The 2021 post-season got off to a rough start for the top-seeded Georgia Highlands Chargers baseball team Sunday evening at LakePoint. Opening the double-elimination Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association tournament at home, the Chargers lost to 4th-seeded East Georgia State 14-7. While the loss did not eliminate the Chargers, it did send them to the loser’s bracket and take away any opportunity of home field advantage for the remainder of the tournament. East Georgia grabbed a 4-0 lead in the top of the second Sunday and never trailed. Georgia Highlands narrowed the lead to 4-3 over the next two innings, but the Bobcats extended their lead to 9-3 in the fourth. The Chargers climbed back into the game and slimmed the East Georgia lead to 9-7 in the sixth inning, but the Bobcats extended their lead again with a five-run seventh inning to build their 14-7 advantage. GHC loaded the bases in the eighth inning as another threat, but came up scoreless in the frame and ultimately fell by the 14-7 score. Starting pitcher Conner Perry (3 IP, 6R, 4ER, 7H, 5K) suffered the pitching loss. Caleb Garner (3.1 IP, 8R, 4ER, 6H, 3BB, 2K) and Chandler Wood (2.2 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 4K) pitched in relief for Georgia Highlands. In the loss, the Chargers actually out hit East Georgia fifteen to fourteen. Connor Todaro had three hits including a double and one RBI. Max Kops finished with three hits and one RBI. Joe Sutton had two hits including a solo home run. Trenton Parker totaled two hits including a double and two RBIs. Trace Twardoski and Zayd Brannigan also contributed two hits each. Brandon Prince added one hit and one RBI. The loss for Georgia Highlands was their fourth straight and seventh loss in the last eight games. The Chargers (39-14) dropped their final three regular season games to Gordon State and lost three of four to ABAC in the previous series. With Sunday’s win, East Georgia State (31-20) advances in the winner’s bracket and will play at No. 3-seed Andrew College (33-22-1) Tuesday. Georgia Highlands will now play No. 2-seed Gordon State (30-20) in an elimination game Tuesday with the survivor to play the East Georgia vs. Andrew loser in another elimination game. Both of those elimination games will be played at Andrew College on Tuesday.

The Cartersville boys golf team won the North Georgia High School Classic Saturday at the 6,741 yard, par 72 Achasta Golf Club in Dahlonega. The Canes, who shot a team total even par 288 in Saturday’s second round, finished the 36-hole event seven shots ahead of first round leader Gainesville. Milton placed third in the 17-team tournament. Buck Brumlow finished first overall in a playoff after firing rounds of 65-67 for a 12-under par total. The University of Georgia signee defeated Jake Peacock of Cambridge High School in the playoff. Camden Meadows tied for 12th place for the Canes with rounds of 75-73. Jake Lawson tied for 15th shooting 78-72. Jake Wehunt finished in a tie for 20th with a 78-74 finish and Blane Davis tied for 36th with rounds of 81-76. There were 105 players in the tournament. Next for Cartersville is the state tournament at Green Island Country Club in Columbus May 17 and 18.

Game times are now set for the Purple Hurricanes' GHSA Class AAAAA Elite Eight series at Ware County. Cartersville (26-8) will square off with the Gators (19-10) Monday in a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. The second game of the doubleheader will follow. If a rubber game is needed, Game 3 would be played Tuesday at Ware County at 5 p.m. Cartersville, ranked fourth in Class 5A and runner-up in Region 7-AAAAA, swept Chapel Hill in the first round 4-1 and 11-2 before dispatching Decatur Wednesday in the second round with back-to-back 4-3 wins. Ware County, runner-up from Region 1-AAAAA, also advanced through the first two rounds in two game sweeps. The Gators defeated Union Grove 9-1 and 7-2 and swept McIntosh 6-1 and 5-1. The winner of the Cartersville/Ware County series will play at the winner of the Greenbrier (26-5) vs. Starr's Mill (25-9) series in the semifinals May 15 (and 17 if needed). Greenbrier and Starr's Mill are both No. 1-seeds. The other quarterfinal series on the opposite half of the bracket include St. Pius (28-10) at Wayne County (28-6) and Loganville (26-8) at Harris County (23-12).

The Georgia Highlands College softball team shutout visiting Andrew College twice Thursday afternoon at Stars Field and advanced to the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association semifinals. The Chargers won the opening game in the best-of-three opening round series 3-0 and completed the sweep in the second game, 6-0. In the first game, Madison Bennett hit a solo home run and Madeline Hairston hit a two-run homer later in the first inning for all the runs scored in the game. Those runs turned out to be more than enough for GHC pitcher Montana Ledbetter who scattered three hits and three walks across seven shutout innings. Ledbetter struck out seven. Lacey Rutledge, Hailey Cronic, Bradey Tharp, and Kyndal Brown also had hits for the Chargers in the opening win. In Game 2, Georgia Highlands racked up thirteen hits and pitcher Madelyn Morton hurled another complete game shutout. Morton scattered three hits and a walk while fanning four. Rutledge finished with three hits including a home run, a double, and three RBIs. Allison Daffron also totaled three hits. Taryn Hitchcock had two hits and one RBI. Brown contributed a double. Bennett, Cronic, Tharp, and Alexis Poole added one hit apiece. The season ends for Andrew College with an 11-44 record. Georgia Highlands (22-19) advances and will play the GCAA semifinal series at No. 2-seed Georgia Military College starting Tuesday, May 11.

The Cartersville Purple Hurricanes pulled out a pair of dramatic 4-3 wins Wednesday evening at 2nd-ranked Decatur to win their GHSA Class 5A best-of-three state playoff second round series over the Bulldogs at McKoy Park. The two victories means Cartersville baseball has now advanced to the Elite Eight 22 times since 1996. The Canes rode strong pitching performances and produced timely runs in both games to reach the 2021 state quarterfinals. In their Game 1 win, the Canes never led until their final offensive frame but pulled out an exciting one-run win. Cartersville starting pitcher Micah Earwood (9-1) put together another outstanding performance winning his ninth consecutive decision and his second of the postseason. Earwood hurled six innings allowing three earned runs on four hits and a pair of walks. He fanned eleven, pushing his season strikeout number over the century mark. Decatur held leads of 1-0 and 3-1 but the Hurricanes came back each time. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third on a solo home run by Levi Clark. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes remained hitless until the top of the fifth inning when Elliott Eastin tied the game with a solo home run of his own. Decatur starting pitcher Brady Jones (6 IP, 3ER, 5H, 4BB, 7K) made things difficult for the Canes with a strong start but left the game without a decision. The Bulldogs regained a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth. A walk, hit batsman, and a pair of singles by Mekhi Lloyd and Dysan McCray plated Decatur’s second run. A sac fly by Brady Jones gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead. The Canes responded to tie the game for a second time in the top of the sixth. Hank Smith walked to open the inning and Parker McPherson followed with a long, two-run home run to knot the score, 3-3. Cartersville grabbed its first lead in the top of the seventh. Curt Bonner doubled into left field and Smith followed with what would be the game winning RBI single and a 4-3 lead. The Canes turned to reliever Davis Williams to close out the Bulldogs in the seventh inning. Williams hit a batter and intentionally walked one, but struck out the side to secure the save. In addition to the Cartersville hits previously mentioned in the opening game, Blake Sutton, Harrison Childers, and Paul Gamble had base hits. In the series clinching win, the Hurricanes led the entire way but the Bulldogs refused to go down easily. Cartersville scored twice in the first inning without benefit of a base hit. A pair of walks, a hit batsman, and a fielder’s choice plated the early go-ahead runs. Decatur cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the second with a single, two stolen bases, and a wild pitch, but the Canes answered that run with one of their own — again without a base hit. Two walks and a hit batsman loaded the bases with no outs. A groundout double play followed but a run scored giving Cartersville a 3-1 lead. Parker McPherson led off the Canes’ fourth inning with a double, moved to third after a hit batsman and a walk, then scored on a wild pitch for a 4-1 Canes advantage. Decatur scored twice in the fifth inning on an error and back-to-back singles of Cartersville starting pitcher Phillip Schiltz, but Gunner Millsap was inserted and recorded a strikeout to end the threat preserving a 4-3 lead. From there Canes head coach Kyle Tucker turned to shut down reliever Davis Williams who retired the Bulldogs in order in the sixth and seventh innings for a two-inning save. Schiltz tossed 4 and 2/3 innings in his start allowing three runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks. He struck out seven. Millsap struck out the only batter he faced in the fifth inning and Williams struck out three in a pair of 1-2-3 frames. Curt Bonner and McPherson had the only Cartersville base hits with Elliott Eastin driving in two runs. The Canes took advantage of six walks and were hit by pitches five times. The two losses for Decatur halted a 21-game win streak for the Bulldogs. The hosts finished their season with a 28-6 record. Cartersville improved to 26-8 with their second straight playoff sweep. The Canes advance to the Class 5A quarterfinals where they must travel to Ware County. That series will begin with a doubleheader in Waycross on Monday. Start time to be announced. Ware County swept McIntosh in their second round series with 6-1 and 5-1 finals. In other Class 5A action, Calhoun was eliminated by Greenbrier 6-2 and 2-0. Starr’s Mill swept Coffee 9-5 and 8-0 and Wayne County defeated Northside-Columbus Monday and Tuesday in three games. Northside won the middle game 1-0. Wayne had 8-7 and 8-0 wins. The three other second round series in Class 5A will be decided Thursday after splitting doubleheaders Wednesday. Those three series include top-ranked Blessed Trinity hosting St. Pius, Harris County at Ola, and Loganville at North Springs.

The Cartersville boys soccer team had their season come to an end Wednesday night in the GHSA Class 5A state quarterfinals with a 6-1 loss at Woodward Academy. The host War Eagles led 2-0 early and 2-1 at halftime. Joel Zazueta scored the Cartersville goal in about the 37th minute. Woodward Academy put the game away in the second half with four unanswered goals. The War Eagles (16-2-1) advance to the state semifinals and will play Starr’s Mill who edged Johnson-Gainesville Wednesday night, 2-1. The Hurricanes’ season ends with a 10-6-1 mark.

ATHLETES BEYOND BARTOW With the congested collegiate schedule starting to wind down, the professional athletes from Bartow County got to take center stage this past week. Most notably, Cartersville High legend Trevor Lawrence became the first athlete from the county drafted No. 1 overall in any of the major sports. The Jacksonville Jaguars selected the standout quarterback Thursday night, ending months (years, even) of speculation that Lawrence would be the top pick in the 2021 NFL draft. It should also be pointed out that Lawrence's former high school teammate Miller Forristall signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. The 6-foot-5, 244-pound former quarterback posted 23 receptions for 253 yards and one touchdown during his redshirt senior year. In his Alabama career, which included winning two national championships, Forristall recorded 44 catches, totaling 505 yards and five scores. In baseball, Sam Howard has received plenty of attention in this space for his exploits over the first month of the MLB season — and rightfully so. But it's time to give a look to the minor league players from the area, particularly those whose seasons are set to begin Tuesday. That includes former Canes Connor Justus, who recently signed with the Miami Marlins organization and will start out at Double-A Pensacola, and Anthony Seigler, who will begin the year with the New York Yankees' High-A affiliate Hudson Valley. Not to be outdone, A.J. Mosby remained on fire to begin his tenure with the Shreveport Mustangs of The Basketball League. A former member of the NBA G League, Mosby totaled 51 points, 17 rebounds and 15 assists across two games this past weekend. PRO BASEBALL Sam Howard (Pittsburgh Pirates; 8th-year pro; Cartersville HS) — Howard tossed a scoreless eighth inning last Tuesday with one strikeout to earn his fifth hold of the year as the Pirates won 2-1 at home over the Kansas City Royals. In Saturday’s 12-5 home loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, Howard was inserted with one out in the sixth inning with the Pirates trailing 5-3 and a base runner at third. The southpaw got a strikeout and a fly out to end the frame. He then started the seventh inning, issuing a walk and a single before being lifted. Unfortunately, both of those runners were his responsibility and scored later in the inning to elevate his season ERA from 1.80 to 3.38 in 10 2/3 innings across 14 relief appearances. Connor Justus (Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Miami Marlins organization; 6th-year pro; Cartersville HS) — The former Cartersville Purple Hurricane and Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket recently signed a minor league contract with the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Justus, who last played for the Independent League St. Paul Saints, signed with the Los Angeles Angels organization in 2016 and spent four seasons with Inland Empire and Mobile prior to being released. The utility infielder signed with the Marlins organization April 21. Pensacola will play in the newly formed Double-A South League that will include the Biloxi Shuckers, Mississippi Braves, Montgomery Biscuits, Birmingham Barons, Chattanooga Lookouts, Rocket City Trash Pandas and Tennessee Smokies. The schedule will include weekly six-game series (Tuesday through Sunday) which were slated to begin Tuesday. League play runs through mid-September. Anthony Seigler (Hudson Valley Renegades, New York Yankees organization; 4th-year pro; Cartersville HS) — The Yankees 2018 first-round pick was recently assigned to the High-Class A affiliate Renegades, who play their home games in Wappingers Falls, New York. Seigler, who will wear No. 74, has battled some injuries during his professional career, spending time with the Gulf Coast League Yankees West, with Pulaski in the Appalachian League and with the Low-Class A Charleston RiverDogs. Hudson Valley was scheduled to begin play Tuesday at the Jersey Shore Blueclaws. COLLEGE BASEBALL Mason Barnett (Auburn So., Cartersville HS) — Barnett pitched the sixth inning in a 4-0 loss Thursday at 20th-ranked Georgia. Barnett gave up a pair of earned runs on two hits, including a home run, and a walk, while striking out two of the six batters he faced. Auburn (19-21, 5-16 SEC) bounced back Friday and Saturday to win their first conference series since April 2019. The Tigers were slated to host UAB Tuesday night before entertaining LSU Thursday through Saturday. Clifton Dempsey (Toccoa Falls Sr., Cartersville HS) — Dempsey finished 3-for-7, including a double, a run scored and one RBI in Saturday’s doubleheader split at home against Alice Lloyd College (Kentucky). The Screaming Eagles (14-24) will play next and host the National Christian College Athletic Association Division II South Region Tournament May 13-15. Jake Gooch (Central Alabama CC So., Cartersville HS) — Gooch started three of four games for the Trojans last week and was hitless in a series with Wallace State-Hanceville. In 50 games this season, Gooch hit .311 with 43 RBIs. Central Alabama (23-33, 11-21) did not qualify for the Alabama Community College Conference playoffs. Lane Griffith (West Georgia Sr., Adairsville HS) — Griffith started in two of three home wins against Christian Brothers over the weekend. Griffith was 1-for-7 at the plate with a double, three walks, three runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base. The Wolves catcher has started in 29 games and appeared in 33 this season with a .303 batting average in 128 plate appearances. He has two home runs and 19 RBIs. Seventh-seeded West Georgia (18-21, 17-19) takes on No. 2 seed West Florida Friday in both teams’ first-round game of the double-elimination Gulf South Conference championship tournament at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama. Brycen Jones (Central Alabama CC Fr., Cartersville HS) — Jones pitched 1 2/3 innings Saturday allowing three runs (two earned) on one hit and two walks in an 11-5 Trojans loss at Wallace State-Hanceville. For the season, Jones made 19 appearances, including one start, and finished with a 2-1 record. He worked 25 2/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA and 24 strikeouts. Kenny Jinks (Shorter So., Woodland HS) — Jinks worked 2 2/3 scoreless innings last Monday in the Hawks’ season finale — a 13-11 home loss to Union (Tennessee). Jinks gave up a pair of hits and a walk, while striking out six of 12 batters faced in the appearance. The lefty finished the regular season with a 3.60 ERA in five innings pitched. Shorter (26-13, 23-13) heads to the Gulf South Conference tournament this Friday in Oxford, Alabama. The Hawks will be the No. 3 seed and will open the double-elimination tournament bracket against Alabama-Huntsville. Harrison Osborn (Point Jr., Cartersville HS) — Osborn gave up seven earned runs on six hits, including a home run, in a third-inning appearance during a Skyhawks 15-0 loss last Tuesday at fifth-ranked Faulkner. He then bounced back with a scoreless inning Saturday, facing five batters, in a 9-5 loss to 17th-ranked Bryan College. Point (22-22, 15-14) were slated to compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Tuesday through Friday in Kingsport, Tennessee. Preston Welchel (Coastal Alabama-Bay Minette Fr., Cartersville HS) — Welchel went 1-for-5 with a home run, two walks, and three RBIs in a home doubleheader Friday with Lurleen B. Wallace CC. Welchel finished the regular season with a .305 batting average. He has four home runs and 34 RBIs with six stolen bases. The Sun Chiefs (23-32, 15-17) qualified for the Alabama Community College Conference Tournament as the South’s No. 5 seed. Coastal-Bay Minette has a single-elimination game Thursday against Southern Union, with the winner qualifying for the double-elimination portion of the bracket that runs Friday through next Tuesday. Jordan Wilkie (Augusta Fr., Cartersville HS) — Wilkie made a start at second base Friday, finishing 0-for-3 during a 7-0 loss at Young Harris. Wilkie appeared in 19 games this season with a .156 batting average in 45 at bats. He had a double, four walks, and two RBIs. Augusta finished the year 8-28 overall and 7-27 in the Peach Belt Conference. PRO BASKETBALL A.J. Mosby (Shreveport Mavericks; Cartersville HS) — Mosby continued his torrid pace in The Basketball League with two more stellar performances over the weekend. The Alcorn State product flirted with a triple-double in a victory over Lewisville (Texas), finishing with 17 points and nine each of rebounds and assists. Mosby followed that up with 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a loss to Houston. PRO FOOTBALL Miller Forristall (Tennessee Titans; Cartersville HS) — Following the conclusion of the NFL draft Saturday, Forristall agreed to sign with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent. The former Alabama tight end recorded 44 catches, 505 receiving yards and five touchdowns across parts of five seasons — two of which ended with national championships. Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars; Cartersville HS) — The former No. 1 prospect in the country became the top overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, landing with the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday night. Lawrence, who won two state titles at Cartersville and added a national championship at Clemson, is the third Bartow County football player to be selected as a top-10 pick since 2005, joining Ronnie Brown and Vic Beasley Jr. During his three seasons with the Tigers, Lawrence threw for more than 10,000 yards and ran for just under 1,000. He tossed 80 touchdown passes and cemented his status as a legitimate rushing threat with more scores on the ground (18) than interceptions (17). SOCCER Havyn Isaac (Georgia Military So., Adairsville HS) — Isaac and the Bulldogs suffered a 1-0 loss last Wednesday at South Georgia. SOFTBALL Bella Carnes (Georgia College Fr., Woodland HS) — Carnes stole a base and scored a run as a pinch runner in Saturday’s 10-8 win at Flagler College. She saw action in 22 games as a freshman with the Bobcats — mostly as a pinch runner. She did have a handful of starts as an outfielder and made 35 plate appearances. She finished with a pair of hits, five walks, seven runs scored and two stolen bases. Georgia College finished 2021 with an 11-25 record and missed the Peach Belt Conference playoffs with a 5-15 conference record. Skylar Chappell (Cottey College So., Woodland HS) — In the final games of the regular season Saturday, Chappell went 0-for-2 in a doubleheader loss at Science and Arts (Oklahoma). She has a .357 batting average with four home runs and 13 RBIs this season in 28 at-bats. The Comets (25-9) play Thursday in the opening round of the Association of Independent Institutions tournament. Cottey squares off with Edward Waters (Florida). The tournament continues through Saturday at Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. Lauren McElhaney (West Georgia Fr., Cartersville HS) — McElhaney saw action in a doubleheader loss Saturday at Mississippi College. McElhaney had an at bat in the first game as a pinch hitter and drew a start at catcher in the second game, finishing 0-for-3 for the day with a walk. Having wrapped up the regular season with the pair of defeats, the Wolves (23-14, 17-11 Gulf South Conference) will play in the conference championship tournament Thursday through Saturday at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Alabama. Hannah Todd (Kansas Sr., Cartersville HS) — Todd pitched a scoreless sixth inning Saturday, retiring all three batters faced with one strikeout in a 6-5 loss at Baylor. She then worked 2 1/3 innings Sunday in a 6-1 loss to the Bears. Todd allowed one earned run on two hits, while striking out three. The Jayhawks (22-23, 2-13) close out their regular-season slate Friday through Sunday with a home series against Iowa State. The Big 12 Softball Championships are May 14-15 at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City. TRACK AND FIELD Stephen Smith (Kennesaw State So., Cass HS) — Smith wound up fifth in the men’s pole vault, clearing 4.75 meters, at the UNF Invite Thursday in Jacksonville, Florida. — Nicholas Sullivan of The Daily Tribune News contributed to this report.

Another day of rain has further delayed the 2nd round Class 5A state playoff series for the Purple Hurricanes at Decatur. The Canes and Bulldogs were originally scheduled to begin their Sweet Sixteen playoff series Monday. The new schedule now pushes the series start back to a Wednesday doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. If a third game is necessary for the 4th-ranked Hurricanes and 2nd-ranked Decatur, it will be played at Decatur at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

With the current Georgia Athletic Directors Association Cup standings updated through Gymnastics, points are remaining to be earned in baseball, lacrosse, soccer, plus track and field. Cartersville, who won back-to-back GADA Cups in 2001 and 2002 in Class 2A leads the four community schools with 453 points, followed by Woodland (312), Cass (238), and Adairsville (207). Schools earn points by qualifying for the state playoffs and advancing through the bracket or final standings. St. Pius leads all of Class 5A with 740 points. Starr’s Mill is currently second with Greenbrier third. Calhoun and Blessed Trinity round out the top five schools in the classification. Cartersville is 11th, Woodland 24th, and Cass 34th of 59 schools in Class 5A. Calhoun leads Region 7-AAAAA schools with 587 points followed by Blessed Trinity (576), Cartersville, Woodland, Cass, and Hiram. Blessed Trinity leads in boys sports with Calhoun leading in girls sports. Calhoun’s boys swimming team and football were among the Yellow Jackets top scoring teams. Calhoun cheerleading, volleyball, fast pitch, and slow pitch softball teams have been the top scoring girls teams. Blessed Trinity’s volleyball and girls cross country teams were state runners-up. The Titans boys cross country and football teams were their top scorers. Cartersville has a state runner-up finish in football with cheerleading and boys cross country coming in as the school’s other top scoring teams. Woodland won state in wrestling but also has high scoring finishes in fast pitch softball and girls cross country. Cass scored highest with its state runner-up wrestling team and girls basketball. Adairsville currently ranks sixth of the nine schools in Region 6-AAA and is 31st of 59 schools in Class AAA. Sonoraville and Rockmart are the two top scoring schools in the region. The Tigers two best scoring teams have been wrestling and cheerleading. NOTE: Excel Christian Academy has not scored any points in Class A Private.

Cartersville head baseball coach confirmed with Bartow Sports Zone this afternoon via text that the 2nd round Class 5A state playoff series for the Purple Hurricanes at Decatur has been postponed. The Canes are now scheduled to play at Decatur in a doubleheader Tuesday starting at 4:30 p.m. in the best-of-three series. If a third game is necessary for the 4th-ranked Hurricanes and the 2nd-ranked Bulldogs, it will be played at Decatur at 12 noon on Wednesday.

Georgia Highlands softball won three of four games over the weekend in doubleheaders Saturday at ABAC and Sunday at South Georgia State CC. The Chargers split games at ABAC Saturday dropping the opener 7-3 but winning the second game 5-1. Sunday, Georgia Highlands won both games at South Georgia State 12-9 and 7-0. Chargers pitcher Montana Ledbetter hurled a pair of complete game wins during the four game stretch. She had a wins over each team and a shutout victory Sunday at South Georgia State. In the two wins she gave up only one, unearned run on eight hits and five walks. Ledbetter fanned 15 in her 14 innings of work. Maggie Schandera picked up the third pitching win of the weekend Sunday at South Georgia State. She yielded six earned runs (eight total) on four hits and two walks in 5 and 2/3 innings while striking out three. Two Chargers had nine hits in the four games. Madison Bennett totaled nine hits including two doubles and one triple. She also swiped three bases. Lacey Rutledge also had nine hits with a walk, a sacrifice fly, and nine RBIs. Allison Daffron finished the weekend with four hits including a triple and five RBIs. Hailey Cronic had four hits and three RBIs. Bradey Tharp also registered four hits and Kyndal Brown contributed three hits. Natalia Herrera (2 RBIs), Hannah Bobo (2 RBIs), Haley Overton (RBI), and Madeline Hairston (RBI) added two hits each. Georgia Highlands (20-19, 15-9) moves into the GCAA conference tournament as the No. 3-seed and will host the Andrew College/South Georgia State survivor in a best-of-three series starting Thursday at Stars Field in Cassville.

The Georgia Highlands Chargers finished the regular season on a three-game skid this past week, but still won the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association’s regular season title and will host their first conference post season game next Sunday, May 9 at LakePoint in Emerson. The Chargers dropped both games of a doubleheader Saturday at Gordon State — falling 6-5 and 12-3. Gordon completed the GCAA slate as the No. 2 team in the conference. David Smith homered and had two hits in Saturday’s opening loss. Trace Twardoski also had a pair of hits. Omar Daniels led the Chargers with three hits including a double in the second loss. Georgia Highlands (39-13) will be the No. 1-seed and receive a first round bye before facing the winner of Thursday’s matchup between 4th-seed East Georgia State and 5th-seed ABAC. The other half of the double-elimination bracket includes 3rd-seed Andrew College against 6th-seed South Georgia State Thursday with the winner facing 2nd-seed Gordon State Sunday. The tournament continues through Thursday, May 13.