback’s 9-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter gave Cass a 27-19 advantage with just 5:48 remaining. Class AA preseason all-state quarterback Zach Holtzclaw kept the host Tigers close throughout. Holtzclaw scored on a 1-yard keeper early in the second quarter to make the score 7-6 at the time. He also tossed a 51-yard touchdown pass with 7:09 left in the third quarter that put Dawson up 16-13. The Tigers’ had a PAT kick blocked following their first touchdown, but took a 9-7 lead at halftime with a 39-yard field goal and went ahead 20-19 early in the fourth period with a 32-yard field goal. "It was Freddie Gbadie and Devin Henderson basically all the way down the field on that final drive,” said Cass head coach Steve Gates following the game. "We ran power read over and over. Freddie would take it a couple of times. Devin would pull it a couple of times. Freddie would take it again and Devin would keep it. It was working and they didn’t adjust to it, so we just kept calling it.” Ultimately, it was the Cass defense that sealed the victory. Dawson’s final possession ended when Ian Lowe stripped Dawson quarterback Holtzclaw and Tripp Adams recovered the loose ball to secure the Colonels’ 27-19 win. Cass (1-0) makes the short trip to Adairsville next Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Adairsville volleyball swept both Woodland and Gordon Central in straight sets Thursday night in Calhoun while Woodland won a straight sets victory over the host Warriors. Adairsville defeated Woodland 25-19, 25-18 and topped Gordon Central 25-12, 25-4. Woodland beat Gordon Central 25-23, 25-20. In Adairsville’s win over Woodland, Kaylee Jordan had three aces, three digs, and one kill. Bailey Weaver finished with four blocks and one ace. Autumn Henderson totaled four kills and one ace. Yatorrean Hale contributed two blocks, two kills, and one dig. Richlyn Blair had a pair of service aces and one kill. Haley Stiles added two kills and Jenna Claire Hendley finished with one kill. Delaney Tuplin had seven kills and four digs for Woodland in the loss. Anastyn Jones and had four kills, two aces, and two digs. Kendall Condon finished with 16 assists, five digs, and two kills while Kailynn Mullinax had four kills, and two digs. In the Tigers’ win over Gordon Central, Stiles had seven kills and one assist. Hale finished with six kills, one block and one dig. Annie McCormick totaled 16 assists, four digs, and three aces. Blair contributed five aces and one dig. Henderson had three kills, two aces, and two blocks. Jordan had four kills and two digs. Bailey Weaver added four digs. “We played well tonight,” said Adairsville head coach Kaylie Vaughn Martin. “We got to pull up two players due to an injury and they held their own in the varsity setting. Addie Pearson stepped in setting and Jenna Claire Hendley took the role of right side. Annie McCormick had a big night offensively with multiple assists and a long stretch of serving against Gordon Central.” In Woodland’s victory over Gordon Central, Lili Womack had 12 digs and two aces for the Lady Cats. Delaney Tuplin finished with six kills, three aces, and three digs. Anastyn Jones totaled six kills, four digs, and three aces. Kendall Condon contributed 14 assists while Madison West added two kills, two aces, and two digs. “We’re pretty banged up and did not play with high energy,” said Woodland coach David Condon. “I hate making excuses like that, but we still actually executed relatively well during stetches in both matches despite all of that. It's tough of course, because I know the girls care, but it's definitely hard to keep high-level mental focus whenever five of your regular players are not all the way healthy.” Adairsville (6-3-1) plays in the Coosa Invitational this weekend. Woodland (2-4) travels to Coahulla Creek Tuesday where the Lady Cats will also play Rome.

Crosstown rivals Woodland and Cass split a Region 7-AAAAA softball doubleheader Wednesday night at the Cass Athletic Complex with the Colonels winning the first game 9-4 and the Wildcats taking the nightcap, 11-6. In the opener, Woodland held early leads of 2-1 in the first inning and 4-2 after three frames before Cass rallied for seven unanswered runs and a 9-4 win. Rachael Lee worked a complete game in the circle for the pitching win. The Lady Colonels’ hurler scattered seven hits and two walks while yielding three earned runs. She struck out four. Ansley Hight had two hits including a fifth inning, three-run homer that gave Cass an 8-4 lead. Saydee Najarro followed with a pair of hits and also had three RBIs. Alexis Woods finished with two hits including a double and Haylee Dishmon also contributed a pair of hits. Darianna Sosa added one hit and one RBI. Eryn Lee had one hit and Rachael Lee was credited with one RBI. Michiah Hicks paced the Woodland offense with four hits including a double. Dylan Motes had two hits including a two-run home run in the third inning. Cassie Jones finished with a pair of hits while Mackenzie Araya and Jordan Hammonds added one hit apiece. Lainey Baker (4.2 IP, 9R 5ER, 10H, 1BB, 4K) was tagged with the pitching loss for Woodland. Peyton Dorn (1.1 IP, 1BB, 1K) took the circle in relief for the final four outs. In the nightcap, Woodland scored four times in the third, added three more runs in the fourth, and capped their win with four more runs in the seventh to defeat Cass 11-6. Dorn (7 IP, 6ER, 8H, 4BB, 1K) went the distance in the pitching circle for the Wildcats’ win and the Woodland offense pounded out 11 hits. Cambrie Carrington led the Lady Cats with three hits and one RBI. Jones (3 RBI) and Dorn followed with two hits each. Hammonds (2 RBI) Bitsy Hartsfield (RBI), and Hicks provided one hit apiece. Cass utilized three pitchers in the loss. Rachael Lee (3 IP, 4ER, 3H, 3BB), Najarro (1 IP, 3ER, 0H, 5BB, 1K), and Woods (3 IP, 4R, 2ER, 6H, 3BB) all pitched for the Colonels. Rachael Lee paced the Cass offense with three hits and stole a base. Kelly Young followed with a pair of hits. Sosa doubled in two runs. Hight contributed a triple and two RBIs. Dishmon (RBI) and Reese Howard added the other Lady Colonel hits. Cass (3-2, 1-1) travels to Blessed Trinity Thursday for a 5 p.m. start. Woodland (2-4, 1-1) plays at Calhoun Thursday in a 5:30 p.m. start.