Buck Brumlow fired a second consecutive even par 72 Saturday at the Georgia State Golf Association’s Amateur Championship in Roswell to move into the top twenty heading into Sunday’s final round. Brumlow, a rising junior at Cartersville High School who has committed to play collegiately at the University of Georgia, opened the 72-hole event Thursday at Ansley Golf Club - Settindown Creek with a 4-over-par 76. He remains at 4-over for the championship after three rounds and is tied for 19th place. Thursday’s round for Brumlow included a pair of double bogeys along with three bogeys and three birdies. Friday, he finished with three birdies and three bogeys while Saturday’s round included just two bogeys and a pair of birdies. Bill Faith, a member of Cartersville Country Club who resides in Atlanta, also survived the 36-hole cut on the 7,150-yard course. Faith opened the tournament with back-to-back, three-over-par 75s Thursday and Friday. He shot 78 Saturday and is tied for 47th place. The field of 144 exempt and qualifying players was narrowed to 71 players after 36 holes. The cut line was at 9-over-par. Florida State University golfer and Marietta native Jonathan Keppler holds the 54-hole lead at 8-under-par. The Kennesaw Mountain High School product shot 74 Saturday after opening the event with 68-66. Columbus native and Georgia Southern University junior Ben Carr trails Keppler by two shots. His 6-under total includes rounds of 68-69-73. Suwanee’s Spencer Ball, a senior golfer at Mercer University, and Grant Crowell, a rising senior at University of North Georgia from Watkinsville, are tied for third place at 4-under. Nicolas Cassidy, a sophomore at the University of Georgia from Johns Creek, rounds out the top five at 3-under-par. Sunday’s final round tees off Sunday at 8:00 a.m. with the leaders taking the stage at 9:55 a.m.

A pair of Cartersville Little League teams suffered opening round losses Saturday at their respective 2019 Georgia Little League state tournaments. Cartersville 11U was blanked by Northern Little League of Columbus 10-0 and Cartersville Junior Little League 14U lost to Elbert County 11-1. At the 11U state tournament in Savannah, Northern scored three times in the top of the first inning and posted runs in four of five frames on their way to victory. Cartersville 11U was limited to only three hits in the contest and only one after the opening inning. Asa Mitcham and Bear McWhorter had first inning base hits for Cartersville but the locals left runners stranded at the corners. Brayden Channell had the other Cartersville single in the fifth inning. Channell (2 IP, 5R, 4ER, 5H, 1BB, 2K) started on the mound for Cartersville and suffered the loss. Kamdyn Woods (1.2 IP, 3R, 2ER, 3H, 1BB, 2K), Matthew Morris (0.0 IP, 1ER, 4BB), and Lyle Woody (1.1 IP, 1ER, 2H) pitched in relief. Cartersville 11U plays an elimination game Sunday at 1:30 p.m. against Martinez-Evans, a 14-3 loser to Warner Robins American Saturday morning. The double-elimination tournament continues through next Friday. At the 14U state tournament in West Point, Elbert County took a 7-0 lead through two innings and was never threatened. They added three more runs in the fourth inning and secured the win with a run in the sixth. Elbert out hit Cartersville 12 to 3 in the contest. Turner Abernathy had an infield hit in the first inning for Cartersville. Grant Knight doubled in the fourth inning and Geoffrey Gore added a single in the sixth for the three safeties. Trenton Payne walked to lead off the Cartersville fourth inning and eventually scored the only run of the game for the locals. Cartersville starting pitcher Tripp Bradley (3.1 IP, 10R, 9ER, 10H, 2BB, 4K) was tagged with the loss. Sawyer Wilson (2.1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 3BB, 1K) worked in relief and Gore (0.0 IP, 1H) was on the mound when the game ended in the sixth. Next for Cartersville Junior Little League (14U) is an elimination game Monday night at 6 p.m. against either Athens, Northern-Columbus, or Hobgood. The double-elimination state tournament continues through Thursday night. Little League results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. GRPA tournament team results are also provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department or the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports and CiCi's - Beyond Pizza, both located in the Cartersville Main Street - Cherokee Place Shopping Center

Rising Cartersville High School junior golfer and UGA commit Buck Brumlow shot an even par 72 Friday at the Georgia State Golf Association’s Amateur Championship for a tie for 31st place at the midway point of the tournament being played at Ansley Golf Club - Settindown Creek in Roswell. Brumlow’s 36-hole total (148) stands at 4-over-par and qualifies for weekend play. The 72-hole championship started Thursday with a field of 144 players that was cut to the low 70 players and ties after Friday’s round. The championship is being conducted at 7,150 yards to a par of 72 and continues through Sunday. Bill Faith, an Atlanta resident and member of Cartersville Country Club, also made the 36-hole cut after shooting back-to-back rounds of 75 for a 6-over-par total. Faith is tied for 43rd. The 36-hole cut was 9-over-par, 153. CCC member Harrison Gaylord shot 80-83 to miss the cut. Dalton resident Brendan Hughes, who grew up at Cartersville Country Club, shot 81-87 to also miss the weekend. Florida State golfer and Marietta native Jonathan Keppler leads the Georgia Amateur at the midway point. The Kennesaw Mountain High School graduate and rising senior for the Seminoles has a three shot lead after rounds of 68-66 (10-under-par). Columbus native and Georgia Southern junior Ben Carr is currently second at 7-under-par following rounds of 68-69. Five players are tied for third place at 4-under-par including Spencer Ball, David Denham, Jack Larkin Sr., Grant Crowell, and Jackson Buchanan. First round leader Andy Mao followed an opening round 66 with a 75 Friday and is tied for eighth with Timothy Schaetzel, Stan Gann, and Hogan Ingram.

Golfers Bill Faith and Buck Brumlow paced a quartet of players with local connections Thursday in the opening round of the 98th Georgia State Golf Association Amateur Championship being played at Ansley Golf Club - Settindown Creek. The 72-hole championship includes a field of 144 players that will be cut to the low 70 players and ties after 36 holes. The championship is being conducted at 7,150 yards to a par of 72. Faith, an Atlanta resident and member of Cartersville Country Club, fired an opening round 75 and was tied for 47th place after 18 holes of action. Brumlow (shown in photo) — a rising Cartersville High School junior — shot 76 in the first round and is tied for 59th place. CCC member Harrison Gaylor shot an 8-over par 80 for a tie for 106th place and Dalton resident Brendan Hughes, who grew up at Cartersville Country Club, shot an 81 in the first round. Andy Mao of Johns Creek is the first round leader at 6-under par 66 with Suwanee’s Spencer Ball right behind at 5-under par 67. Five players shot 68, including Ben Carr of Columbus, Jonathan Keppler of Marietta, Will Chandler of Atlanta, and Tim Schaetzel of Atlanta. The Georgia Amateur Championship continues through Sunday.

The Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department, the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department, and the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes recently announced registration opportunities for events, leagues, and more. CPRD has opened registration for its adult summer softball league at Dellinger Park. BCRD has started registration for its Fall youth sports (football, cheerleading, volleyball, and soccer), and FCA is hosting a co-ed softball event on August 17. See the fliers below for more information.

Bartow County 10U was eliminated Monday night by Hart County, 7-0, at the Georgia Little League 10U state softball tournament in Augusta. Hart County scored four runs in the first inning and three more in the second on their way to the shutout in an elimination game of the double-elimination tournament. Bartow County finished the tournament with a 1-2 record. Their other loss was 4-0 to Harris County in the opening round. The Bartow win came over West Point on Sunday, 7-2. In Monday night’s loss, Bartow managed only three hits — two by Carley Aspenwall and one from Allana Williams. The locals managed to get baserunners to third in both of the first two frames, but Hart County pitching shut down the scoring effort each time. The Bartow 10U roster included: Akyra Davis, Keely Blalock, Harlee Temples, Savannah Viktora, Bailey York, Harlee Thomason, Abby George, Alli Fain, Lakiaya Banks, Nakayla Evans, Kyndell Hembree, Aspenwall, and Williams. In other state tournament softball action, Bartow County 12U lost two straight games at the Georgia State Little League Softball state tournament. Bartow lost Saturday’s opener to Harris County 12-3 and fell again Sunday to West Point, 11-1. The Bartow 12U team roster included: Savannah Mayfield, Jordan Clay, Abbi Wear, Ashlyn Carlton, Amanda Phillips, Olivia Woods, Jorden Edens, Tatum Canady, Faith Swinks, Kennedy Stevens, Abby Dekoker, and Jordan Bishop. Little League baseball state tournament action involving local teams picks up again Saturday with the Cartersville 9-11 year old team playing in the Georgia 11U state tournament at Brooks Park in Savannah. That Georgia Little League state event continues through July 19. Cartersville 11U opens play this Saturday against Northern Little League of Columbus in the double-elimination tournament. At West Point, Cartersville Junior Little League (13-14 year olds) will open the Georgia Junior Little League state tournament against Elbert County Saturday. That double-elimination state championship continues through July 18. Little League results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. GRPA tournament team results are also provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department or the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports and CiCi's - Beyond Pizza, both located in the Cartersville Main Street - Cherokee Place Shopping Center

This week's 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' update features the five professional baseball athletes with Cartersville ties. Minor league pitchers Elliott Anderson and Sam Howard had productive performances on the mound and Cartersville native Luke Schiltz made his professional pitching debut, Anderson has yet to allow an earned run since his assignment to the Rookie Advanced Appalachian League Burlington Royals while Howard made two scoreless relief appearances for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes. Schiltz made a ninth inning appearance for the AZL Rangers in the Rookie Arizona League. L-R: Luke Schiltz, Anthony Seigler, Elliott Anderson, Connor Justus, Sam Howard ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Burlington Royals (1st yr. pro; LHP; Rookie Advanced Appalachian League; Kansas City Royals’ organization; Auburn; Cartersville HS)… picked up his first professional save and his first hold in a busy week of work that included four appearances. He worked a scoreless ninth inning last Wednesday at home against the Princeton Rays to collect his first save. Anderson issued a walk, but retired the three other batters he faced in Burlington’s 7-4 win. Sunday, Anderson made his longest pro appearances and was credited with a hold as the Royals beat the Danville Braves 3-1. The southpaw entered with two outs in the seventh inning and retired five of the eight batters he faced, working into the ninth inning. He did allow a walk and two hits in the scoreless appearance, but also had one strikeout. Thursday, he was inserted with two outs in the ninth inning of an eventual 7-5 loss to visiting Pulaski. Anderson allowed an inherited runner to score on a single, but followed that with a strikeout to end the frame. In a home, ninth inning appearance last Monday (July 1) he was touched for a base hit but retired the other three batters faced for a scoreless frame in a 3-0 loss to Princeton. Through five relief appearances totaling five innings, he has five strikeouts and is yet to allow an earned run. Burlington (9-10) is in third place in the Appalachian League East Division trailing the Bluefield Blue Jays by two games. SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes (6th yr. pro; LHP; Triple-A Pacific Coast League; Colorado Rockies’ organization; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)… made two relief appearances last week without allowing an earned run. Wednesday at Sacramento, Howard allowed a pair of singles in an eighth inning appearance but got a flyout and a groundout double play in the ‘Topes 1-0 loss. Sunday at home against Las Vegas, Howard was called on in the sixth inning where he struck out the first batter faced but again allowed a pair of singles before getting out of the inning with a pair of force outs. For the season, he is 1-1 in 32 relief appearances across 40 innings. Howard has a 4.24 ERA and has recorded 50 strikeouts. Albuquerque (37-53) remains in last place in the PCL’s Pacific Southern Division. The Isotopes are 18-1/2 games behind first place El Paso. CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (4th yr. pro; Inf., Double-A Southern League; L.A. Angels’ organization; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… went 1-for-13 with a walk in five games last week as his season batting average slipped to .182 through 75 games and 220 official at-bats. He drew a walk as a pinch hitter last Monday in a loss at Biloxi and had a one-out double to right field in the seventh inning of Thursday’s 4-2 win over visiting Jacksonville. Defensively, Justus carries a .943 fielding percentage in 262 total chances. He has split time between second base, third base, and shortstop with 43 of his 74 games at shortstop. Mobile is 8-10 in the Southern League’s second half schedule, trailing Jacksonville by two games. The BayBears are 35-51 for the overall season. LUKE SCHILTZ — AZL Rangers (1st yr. pro; RHP; Rookie Arizona League; Texas Rangers’ organization; Cartersville native; Stoneman Douglas (Fla.) HS)… made his professional debut last Friday in the Rookie Arizona League with a ninth inning appearance during a 10-5 loss to the AZL Indians Blue. Schiltz got a pop up to his catcher in foul territory for the first out of the inning, but that was followed by a solo home run to right field by Aaron Bracho. He then got a ground out and a fly out to end the frame. The AZL Rangers are 11-6 in the West Division and trail the AZL Padres 1 by 1/2 game. ANTHONY SEIGLER — Charleston RiverDogs (2nd yr. pro; C; Class A South Atlantic League; N.Y. Yankees’ organization; Cartersville HS)… In six games last week, Seigler was 3-for-21 with four walks and two RBI. He also scored a run. Through 21 games since joining the RiverDogs, he has a .224 batting average and six RBI in 67 official at-bats. He has drawn 19 walks and has one stolen base. Defensively, the catcher has committed two errrors in 123 total chances for a .984 fielding percentage. He has thrown out 6-of-18 stolen base attempts. Charleston is 8-10 in the South Atlantic League’s second half. The RiverDogs are in fourth place in the Southern Division trailing the Augusta GreenJackets and the Rome Braves by two games. Overall, Charleston is 45-43 for the year.

The 10U Bartow County Little League girls softball team survived an elimination game Sunday evening at the Georgia Little League state tournament, but the 10U Cartersville Little League baseball team fell in its losers’ bracket contest. Bartow 10U Little League softball got a pair of hits and three RBI from Nakayla Evans to pace the offense while pitcher Lakiaya Banks struck out eleven in a 9-2 win over West Point. Banks limited West Point to a pair of runs on one hit and five walks. Carley Aspenwall, Kyndell Hembree, Allana Williams, and Harlee Thomason added one hit each for the Bartow attack. Thomason, Banks, and Bailey York drove in one run apiece. Bartow County 10U, who lost 4-0 to Harris County in its tournament opener Saturday, advances to another elimination game Monday night against Hart County at 6 p.m. The double-elimination Georgia Little League Softball 10U state tournament continues through Wednesday at Crawford Creek Park in Augusta. CARTERSVILLE LL 10U ELIMINATED AT STATE TOURNEY Elbert County raced to an early 11-1 lead over Cartersville Little League baseball 10U Sunday afternoon and held off the local team 16-12 at the Georgia 10U Little League state tournament in Athens. The loss was a second straight for Cartersville 10U and eliminated them from the double-elimination tournament. Cartersville dropped its opener to Northern-Columbus Saturday. Elbert County advances to another elimination game Monday night against Smyrna. Down by ten runs Sunday afternoon, Cartersville 10U threatened with a nine-run fourth inning to narrow the margin to 11-10, but Elbert County scored a single run in the fifth and four more in the sixth to build a 16-10 lead. Cartersville scored twice in their half of the final frame and had the bases loaded before a final groundout ended the threat. Blake Lutjens paced the Cartersville offense with a pair of hits and two RBI. Devon Beavers drove in three runs — two with a fourth inning single and another with a bases loaded hit-by-pitch. Zachary Stiles pushed two runs across with a bases loaded walk in the fourth inning and an RBI single in the sixth. Cole Henson, Clint Hosea, Cash Priest, and Dixon Lindsey had one hit each for Cartersville. Dallen Fuqua was credited with one RBI. Little League results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. GRPA tournament team results are also provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department or the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports and CiCi's - Beyond Pizza, both located in the Cartersville Main Street - Cherokee Place Shopping Center

A pair of local 10U Little League teams suffered opening round losses at their respective state tournaments Saturday. Bartow County Little League 10U softball girls were shutout 4-0 by Harris County in their first game of the double-elimination tournament at Crawford Creek Park hosted by Martinez-Evans Little League. Meanwhile at Holland Park in Athens, Cartersville Little League 10U baseball was stopped by Northern Little League of Columbus 7-1 to send the locals to the loser’s bracket of their state tournament. In the Bartow softball loss, pitcher Lakiaya Banks kept the local team in a scoreless battle until the fifth inning when Harris County plated four runs. Banks allowed just two hits in the contest along with three walks. She fanned ten. Cartersville 10U baseball actually led 1-0 after one inning in their contest. Clint Hosea walked with one out in the bottom of the first inning and managed to eventually score on three wild pitches. Northern scored twice in the top of the second inning on three walks, an infield error, and a sacrifice fly to take a 2-1 lead. The score remained that way until the final frame when Northern plated five runs to put the game away. The five-run Northern sixth inning included three walks, two hits, and a pair of Cartersville miscues. Carter Callen had the only Cartersville 10U base hit in the game. It came on a second innng single to lead off the frame, but Callen was stranded at second. Cartersville had some opportunities, however. The locals drew a total of eight walks. Northern managed only three hits off a quartet of Cartersville pitchers. Callan (1.1 IP, 2R, 1ER, 0H, 3BB, 4K) started on the mound and worked into the second inning. Dallen Fuqua (3.2 IP, 2ER, 2H, 2BB, 3K) worked the bulk of the contest with Hosea (0.2 IP, 3R, 1ER, 1H, 2BB, 1K) and Blake Lutjens (0.1 IP) retiring the final three outs in the sixth. Bartow County 10U softball plays again Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in an elimination game. Cartersville 10U baseball also has an elimination game Sunday at 1 p.m. against Elbert County. The Georgia Little League 10U state softball tournament continues through Wednesday night. The 10U baseball event continues through Friday. 10U Georgia Little League Softball State Tournament results: Saturday’s games Vine Ingle 20, Elbert County 1 Harris County 4, Bartow County 0 Oconee County 12, West Point 0 Sunday’s schedule Hart County v. Vine Ingle, 10am Harris County v. Oconee County, 12:30pm Bartow County v. West Point, 5:30pm (elimination game, winner plays at 6pm Monday) 10U Georgia Little League Baseball State Tournament results: Saturday’s games Vine Ingle 15, Elbert County 4 Smyrna 35, West Point 1 Northern 7, Cartersville 1 Athens 27, Franklin County 0 Sunday’s schedule Smyrna v. Athens, 10 am Vine Ingle v. Northern, 10 am Cartersville v. Elbert County, 1 pm (elimination game, winner plays at 6pm Monday v. Smyrna/Athens loser) West Point v. Franklin County, 1 pm (elimination game, winner plays at 6pm Monday v Vine Ingle/Northern loser) Little League results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. GRPA tournament team results are also provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department or the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports and CiCi's - Beyond Pizza, both located in the Cartersville Main Street - Cherokee Place Shopping Center

This week's 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' update features the five professional baseball athletes with Cartersville ties. The two newest additions -- Elliott Anderson and Luke Schiltz -- have both been assigned following the June MLB draft and their respective signings. Anderson made his debut Saturday for the Rookie Advanced League Burlington Royals while Schiltz awaits his first live action for the Arizona League Rangers. Meanwhile, Sam Howard, Connor Justus, and Anthony Seigler continue their toils in Triple-A, Double-A, and Class A, respectively. L-R: Luke Schiltz, Anthony Seigler, Elliott Anderson, Connor Justus, Sam Howard ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Burlington Royals (1st yr. pro; LHP; Rookie Advanced Appalachian League; Kansas City Royals’ organization; Auburn; Cartersville HS)… made his professional debut Saturday in the eighth inning of a 6-3 loss at the Bluefield Blue Jays. Anderson faced the minimum and recorded one strikeout. Burlington (5-6) is 1-1/2 games behind the Pulaski Yankees in the Appalachian League’s East Division. The 10-team league plays a 68-game schedule from mid-June through late August with the top two teams in each division qualifying for the post-season playoffs. SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes (6th yr. pro; LHP; Triple-A Pacific Coast League; Colorado Rockies’ organization; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)… made three, one-inning appearances last week with a pair of shutout performances at Reno last Monday and at home against Tacoma Thursday night. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in the ninth inning at Reno and fanned one of three Thursday. He was saddled with a pitching loss Friday night at home against Tacoma after allowing a pair of tenth inning runs (one earned) on two hits. It should be noted, the PCL places a runner at second base to begin extra innings. For the season, Howard is 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA in 30 relief appearances. He has 49 strikeouts in just over 38 innings pitched. Albuquerque (34-48) is fourth in the PCL’s Pacific Southern Division. The Isotopes are 16-1/2 games behind El Paso. CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (4th yr. pro; Inf.; Double-A Southern League; L.A. Angels’ organization; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… was 2-for-22 at the plate in seven games this past week. Both hits were doubles. He walked three times, scored three runs, and had one RBI during the stretch of games that included a home contest against Jacksonville before a five-game series at Birmingham. Sunday’s game was at Biloxi. For the season, Justus has a .188 batting average through 70 games and 207 official at-bats. He has one home run and 15 RBI. Defensively, he has a .949 fielding percentage in 253 total chances. The infielder has 42 starts at shortstop, 16 at second base, and 11 at third base. Ten games into the Southern League’s second half schedule, the BayBears are 4-6 and trail Jacksonville by two games in the South Division. LUKE SCHILTZ — AZL Rangers (1st yr. pro; RHP; Rookie Arizona League; Texas Rangers’ organization; Cartersville native; Stoneman Douglas (FL) HS)… has been assigned to the Rookie Arizona League AZL Rangers but has not made a game appearance as of Sunday night. Members of the 21-team Arizona League for newly signed rookies, the Rangers are 9-3 and in first place in the West Division. The league plays a 56-game schedule between mid-June and late August. ANTHONY SEIGLER — Charleston RiverDogs (2nd yr. pro; C; Class A South Atlantic League; N.Y. Yankees’ organization; Cartersville HS)… saw action in five games last week and was 4-for-14 with six walks, three RBI, and a stolen base. In Friday’s 12-5 home win over Asheville, the Yankees’ No. 6 overall prospect reached base five times drawing walks in the first, third, and sixth innings. He singled home two runs in the fourth and another in the seventh for his fourth multi-hit effort in 14 games with the RiverDogs. Seigler has a .261 batting average with two doubles and four RBI. He has an on-base percentage of .452 in 46 official at-bats. In nine starts at catcher, he has a .989 fielding percentage with one error and 11 assists in 87 total chances. He has thrown out four of 14 base stealers. Charleston (5-6) is currently third in the SAL second half standings and trails the Rome Braves by two games. The RiverDogs are 42-39 overall.

Neither local team remaining for the final day of the 2019 Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) 8U State Tournaments came away with a title Friday, but the Bartow 8U girls softball team finished as state runner-up and the Cartersville Purple 8U baseball team placed third in action at the Sonoraville Recreation Complex in Calhoun. Both teams entered Friday’s action as one of three teams remaining in their respective tournaments and both needed three wins on the day to win their double-elimination events. Bartow 8U softball defeated Gordon County 19-10 to reach the state championship round, but fell to unbeaten Rockmart 19-11 to finish second of ten state tournament teams. Cartersville Purple 8U baseball was edged by Whitfield County 15-14 Friday morning to finish in third place. Whitfield was the eventual state runner-up after falling to Calhoun in the finals, 16-8. Bartow 8U softball scored in each inning in their win over Gordon County. The locals led most of the way, but a five-run top of the third inning gave Gordon County a temporary 6-4 lead. Bartow answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning and put the game away with an 11-run fourth inning outburst. Addi Lu Black, Shyia Woods, Samantha Porter, Isabella Tummins, and Carly Adams led Bartow’s offense with three hits each. Black and Tummins had a double and a triple each in their three hits. Woods had two doubles and Porter had a double among her three safeties. Paislee Rooks, Lillie Hollis, Carder Brock, and Maci Walker had two hits each in Bartow’s win. Kylee Poston contributed a double and Sloan Callan added one hit. Bartow held a 6-5 lead after one inning in the title game loss to Rockmart, but the eventual state champs took an 8-6 lead in the second inning and pushed their advantage to 16-7 after three frames on their way to an eight-run win. Callan and Black had three hits to pace Bartow. Woods had a home run and a double to lead four players with two hits. Brock doubled and tripled. Hollis had a double as one of her two hits and Adams also finished with two hits. Porter tripled, Kaidee Pirkle doubled, and Rooks added a base hit. Both of Bartow’s losses in the tournament were to Rockmart — in the first round and again in the championship game. Between those two games, Bartow 8U softball had wins over Calhoun (30-9), Dalton (23-1), Lafayette (25-10), Summerville (17-7), and Gordon County (19-10) to complete the tournament with a 5-2 mark. In 8U baseball action Friday, Cartersville Purple led or was tied in each inning except the final one in a 15-14 loss to Whitfield County. Cartersville Purple led 3-2 after one inning and 7-4 through the second inning. Whitfield took a 9-7 lead in the top of the third, but Cartersville Purple tied the game 9-9 in their half of the frame. Purple went up 11-9 in the fourth, but Whitfield knotted the score again in the fifth inning 13-13. Whitfield County outscored Cartersville Purple 4-3 in the final inning to advance with a 15-14 victory. Bowen Hardy led the Cartersville Purple offense with four hits including a double and two RBI. William Groce followed with three hits and two RBI. Price Startup (2 RBI), Colt Priest, and Walker Phillips (RBI) contributed a pair of hits each. Parker Huth (RBI), Noah Leffew, and Blake Forstie had the other Cartersville hits. Cade McFarland drove in a run. Cartersville Purple opened the state tournament with three straight wins over Rockmart Black (42-7), Morgan County (20-11), and Jasper County (19-6) before falling in two straight to eventual champion Calhoun (28-5) and runner-up Whitfield County. Cartersville Purple 8U's third place finish was the best of four local teams in the state tournament. Bartow Blue (3-2) placed fourth with their losses also coming to Calhoun and Whitfield County. Bartow White went 2-2 to finish seventh, and Cartersville Gold placed ninth. Little League results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. GRPA tournament team results are also provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department or the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports and CiCi's - Beyond Pizza, both located in the Cartersville Main Street - Cherokee Place Shopping Center.

It was a full day of action Thursday for local 8U softball and baseball teams representing the Bartow County and Cartersville Recreation Departments at the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) State Tournaments at Sonoraville Recreation Complex in Calhoun. On the softball diamonds, the Bartow County 8U girls won three elimination games to be one of only three teams remaining in the double-elimination tournament. Bartow pounded Dalton 23-1 Thursday morning, defeated Lafayette 25-10 in the afternoon, and topped Summerville 17-7 in a late afternoon contest. In the 8U baseball state tournament, Cartersville Purple 8U suffered its first loss in the double-elimination tournament falling to Calhoun, 28-5. Cartersville Purple — one of the final three teams remaining — will look to bounce back Friday morning against Whitfield County. The Cartersville Purple/Whitfield winner will face Calhoun later in the day needing two wins to take the title. Calhoun is the only remaining unbeaten. Bartow County Blue 8U staved off a pair of elimination games Thursday, but lost its third game of the day to Whitfield County, 11-9. Bartow Blue had wins earlier in the day over Bartow County White 17-1 and Jasper County 15-3 to finish in fourth place. BARTOW COUNTY 8U SOFTBALL REACHES FINAL THREE Bartow County 8U softball survived three elimination games Thursday to advance as one of three remaining teams at the GRPA State Tournament. Bartow opened the day with a 23-1 win over Dalton as Sloan Callan, Addi Lu Black, Shyla Woods, and Lillie Hollis finished with three hits each. Carder Brock, Samantha Porter, Paislee Rooks, Isabella Tummins, Maci Walker, and Kaidee Pirkle contributed a pair of hits apiece with Kylee Poston and Carly Adams adding one hit each. In Bartow’s 25-10 win over Lafayette, the locals raced to a 15-2 lead in the first inning and led 23-7 after two frames on their way to a 15-run victory. Black led the way with four hits including a pair of doubles. Woods had three hits including two triples and a double. Hollis had three hits including a home run. Poston’s three hits included a triple and two doubles. Walker had three hits including two doubles. Porter and Pirkle contributed three hits including a double each and Callan had three base hits. Adams finished with two doubles. Rooks collected two hits including a double. Brock added two hits and Tummins had one hit. In the win over Summerville, Bartow 8U led 10-4 after two innings and pulled away with a six run fourth inning to win 17-7. Porter and Black led Bartow with three hits apiece. Callan, Hollis, Brock, Tummins, Adams, Walker, and Pirkle finished with two hits each. Woods, Rooks, and Poston all added one hit. CALHOUN 8U 28, CARTERSVILLE PURPLE 8U 5 Calhoun 8U baseball remains the only unbeaten team of three remaining in the double-elimination tournament following a 28-5 win over Cartersville Purple 8U. Calhoun led 7-3 after one inning and 16-5 through two frames before scoring a dozen runs in the third to close out the contest. Bowen Hardy had two hits for Cartersville Purple. Walker Phillips, Will Groce, Price Startup, Parker Huth, Blake Forstie, Chris Parker, and Noah Leffew had one hit apiece. BARTOW BLUE FINISHES FOURTH AT STATE TOURNEY Bartow Blue 8U baseball survived two elimination games Thursday, but was eliminated from the GRPA state tournament in a third game by Whitfield County, 11-9. Whitfield County led 8-2 after two innings but Bartow Blue narrowed the margin to 8-5 in the third. Whitfield pushed its lead to 11-5 through five frames and a four-run Bartow Blue bottom of the sixth inning came up two runs short. Noah Rogers paced Bartow Blue with three hits including a pair of triples. Brodie Gardner also had three hits. Cade McCorkle and Will Whitman both finished with two hits includig one double each. Jaxton Huskins tripled. Jackson Watts doubled. Abel Gentry, Joseph Frederick, and Austin O’Neal added one hit apiece. In Bartow Blue’s win over Jasper County, Logan Smith and McCorkle led the way with three hits each. McCorkle’s three hits included two triples. Houston Walden, Gardner, Rogers, O’Neal, Huskins, Gentry, and Whitman contributed two hits each. Frederick added a base hit. Walden and Huskins both had three hits including one home run each as Bartow Blue eliminated Bartow White 8U. O’Neal also had three hits including a pair of triples. Watts contributed a triple and a double for Bartow Blue. Frederick and Gentry both had two hits including a double each. Whitman, McCorkle, and Smith finished with two hits each and Rogers added a base hit. Bartow White 8U was led by two hits each by Jasper Pruitt and Triston Brawner. Corbin Dotson contributed a hit and scored Bartow White’s run. Knox Gunter, Jace Reynolds, Brady Young, Javon Harris, Maddox Koontz, and Zion Weems added one hit apiece. SPECIAL PHOTO: The two Bartow County 8U teams and coaches combine for a photo Thursday. Little League results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. GRPA tournament team results are also provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department or the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports and CiCi's - Beyond Pizza, both located in the Cartersville Main Street - Cherokee Place Shopping Center.