Georgia Highlands softball earned a doubleheader split with Georgia Military College Thursday at Stars Field. The visiting Bulldogs won the opening game 8-5 with the Chargers taking the second game, 9-1. Natalia Herrera had three hits including a double, a triple, and two RBIs in the loss. Taryn Hitchcock had two hits and homered in the opener. Montana Ledbetter (3.1 IP, 8ER, 10H, 1BB, 2K) suffered the pitching loss for Georgia Highlands in Game 1. Maggie Schandera (3.2 IP, 0R, 1H, 2K) pitched in relief. Madalyn Morton was the GHC winning pitcher in Game 2. She worked all six innings scattering two hits and three walks. The lone run was a solo home run and Morton fanned three. Madison Bennett doubled, homered, and drove in two runs for the Chargers in their victory. Hailey Cronic also had two hits including a double and two RBIs. Lacey Rutledge had a two-run home run. Hitchcock (double), Izzy Marcotte (RBI double), Herrera, and Ansley Todd had the other GHC base hits. The doubleheader split leaves GMC with a 23-13 record for the season. The Bulldogs are 11-5 in the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association. The second game win snapped a five-game skid and improves the Chargers to 9-18 for the season. They are 4-8 in conference play with a Saturday doubleheader at East Georgia on Saturday.

The Adairsville girls soccer team cruised to an easy 6-0 win over visiting Haralson County Wednesday night in non-region action in Tiger Valley. The Lady Tigers led 4-0 by halftime and played their entire bench in preparation for Friday night’s Region 6-AAA showdown with Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The early lead enabled coach David Sexauer to rest many of his starters. The Gossett twins — Maddie and Caroline — each scored two goals in the victory. Maddie had goals in the 3rd and 18th minutes off assists from Cat Wheeler and Mia Scott. Caroline scored in the game’s 39th and 78th minutes. Her first goal was assisted by Kaylee Jordan. Megan Hardin scored an unassisted goal in the first half’s 15th minute. Gracie Baker added a second half goal with an assist from Gabi Becerra in the 74th minute. The Adairsville girls, now 15-1 overall and 7-0 in region action will host Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (10-3-1, 5-0-1) Friday in a final regular season game that will likely decide the region championship.

Cartersville Little League Baseball (Majors) results from games played April 12-13. STANDINGS Colts . . . . . . . . . . . 8-0 Crackers . . . . . . . . 6-1-1 Tigers . . . . . . . . . . 6-2 Braves . . . . . . . . . . 4-4 Indians . . . . . . . . . . 3-5 Phillies . . . . . . . . . . 2-6 Dodgers . . . . . . . . . 1-6-1 Padres . . . . . . . . . . 1-7 Monday, April 12 COLTS 15, DODGERS 6 COLTS: Clint Hosea two hits including one triple, three RBIs; Noah Cagle one home run, one double, three RBIs; Andy Holstein two hits, one RBI; Dametrius Wynn two hits; Garrett Hewlett one double, two RBIs; River Wade one double, one RBI; Payton Paul one hit, one RBI. Pitching: Clint Hosea (2.1 IP, 2R, 1ER, 0H, 2BB, 3K); Noah Cagle (0.2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 0H, 2BB, 2K); Payton Paul (1 IP, 3R, 2ER, 1H, 5BB, 2K); Ben Cagle (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K). DODGERS: Noah Kearney one hit. Pitching: Noah Kearney (3 IP, 8R, 6ER, 8H, 1BB); Camden Jones (1 IP, 1ER, 1H, 2BB); Jace Radford (0.1 IP, 6ER, 3H, 4BB); Braden Slocumb (0.2 IP, 0R, 0H). CRACKERS 8, PHILLIES 5 CRACKERS: Jermaine Foster two hits including a double, one RBI; Kaden Owenby one hit, one RBI; Bryce Barkley one hit; Carter Callan one RBI. Pitching: Dallen Fuqua (0.2 IP, 3R, 2ER, 3H, 0BB, 1K); Cole Henson (4.1 IP, 2R, 0ER, 2H, 2BB, 6K); Carter Callan (1 IP, 3K). PHILLIES: Matthew Cook and Declan Asay two hits, one RBI each; Cash Priest one hit. Pitching: Jayden Winston (2 IP, 5R, 2ER, 5H, 3BB); Luke Thompson (3 IP, 1ER, 1H, 2BB, 3K); Noah Leffew (1 IP, 2R, 0ER, 0H). TIGERS 9, CLEVELAND 4 TIGERS: Cooper Reynolds three doubles, two RBIs; Zachary Stiles three hits including two doubles; Cam Kachinsky two hits; Braxton Mealer one double, two RBIs; Dixon Lindsey one hit, three RBIs; Kolston Privett one hit; Will Phillips one RBI. Pitching: Cooper Reynolds (4 IP, 4R, 1ER, 4H, 1BB, 6K); Zachary Stiles (1.2 IP, 5K); Will P (0.1 IP) CLEVELAND: Dawson Ray one double, one RBI; Emory Weaver one hit, one RBI; William Groce and Brooks Fulton one hit each. Ramsey Dunn (3.1 IP, 6R, 4ER, 8H, 4K); Dawson Ray (2.2 IP, 3R, 0ER, 3H, 2BB, 2K). BRAVES 14, PADRES 2 BRAVES: Avery Slye one double, two RBIs; Zack Parker one hit, two RBIs; Joseph Clark one double, one RBI; Devon Beavers one double; Brodie Rickman one hit; Drake Bailey one RBI. Pitching: Zack Parker (3 IP, 2R, 0ER, 1H, 2BB, 4K); Avery Slye (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 4K). PADRES: David Vargas one hit; Max O’Bryant one RBI. Pitching: Max O’Bryant (3 IP, 4R, 0ER, 0H, 6BB, 8K); Corbin Mullinax (1 IP, 5R, 3ER, 1H, 4BB, 1K); Trey Smith (1 IP, 5R, 0ER, 4H, 1BB, 1K). Tuesday, April 13 COLTS 9, CLEVELAND 5 COLTS: River Wade two hits including one double, three RBIs; Payton Paul two hits including one triple; Clint Hosea two hits; Noah Cagle one double, two RBIs; Jack Peters one hit, one RBI. Pitching: Noah Cagle (4 IP, 5R, 0ER, 1H, 5BB, 7K); Garrett Hewlett (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 2K). CLEVELAND: William Groce two hits. Pitching: Tyler Hickman (2.2 IP, 6R, 4ER, 5H, 3BB, 4K); Blake Lutjens (1.1 IP, 3ER, 3H, 3BB, 4K). BRAVES 8, PHILLIES 4 BRAVES: Devon Beavers three hits, three RBIs; Zack Parker three hits; Drake Bailey two hits, one RBI; Avery Slye two hits. Pitching: Devon Beavers (3 IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 2BB, 9K); Drake Bailey (2 IP, 3R, 2ER, 1H, 3BB, 3K); Hunter McMillan (1 IP, 1H, 3K). PHILLIES: Cash Priest three hits; Declan Asay one hit. Pitching: Cash Preist (4 IP, 5R, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 7K); Noah Leffew (2 IP, 3R, 2ER, 5H, 0BB, 2K). TIGERS 7, DODGERS 6 TIGERS: Zachary Stiles two doubles, two RBIs; Cooper Reynolds one double, one RBI; Dixon Lindsey one hit, one RBI; Aiden Turner and Steven Tumlin one hit each. Pitching: Zachary Stiles (4 IP, 5R, 0ER, 1H, 4BB, 7K); Will Phillips (1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 0H, 1BB, 2K). DODGERS: Brody Jones one hit. Pitching: Brody Jones (4 IP, 6R, 3ER, 5H, 2BB, 8K); Maddox Wilson (0.1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 1BB). CRACKERS 8, PADRES 2 CRACKERS: Carter Callan one double, one RBI; Mason Davis one hit, one RBI; Dallen Fuqua one triple; Levi Latham and Jermaine Foster one hit each. Pitching: Mason Davis (4 IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 3BB, 5K); Dallen Fuqua (2 IP, 1ER, 2H, 2BB, 4K). PADRES: David Vargas two hits; Max O’Bryant and Corbin Mullinax one double, one RBI each. Pitching: David Vargas (3.2 IP, 7R, 3ER, 3H, 2BB, 5K); Jackson Vaughn (1.1 IP, 0R, 2H). Little League softball and baseball game results for Cartersville Little League and Bartow County Little League are provided by the respective leagues and are presented by CiCi's -- Beyond Pizza in Cherokee Place, Cartersville.

The Cartersville boys defeated Blessed Trinity 3-2 Wednesday at Dellinger Park to win the 2021 Region 7-AAAAA championship tournament. The victory by the 2nd-seeded Canes avenged a regular season loss to top-seeded Titans. In an extremely close contest, all three Purple Hurricanes wins were in three-set matches. Luke Gambill and Jackson Cline, playing Line 2 and Line 3 singles respectively, won three set contests each. Gambill won 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1) and Cline won 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 (7-2). The third Canes' win came at Line 1 doubles. Nate McDonald and Robert Novak lost their opening set 6-4 before flipping the match with 7-5 and 6-3 wins in the final two sets. The Lady Canes finished as region runner-up following a 3-1 loss to top-seeded Calhoun. Emily Bush won at Line 1 singles, 6-1 and 6-1 for the only Cartersville win. The Lady Canes' Line 1 doubles team of Mia Shaw and Alice Terry led 6-2, 4-2 when Calhoun secured the team win and pulled its Line 1 doubles tandem. The Cass girls fell to Blessed Trinity 3-1 in the region's third place match. Emily Surcey secured the only Lady Colonels win at Line 1 singles. Christina Surcey was well ahead in her Line 2 singles match when the Lady Titans clinched the team win. Both Cartersville teams and the Cass girls have qualified for the Class AAAAA state tournament. The Cartersville boys will host Jackson-Atlanta in the opening round while the Lady Canes will entertain Villa Rica. First round matches are to be completed by Tuesday, April 20. The Cass girls must hit the road for their opening round match. The Lady Colonels will travel to Grady in Atlanta.

The Cartersville High gymnastics team traveled to the Lovett School Tuesday for their third meet of the season. Annaston Wilson and Karley Garrison each placed in the top four in events with twenty-two competitors. Garrison, a freshman, placed first all around with an impressive score of 34.55. Garrison placed first in floor with an 8.65, first in bars with an 8.5 and second in beam with a 9.0. She has an opportunity at the Canes final regular season meet Friday to qualify for more state preliminary events based on this meet's scores. Wilson, a sophomore, received her second required individual score for qualifications in preliminaries with her floor score of 8.5. A score of 8.50 or above on individual events is the benchmark required for the individual event portion of post-season competition at the State Preliminary Qualifier in Buford on April 23. This qualifier gives Wilson a shot to compete at the state championship meet on April 24. “I am so proud of these talented young women and their ability to perform,” remarked head coach Kimberly Mosteller. “I am excited about the opportunity for both girls to compete at State Preliminaries and possibly the State Gymnastics Championship. The ladies have worked very hard and we are excited about this chance to represent Cartersville.” Next on the schedule for the Cartersville team is their final meet, the Bremen Invitational, at the Carroll County Recreation Center this Friday at 6:00 p.m.

The boys state soccer playoff pairings are set for the first round of the GHSA Class AAAAA state tournament for Region 7-AAAAA. Three local teams — Cartersville, Cass, and Woodland — will open the playoffs next Wednesday against teams from Region 6-AAAAA. Cartersville is a No. 2-seed and will host Villa Rica. Cass is a No. 3-seed and will travel to Atlanta to take on Grady. Woodland, a No. 4-seed, travels to North Springs for the Wildcats’ opening round game. Blessed Trinity won Region 7-AAAAA and will host Chapel Hill.

The Cartersville girls soccer team lost its final regular season game of the season Tuesday night to visiting Allatoona, 3-2. Both Cartersville goals were scored by freshman Hattie Williams in the first half. Her first goal was unassisted. The second goal came off an assist by Abbey Craig. Allatoona improved to 9-4-1 on the season. Cartersville (7-6-1) is the No. 3-seed from Region 7-AAAAA in next week’s state playoffs. The Lady Canes will square off with Villa Rica in the first round in a game that will be played at Temple High School due to current construction at Villa Rica. The other first round state playoff matchups for Region 7-AAAAA girls teams include Cass at Grady, North Springs at Blessed Trinity, and Jackson-Atlanta at Calhoun.

The Cartersville girls and boys tennis teams along with the Cass girls have qualified for the Class AAAAA state playoffs. Both Cartersville teams have advance to the region championships matches and also secured home matches for the first round of the state playoffs. The Lady Canes will play Calhoun for the Region 7-AAAAA championship after defeating Blessed Trinity 3-2 in the semifinals.The Cartersville boys defeated Calhoun 3-0 to reach the region finals against top-seeded Blessed Trinity. The Cass girls defeated Woodland 4-0 Monday to reach the region semifinals before falling to top-seeded Calhoun. The Lady Colonels will play Blessed Trinity for third place with the top four advancing to the state playoffs. The boys teams from Woodland and Cass were eliminated in Monday's opening round. The Wildcats were narrowly edged by Hiram 3-2 while the Colonels lost a 4-0 decision to Calhoun.

Micah Earwood posted yet another impressive performance Tuesday night as the Purple Hurricanes won at Cass, 7-0. The Canes’ ace and Georgia State commit tossed five and one-third shutout innings and saw his season ERA dropped to an incredible 0.45 in 46 and 2/3 innings this season. He scattered four hits and two walks while striking out nine. Gunner Millsap retired the final five outs for Cartersville without allowing a run, hit, or walk. He struck out three. The Cartersville offense did the bulk of its damage in the top of the second when the Hurricanes scored four runs. Three straight one-out singles by Harrison Childers, Davis Williams, and Curt Bonner produced the game’s first run. A groundout off the bat of Hank Smith made the score 2-0. Parker McPherson singled for a 3-0 lead and Blake Sutton doubled into left field to give the Canes a 4-0 advantage. Sutton singled home two more runs in the top of the fourth to give Cartersville a 6-0 lead and the final Canes’ run scored in the sixth on an RBI single by Sam Melton. Trey Scott started on the mound for Cass and gave up six earned runs on eight hits and four walks. He fanned four. Aidan Cottingim pitched the final three innings for the Colonels allowing one run on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Jordan Gani had two hits for Cass. Carson Hill, Kyle Miller, and Aidan Larkin added one hit each for the Colonels. The Cartersville offense totaled 13 hits. Sutton led the way with two hits including a double and three RBIs. Bonner had two hits and one RBI. Jake Brasfield also finished with a pair of hits. McPherson (RBI), Melton (RBI), Childers, Williams, Elliott Eastin, Ben Williams, and Landon Cole added one hit apiece. The loss drops Cass to 6-17 overall and 5-6 in Region 7-AAAAA. Fifth ranked Cartersville (20-6, 10-3) will host a doubleheader with the Colonels Friday starting at 5 p.m. The win for Cartersville also means the Canes have reached the 20-win plateau 20 for the 24th time in the past 25 full seasons.

The Adairsville girls soccer team locked up a home state playoff game Tuesday night with a 6-0 victory over Sonoraville in Tiger Valley. The Tigers, playing for the first time since their spring break, led 2-0 at halftime and cruised with four additional second half scores. Taylor Rhoades paced Adairsville with two goals and one assist. Maddie Gossett also scored a pair of goals for the Tigers. Gracie Baker and Kaylee Jordan added the other Adairsville goals. Cat Wheeler finished with a pair of assists. Mia Scott, Jordyn Harline, and Emma Collins also had assists on goals. Ellie McBride was also credited for her outstanding play. Coach David Sexauer noted McBride’s range as a playmaker with a lot of successful runs through the midfield up to the striker line. She was often able to attempt shots on goal or distribute to outside strikers. The loss dropped Sonoraville to 0-12 for the season. The Lady Phoenix are 0-6 in region play. Adairsville (14-1, 7-0 Region 6-AAA) hosts Haralson County Thursday.

Playing in his final collegiate game for Point, Woodland graduate Hunter Hardin created a memory that will last well beyond his playing days. A starting left guard for the Skyhawks, Hardin got to carry the football — not once, but twice. His second rushing attempt resulted in a 2-yard #BigManTouchdown. In the pro ranks, former Cartersville High hoops star A.J. Mosby debuted for the Shreveport Mavericks of The Basketball League. Shreveport played its first two games Friday and Saturday on the road, but Mosby made a great first impression on the Mavericks faithful, scoring a total of 53 points over the weekend. Elsewhere, ex-Adairsville High standout Lane Griffith went 5-for-10 with a double, a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs in a three-game sweep; Lindsey Bonner, a former Canes golfer, placed runner-up in a tournament Monday; and Woodland product Trevor Knowles racked up four total top-three finishes in his final home meet. SOFTBALL Skylar Chappell (Cottey College, So., Woodland HS)… homered, scored twice, and drove in three runs in a doubleheader Monday at Ecclesia College. The Comets (22-6) play at Science & Arts (Oklahoma) Thursday and will host Sterling (Kansas) in a doubleheader Sunday. Brianna Hill (Covenant, Fr., Woodland HS)… was 0-for-5 at Brevard last Wednesday as the Scots split a doubleheader. A pair of games scheduled with LaGrange on Saturday were canceled. Covenant (16-14, 5-3) hosts Piedmont in a doubleheader Saturday. PRO BASEBALL Sam Howard (Pittsburgh Pirates, 8th-year pro; Cartersville HS)… was called on with one out in the sixth inning Sunday and a man on first. He retired all three batters he faced, striking out two. The Pirates went on to beat the Cubs, 7-1. In five appearances this season, Howard has worked four innings and has a 1-1 record. He has recorded seven strikeouts with opponents hitting for a .154 average against him. COLLEGE BASEBALL Levi Ayers (Young Harris, So., Cartersville HS)… pitched in the final inning Sunday of an 11-8 home loss to 24th-ranked North Georgia. Ayers was entered with the Mountain Lions trailing 10-8 with a runner on first base. He walked a batter and allowed a hit that drove in the inherited runner. After an infield error, Ayers got a strikeout and a ground ball double play to end the frame. It was his seventh appearance of the season. Young Harris (18-10, 16-8) has a home Peach Belt Conference series with USC-Aiken Saturday and Sunday. Mason Barnett (Auburn, So., Cartersville HS)… worked the fourth and fifth innings of the Tigers’ 19-10 home loss Sunday to 4th-ranked Mississippi State. The right-hander faced 10 batters allowing two earned runs on four hits. He struck out one. Auburn (12-16, 1-11 SEC) plays at Georgia Tech Tuesday and at rival Alabama Thursday through Saturday in a three game series. Clifton Dempsey (Toccoa Falls, Sr., Cartersville HS)… went 1-for-4 with two RBIs last Tuesday in a 16-3 loss at Georgia Gwinnett. The Screaming Eagles (11-16) had a three-game series in Jacksonville vs. Trinity Baptist canceled last weekend but will return to the diamond Friday and Saturday in a three-game set at Bob Jones University. Jake Gooch (Central Alabama CC, Fr., Cartersville HS)… was 2-for-4 with two RBIs last Tuesday in a 6-4 home win over Chattahoochee Valley. The Trojans play at Chattahoochee Valley Wednesday and have a four game series with Snead State Thursday and Saturday. Lane Griffith (West Georgia, Sr., Adairsville HS)… went 5-for-10 with a double, a home run, three runs scored, and four RBIs in a three game conference series with visiting Union University Sunday and Monday. The Wolves travel to 19th-ranked Valdosta State for a three game series Saturday and Sunday. Kenny Jinks (Shorter, So., Woodland HS)… was utilized to retire the final two outs in Saturday’s 11-6 win at 3rd-ranked Lee University. He allowed no runs and one hit with one strikeout in the appearance but was not eligible for a save. The 24th-ranked Hawks will likely move up in the rankings after winning two of three Gulf South Conference games at Lee. Shorter (21-9, 18-9) has its next three game conference series Friday and Saturday at Alabama-Huntsville. Brycen Jones (Central Alabama CC, Fr., Cartersville HS)… pitched the fifth and sixth innings last Tuesday allowing no runs on two hits with three strikeouts as the Trojans defeated Chattahoochee Valley CC 6-4. CACC (19-19, 7-9) plays at Chattahoochee Valley Wednesday and has a four game series with Snead State Thursday and Saturday. Logan Nelson (Truett McConnell, Fr., Cass HS)… went 1-for-5 with a walk and scored two runs in one start and three game appearances last week. Nelson’s start was at Kentucky Christian where the Bears swept a three-game series. He also was entered and had single at-bats in a doubleheader last Wednesday at Union College (Kentucky). TMU (20-15, 10-10 Appalachian Athletic Conference) hosts Bob Jones University Tuesday and St. Andrews University (North Carolina) Friday and Saturday in a three game conference series. Preston Welchel (Coastal Alabama - Bay Minette, Fr., Cartersville HS)… finished 2-for-7 with a double and two RBIs Thursday in a home doubleheader loss to Coastal Alabama-Monroeville. In 37 games played, Welchel has a .275 batting average with two home runs and 21 RBIs. The Sun Chiefs (16-27, 8-12) play a four game series with Coastal Alabama-Brewton Thursday and Saturday. Jordan Wilkie (Augusta, Fr., Cartersville HS)… made a pinch hit appearance and played some second base in Friday’s 10-1 loss at USC-Aiken. The Jaguars won one of three games in the series and play a non-conference game at Erskine Wednesday. Augusta (5-22, 4-21 Peach Belt Conference) will also host new conference member Claflin Friday and Saturday in a three game set. Zach Wilson (Penn State-Greater Allegheny, Fr., Woodland HS)… went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored, and three RBIs in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader with PSU-Fayette. His team won 14-1 in five innings to complete a sweep. PSU-Greater Allegheny (9-4) hosts Penn State-Beaver Tuesday followed by a four game series with Penn State-Du Bois over the weekend. PRO BASKETBALL A.J. Mosby (Shreveport Mavericks; Cartersville HS) — Competing in the opening weekend of The Basketball League season, Mosby racked up a team-high 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor (3-for-6 3PT), while adding six assists and five rebounds, in a 97-93 triumph Saturday at Dallas. Mosby also paced Shreveport with 21 points during a 112-101 loss Friday at Little Rock. COLLEGE BASKETBALL Justice Hayes (South Georgia Tech Fr., Cass HS) — Hayes recorded a rebound in a Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association quarterfinal win over Southern Crescent Tech. He saw time in a semifinal loss to South Georgia. Jacquez Fountain (Albany Tech So., Cass HS) — After receiving an all-region nod last week, Fountain posted a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double in an overtime defeat against Central Georgia Tech in the GCAA quarterfinals. T.J. Horton (Georgia Highlands Fr., Cartersville HS) — In a loss to East Georgia in the GCAA quarterfinals, Horton scored six points and pulled down two rebounds. FOOTBALL Hunter Hardin (Point Sr., Woodland HS) — A starting offensive lineman, Hardin carried the ball twice for 2 yards each, with the second resulting in a touchdown as time expired in the first quarter of Point’s season finale Saturday at St. Andrews (North Carolina). Hardin’s score helped tie the game at 7-apiece, but the home team pulled away for a 62-20 win. Sean Holton (Davidson Sr., Cartersville HS) — Holton fair caught a kickoff during a 29-24 loss Saturday at Presbyterian. Jacob Potter (Kennesaw State Jr., Adairsville HS) — Competing for a Big South championship in the regular-season finale, Potter served as the long snapper in a 42-17 defeat Saturday at Monmouth. John Scifers (Incarnate Word Grad. Transfer, Woodland HS) — In a high-scoring affair, Scifers registered three touchbacks among nine kickoffs, averaging 56.7 yards per boot, in a 49-47 loss to Northwestern State Saturday at home. Jake Walker (Furman Sr., Cartersville native, Darlington HS) — Walker saw action but didn’t record any receptions during a 26-7 defeat Saturday at The Citadel. GOLF Lindsey Bonner (York Sr., Cartersville HS) — Bonner shot a one-over 74 to finish runner-up — one strike back of the champion — Monday at the Spartan Invite hosted by York College. Because she was playing as an individual, Bonner’s score didn’t contribute to York’s A team. Even still, the Spartans managed to win their fifth straight tournament title to begin the season, winding up four shots ahead of Stevenson at the Country Club of York. TENNIS Blake Bottegal (Shorter Jr., Woodland HS) — Bottegal and his Line 3 doubles partner fell 6-0 during a 7-0 loss last Wednesday at West Alabama. Connor Gunnell (Shorter Fr., Woodland HS) — During the loss to West Alabama, Gunnell dropped his Line 6 singles match by a 6-0, 6-0 score. Houston Medlock (Piedmont Jr., Adairsville HS) — Medlock came out on the short end of singles (6-1, 6-0) and doubles (8-3) action in a 5-4 defeat last Wednesday versus Covenant at home. Ashley Popham (Mercer Fr., Cartersville HS) — Popham dropped an 8-3 decision on Line 6 singles in a SoCon match Thursday at Furman. Bryce VanOrder (Piedmont Fr., Woodland HS) — Despite coming up short as a team, VanOrder emerged victorious on Line 2 singles against Covenant, earning a 6-3, 6-4 win. TRACK AND FIELD Parker Breedlove (Reinhardt So., Cartersville HS) — Competing in the 5000-meter race, Breedlove placed 31st Friday during the Berry Field Day Invitational in Floyd County. Trevor Knowles (Albion Sr., Woodland HS) — Knowles put together a remarkable all-around performance to help the Britons finish first overall during a senior day meet Friday at home. In addition to helping the 4x100-meter relay team earn a victory, Knowles placed second in the long and triple jump events, while coming in third in the high jump. VOLLEYBALL Nedu Evans (Augusta So., Cartersville HS) — Evans contributed a total of eight kills, five digs and two block assists, as Augusta went 3-0 last week with wins over USC Aiken, Lander and Young Harris. -- Nicholas Sullivan of The Daily Tribune News contributed to this report.

A pair of Ringgold pitchers — Kenyon Ransom and Eli Norris — combined to shutout Adairsville Tuesday night and limit the locals to a single hit. Ringgold, ranked No. 3 in Class AAA, put the game away with an eight-run fourth inning to defeat Adairsville 10-0. Evan Sanders had the lone Adairsville base hit. Ross Norman, Colin Mountjoy, Mason Parker, and Norris combined for six hits and seven RBIs for Ringgold. Ringgold (18-6, 11-0 Region 6-AAA) will host Adairsville (7-14, 2-9) Thursday at 5:55 p.m.