Cartersville baseball pounded out 14 hits and three pitchers combined for a mercy-rule shortened no-hitter as the Hurricanes blanked visiting Cedartown Thursday night at Richard Bell Field, 15-0. Jake Gooch started on the mound for the Canes and went three strong innings with four strikeouts and a pair of walks. Curtis Wilkes followed and struggled by issuing a pair of walks and a hit batsman that loaded the bases, but Gage Morris entered to retire the side on a pair of come-backers to the mound. The first one started a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play and the second one finished off the inning without allowing a run. Meanwhile, Cartersville’s bats put this one out of reach early with a 10-run first inning that included RBIs by seven different hitters. The Canes added two more runs in the second inning and finished off the game with three in the fourth inning capped by John Reed Evans’ walkoff RBI double that ended the game via GHSA 15-run mercy rule. Mason Barnett paced four Cartersville hitters with multi-hit games. Barnett was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Jordan Wilkie, Chandler Tromza (two doubles), and Preston Welchel (double) each finished with two hits and two RBI. Anthony Seigler drove in a two runs with a double. Cohen Wilbanks doubled in a run. Josh Davis had one hit and one RBI while Gooch added one hit and Ian Inaba drew a bases loaded walk for one RBI. With the loss, Cedartown falls to 10-13 overall and 3-7 in Region 5-AAAA. Cartersville (21-6, 9-0) travels to LaGrange Friday, hosts Troup County next Tuesday, and closes out the regular season at Central-Carroll next Thursday. The Canes have a one-game lead over Troup County (8-1) in the region standings. The Tigers have region games Friday at home with Central-Carroll, at Cartersville next Tuesday, and at home with Sandy Creek next Thursday. SONORAVILLE 13, ADAIRSVILLE 12 The Adairsville Tigers’ stumbled a bit Thursday night in their playoff chase in Region 6-AAA by dropping a 13-12 decision at Sonoraville. The two teams swapped leads early, but Sonoraville scored five times in the bottom of the third inning to take a 9-5 advantage. Adairsville stayed close with a three-run fourth inning to make the score 9-8, but a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth inning enabled the Phoenix to go up 12-8. Adairsville made the score 12-10 in the top of the sixth before Sonoraville scored in the bottom of the frame on a Gage Soulios homer for a 13-10 lead. In the top of the seventh, Adairsville loaded the bases with no outs on three straight walks from two different Sonoraville pitchers. B.J. Roper scored on a wild pitch and Kyler Pelfrey singled home a run, but the Tigers rally stalled there and the Phoenix survived the last inning threat with a 13-12 win. Four Sonoraville hitters — Soulios, Cole Godfrey, Wyatt Castoe, and Grant Hegwood — combined for ten of the 15 Phoenix hits. Sonoraville also had four players with two RBI each. Caden Gibbs, who suffered the pitching loss, finished with three hits including a double and three RBI for the Tigers. Pelfrey had three RBI with two hits including a triple. Corey Nation doubled twice and drove in one run. Roper had two hits including a double. Hunter Hice had one double and two RBI while Halen Huskins and Michael Cook added one hit each. With their win, Sonoraville improved to 9-12 overall and 5-9 in region play, Adairsville (17-8, 10-5) now finds itself in a tightly bunched race for second through fifth place in their region. Bremen, Adairsville, Calhoun, and Haralson County all have either four or five region losses heading into the final week of games. The Tigers have three Region 6-AAA regular season games remaining. The Tigers must travel to Bremen and Calhoun Tuesday and Thursday before hosting Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe next Friday, April 20.

The Cass girls soccer team, led by a hat-trick by Logan Vermaas, defeated visiting Darlington Wednesday 7-0 in a non-region match at Doug Cochran Stadium. With her three goals in the game, Vermaas is now the Lady Colonels’ all-time leading goal scorer for a single season with 26 goals and Cass has three games remaining in the regular season. Vermaas (photo) scored on a penalty kick in the game’s 12th minute to open Wednesday’s scoring, then added the Lady Colonels’ second goal in the 15th minute off a nice feed from Madison Shook. Lupita Pineda scored on a direct kick and Olivia Flynn found the back of the net off an assist from Leidi Toribio as Cass took a 4-0 lead to halftime. In the second half, Morgan DeLarm and Vermaas both scored goals. Each assisted on the other player’s goal and Victoria Torres added the Colonels’ final goal off an assist from Brittney Ochoa. Jailyn Padilla and a strong Cass defense earned the shutout as the Lady Colonels improved to 9-6 on the season. Cass, which has locked up a state playoff berth and the No. 3 seed from Region 7-AAAAA, will play another non-region match Friday at North Springs.

The Cartersville girls and boys tennis teams won Region 5-AAAA championships Wednesday at Sunset Hills Country Club in Carrollton. Both teams defeated LaGrange in their title matches. The Lady Canes won 3-0 with a sweep of all three singles lines. Ashley Popham, Emma McCary, and Ansley Thompson each secured a win at their respective lines. The Hurricanes won their title by a 3-1 final score. Line 1 doubles team Juan Zazueta / Luke Kotteman and Line 2 doubles team Ivy Nelson / Ross Norwood earned points along with a Line 3 singles victory by Davis Edwards. Other matches were pulled once the titles were secured. The Lady Canes and Canes will now host the No. 4 seeds out of Region 7-AAAA in the opening round of the Class 4A state playoffs. The GHSA playoff format for state tennis calls for the first round to be completed by Friday, April 20. (Photo courtesy Cartersville Athletic Director Darrell Demastus) WOODLAND BOYS 2ND, GIRLS 3RD AT REGION 7-5A The Woodland boys tennis team lost in the Region 7-AAAAA finals Wednesday in Rome, 3-0. That will leave the Wildcats as the No. 2 seed from the region in the Class 5A state playoffs, but it will make Woodland an opening round host. The Woodland girls won the third-place match at the Region 7-AAAAA tournament, winning 3-0 over Rome. All three singles lines were winners for the Lady Cats with Christy Turner, Gloria Gore, and Deanna Dodson each picking up wins. The Wildcats will host the No. 3 seed from Region 8-AAAAA in the first round of the Class 5A state playoffs. GHSA requires opening round matches to be completed by Friday, April 20. As a three-seed, the Lady Cats will play a road match in the first round at the Region 8-AAAAA runner-up.

The Adairsville baseball team retained its current hold on the third place spot in Region 6-AAA Wednesday night with a 4-1 victory at Murray County. The Tigers trailed 1-0 early, but scored a single run in the second inning, two in the fourth and one more in the fifth inning on their way to a three-run win. Starter Levi Blackwell (3.1 IP, 1ER, 2H, 3BB, 4K) and middle reliever Chase Horn (3.1 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 3K) both tossed three and one-third innings for Adairsville. Caden Gibbs (0.1 IP, 0H, 0BB, 0K) entered in the seventh with two on base and the potential tying run at the plate to induce a pop out to shortstop and earn a save. Kyle Dotson had two hits including a double for the Indians (3-22, 0-14). Logan Palmer drove in a run with one hit. Preston Vanmeter had the only other Murray County base hit. Five Tigers finished with one hit apiece. Garrett Mishoe doubled and drove in a run. Halen Huskins had two RBI with a hit and a sacrifice fly. Gibbs drove in a run with a base hit. Noah Dutton and Corey Nation had the other Tigers’ hits. Adairsville (17-7, 10-4) plays at Sonoraville Thursday at 5:55 p.m. and will have games at Bremen, at Calhoun, and at home against Lakeview-Ft. Oglethorpe next week. WOODLAND 8, KELL 3 With six runs over the final two innings and a complete-game pitching performance from Koby Stansel, Woodland completed a two-game series sweep at Kell Wednesday night with an 8-3 Region 7-AAAAA win in Marietta. Woodland trailed 2-1 after one inning and tied the game 2-2 in the fourth. The Longhorns went back ahead 3-2 in the fifth, but the Wildcats’ final two offensive frames took control. Woodland out hit Kell 13 to seven in the contest. Stansel worked ahead in the count much of the night. He threw first pitch strikes to 21 of 32 batters and kept 61 of his 95 pitches in the strike zone. He scattered seven hits and three walks while allowing only two earned runs. He struck out one and 16 of his 18 outs were by pop up or fly out. Jordan Lee had three hits for the Wildcats. Toby Queen (RBI), Bailey Ward, and Marco Haro (double) had two hits each. Dylan Webb doubled and drove home three runs. Garrett Cornett had a hit and drove in a run with a sac fly. Chris Mills and Titus Jones each added one hit and one RBI. Kell drops to 13-13-1 with the loss. The Longhorns are now 8-4 in region action. Woodland (15-11, 8-4) moved into second place in Region 7-AAAAA behind 3rd-ranked Carrollton. Woodland is currently tied with Kell, but holds the head-to-head tiebreaker as result of the series sweep. Carrollton was swept by Villa Rica this week in a two-game series to slip to 10-2 in the region. The Wildcats open a two-game series with Carrollton at home Friday at 5:55 p.m. The two teams will play again Monday at Carrollton.

Cass rallied from a 3-0 deficit Wednesday at home to defeat East Paulding 4-3 in Region 7-AAAAA action. The win snapped an overall nine game skid for the Colonels. Eight of the losses were in region play. Steven Spell tossed a complete game for Cass for the pitching win and Matt Shook drove in the game winning runs with a walk off, line drive double into left field in the bottom of the seventh. Spell scattered five hits and one walk to allow only two earned runs. He fanned three Raiders. East Paulding took a 3-0 lead with a single run in the first inning and two more in the top of the sixth prior to the Cass comeback. The Colonels narrowed their deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Evan Hinton, who finished with a pair of hits, tripled home a pair of runs. Thomas Botts had two hits for Cass while Nathan Smith and Gavin Young added the other Cass base hits. East Paulding slips to 10-14 overall and 7-5 in region action. Cass (10-17, 4-10) will wrap up the season Friday and Monday against Paulding County. The Colonels host the Patriots Friday at 5:55 p.m. with Monday’s game set for the same starting time in Dallas.

ADAIRSVILLE GIRLS 8, RINGGOLD 0 Emily Collum scored five goals and surpassed the 100-goal milestone for her career as the host Lady Tigers blanked their Tigers visitors from Ringgold. Keeper Havyn Isaac earned her 37th career win in net to establish a new Adairsville school record also. Sayde Johnson added a pair of goals and Gillian Johnson scored one goal for Adairsville (7-2-2, 4-2). Adairsville hosts Coahulla Creek Thursday. ADAIRSVILLE BOYS 3, RINGGOLD 0 Adairsville earned a 3-0 Region 6-AAA victory over Ringgold Tuesday night at home. Angel Banda, Gabriel Sanchez, and Joseph Pacheco scored one unassisted goal apiece. Adairsville hosts Coahulla Creek Thursday. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 5, NORTH PAULDING 2 In a non-region contest on the road, the Hurricanes had five different players score goals in a 5-2 victory at North Paulding. The Canes led 1-0 at halftime on a Pedro Ghanem tally, then added second half goals by James Chege, Jair Ramos, Grant Farmer, and Bill Archer. Jonathan Cruz and Brady Craig had two assists each for Cartersville. Will Bentley also contributed one assist. Cartersville (10-4) hosts Shaw Friday at 7:30 p.m. in another region tilt. NORTH PAULDING GIRLS 5, CARTERSVILLE 1 The Lady Canes (7-5, 4-1) have Region 5-AAAA matches remaining at Villa Rica and at home against LaGrange. HERITAGE-CATOOSA GIRLS 4, WOODLAND 0 Heritage led 2-0 at the intermission and added two more goals in the second half for a 4-0 non-region win over the visiting Lady Cats. Woodland (5-8, 2-6) hosts Carrollton Friday in a Region 7-AAAAA match.

The Cartersville girls and boys tennis teams both reached the finals of the Region 5-AAAA Championship Tournament Tuesday with a pair of wins. The Lady Canes topped Cedartown 5-0 while the Canes blanked Cedartown 3-0 and were able to pull their two remaining matches before conclusion. CARTERSVILLE GIRLS 5, CEDARTOWN 0 Line 1 — Ashley Popham won in straight sets Line 2 — Emma McCary won in straight sets Line 3 — Ansley Thompson won by forfeit Line 1 — Jordan Ross / Lydia Wiedetz won in straight sets Line 2 — Alice Terry and Chloe Satterfield won in straight sets The Cartersville girls play the Central-Carroll / LaGrange winner Wednesday for the region title. CARTERSVILLE BOYS 3, CEDARTOWN 0 Line 1 — Will Allen won in straight sets Line 2 — Matthew Slocum (match incomplete) Line 3 — Davis Edwards (match incomplete) Line 1 — Juan Zazueta / Luke Kottemann won in straight sets Line 2 — Ivy Nelson / Ross Norwood won in straight sets The Cartersville boys play the LaGrange / Cedartown winner Wednesday for the region title. ROME ELIMINATES CASS IN REGION 7-AAAAA The Cass High boys and girls tennis teams were eliminated in the opening round of the Region 7-AAAAA tournament Tuesday. Both teams lost to Rome by 4-1 final scores. Emily Surcey won her Line 1 singles match 6-1, 6-0 for the Lady Colonels’ only victory. Reagan Barrere won a three set match on the boys side.

The Woodland girls and boys tennis teams secured Class 5A state tournament berths Tuesday at the Region 7-AAAAA tournament with the Wildcats reaching the region championship match. The Lady Cats defeated Hiram in the opening round 5-0, but lost to Kell 3-0 in the semifinals. Christy Turner, Gloria Gore, and Deanna Dodson won the three singles lines for Woodland. The doubles teams of Caroline Gore/Breanna Shook and Becky Wesley/Kayla Gales claimed the two doubles lines victories. In the loss to Kell, the Lady Longhorns secured wins at Line 2 and 3 singles and also won at Line 1 doubles. The Woodland girls play Rome Wednesday at 3 p.m. to determine third/fourth place in the region and the No. 3 / No. 4 seeding in the state tournament. The Woodland boys won their way into the Region 7-AAAAA championship match with a pair of Tuesday victories. The Wildcats defeated Hiram 4-1 and Rome 4-0 to advance to the finals. Bryce VanOrder split his two matches at Line 1 singles and Blake Bottegal won both matches at Line 2 singles. Connor Gunnell won his Line 3 singles match vs. Hiram and had split sets vs. Rome when the team match was decided. Alex Banta / Hayden Lusk won twice at Line 1 doubles. The team of Max Costlow / Nick Warren blanked Hiram while Costlow and Noah Pirkle won a three-set match against Rome. Woodland plays Carrollton Wednesday for the Region Championship. The Adairsville High School tennis teams were eliminated Tuesday at the Region 6-AAA tournament by the girls and boys teams from Murray County. The Tigers lost to Indians 3-1 and the Lady Tigers fell to the Lady Indians 3-0. MURRAY CO. BOYS 3, ADAIRSVILLE 1 Singles Line 1 — Houston Medlock won 6-3, 6-4 Line 2 — Jack Bates lost 1-6, 0-6 Line 3 — Cameron O’Neal’s match was incomplete Doubles Line 1 — Cody Kimbrough / Zach Ogle lost 2-6, 4-6 Line 2 — Jason Burdette / Landon Swanson lost 4-6, 0-6 MURRAY CO. GIRLS 3, ADAIRSVILLE 0 Singles Line 1 — Megan Smith lost 0-6, 0-6 Line 2 — Alexandra Kanturek’s match was incomplete Line 3 — Brantley Hughes’ match was incomplete Doubles Line 1 — Hannah Adcock / Olivia Long lost 4-6, 3-6 Line 2 — Micaela Pardo / Madison Camp lost 5-7, 0-6 The Adairsville boys finished the season 9-6 overall and 4-6 in region matches. The Lady Tigers complete the year 8-7 overall and 5-5 in region competition.

Cartersville baseball broke open a back-and-forth contest Tuesday night with a five-run seventh inning to remain undefeated in Region 5-AAAA at Chapel Hill, 11-6. Chapel Hill led 3-1 after one inning and Cartersville took a 6-3 lead in the third. The Panthers tied the game with two runs in the fourth and another in the sixth inning prior to the Hurricanes final inning outburst. The Canes hurt themselves by committing six errors in the game that helped lead to four unearned runs by Chapel Hill. Mason Barnett had a big day at the plate for Cartersville. The junior finished 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, and four RBI. Jordan Wilkie added two hits including a double and two RBI. Chandler Tromza tossed in a double and a sac fly for two RBI and Anthony Seigler drove in a run with a double. Barnett (0.1 IP) was also the pitcher of record and picked up the victory by retiring the final out in the sixth inning on a groundout with the game tied 6-6. Seigler (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 3K) worked a scoreless seventh inning to close out the win. In all, the Hurricanes used five pitchers. Levi Ayers (3 IP, 3R, 0ER, 3H, 1BB, 2K) started with Gage Morris (0.1 IP, 2ER, 3H, 0BB, 1K) and Cohen Wilbanks (2.1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 1BB, 2K) working in relief. Jamel Rookard, who had two hits in the game, suffered the pitching loss for Chapel Hill. Kareh Valentin added two hits for the Panthers (9-15, 1-8). Joseph Hernandez contributed one hit and two RBI. Cartersville (20-6, 8-0) hosts Cedartown Thursday at 5:55 p.m. at Richard Bell Field and travels to LaGrange Friday for a 5:30 p.m. start. ADAIRSVILLE 8, HARALSON COUNTY 1 The Adairsville Tigers rallied for six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Tuesday night to take control late on their way to an 8-1 home win over Haralson County. The Region 6-AAA victory evened the two-game season series with the visiting Rebels and the six-run sixth also gave the Tigers the tie-breaker advantage over Haralson County if the two teams are tied for a playoff berth or seed position at the end of the regular season. Kyler Pelfrey, who now has four wins and a save in the Tigers last 11 games, came through big again on the mound. The senior tossed a complete-game, four-hitter and struck out nine. Blade Wigley suffered the pitching loss for the Rebels although he kept Haralson County in the game until the fateful sixth inning. Haralson County scored first in the top of the third to take a 1-0 lead, but Adairsville answered with two runs in the bottom half of the frame. B.J. Roper and Corey Nation reached on a walk and a hit-by-pitch and later scored on an RBI single by Noah Dutton and a groundout to short by Pelfrey. In the sixth inning rally, Adairsville sent eleven men to the plate. Halen Huskins had an RBI double. Roper singled home a run. Nation had a hit and scored on Dutton’s two-RBI double and Caden Gibbs also had a two-RBI hit in the frame. With the loss, Haralson County slipped to 13-10 overall and 8-5 in Region 6-AAA Adairsville (16-7, 9-4) currently holds third place in the Region 6-AAA standings. The Tigers travel to Murray County Wednesday and play at Sonoraville Thursday. Both games are scheduled for 5:55 p.m. starts.

Jordan Lee grounded a walk-off RBI single into right field Monday night as Woodland won an important Region 7-AAAAA matchup over Kell, 4-3, in eight innings. The win helped the Wildcats keep pace with East Paulding and potentially Rome as the three teams are currently battling for the final two spots from the region in the state playoffs. The win also helped Woodland move within one game of Kell. The Longhorns are currently in second place in the region standings. Woodland loaded the bases in the eighth inning on a pair of walks and an infield bunt. Then after one out, Lee delivered the game winning hit. The Wildcats led 3-0 early and that appeared to be enough for starting pitcher Kenny Jinks (7 IP, 3R, 1ER, 6H, 2BB, 2HBP, 6K) who had to settle for a no-decision. The Longhorns, however, tied the game with three runs in the sixth to ultimately sent the two teams into extra innings. Marco Haro reached on an error and eventually scored on another infield error as Woodland took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. In the third, Bailey Ward drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Haro delivered an RBI single for a 3-0 Wildcats’ advantage. Kell utilized three hits, a hit batsman, and an infield error for their three-run sixth inning. Hal Stelijes (1.1 IP, 1ER, 1H, 3BB, 1K) was tagged with the pitching loss for the Longhorns in relief of Matt Collins (3.1 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 2K) and starter Caleb Hilton (2.2 IP, 3R, 0ER, 1H, 3BB, 5K). Tyler Dilcher (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 1K) was credited with the win by working a scoreless eighth inning for Woodland. Logan Smith had a three-hit game for Kell that included a double. Koby Stansel, Haro (RBI), Lee (RBI), and Dylan Webb had the only Woodland hits. Woodland (14-11, 7-4) travels to Kell (13-13-1, 8-3) for a rematch Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. EAST PAULDING 7, CASS 2 East Paulding took a 4-0 lead through four innings Monday night and held off visiting Cass over the final three frames for a 7-2 Region 7-AAAAA win. The Raiders were led by a 4-for-4, three RBI performance by leadoff hitter Brandon Haston. His four hit game included a home run. Andrew Pendleton also had two hits for East Paulding. Pitchers Jackson Phipps and Kasey Kelly combined for 12 strikeouts for the Raiders while scattering three hits with seven walks. Cass scored in the top of the fourth inning to narrow the margin to 4-1, but did not score again until the final frame. Bryson Markley, Clay Means, and Logan Nelson had the only Cass hits. Blaine Ingram (3 IP, 4R, 3ER, 7H, 0BB) and Parker Hardin (3 IP, 3ER, 3H, 4BB, 2K) both worked three innings in the Colonels’ loss. East Paulding (10-13, 7-4) will visit Cass (9-17, 3-10) Wednesday at 5:55 p.m.

The 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' update for college softball, tennis, and track and field athletes for the week ending April 8. SOFTBALL SIERRAH GANI — Georgia Highlands CC (Fr., OF, Cass HS)… had a stellar showing for the Chargers in a midweek doubleheader against USC-Salkehatchie. She went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in each of the two wins. In the second game, she added two runs scored. GHC won the two games by a combined score of 28-2. The Chargers (24-19, 10-8) hosts Andrew College Saturday and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Sunday. CASSIDY HOWREN — Reinhardt University (Sr., C, Adairsville HS)… finished 8-for-23 over Renihardt's eight games last week. She scored eight runs and six RBIs. The Eagles (24-20, 14-6) play at NAIA top-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College Tuesday and host Columbia (SC) College Saturday. SYDNEY HODORFF — LaGrange College (Jr., C, Woodland HS)… had just one hit and one walk in 12 at bats, as LaGrange lost all four of its games over the past week. The Panthers (13-21, 9-5) play a doubleheader at Berry College Tuesday. HANNAH KNAPP — Coastal Alabama CC (So., C, Adairsville HS)… went 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI in her two appearances over the past week. She saw action in one game apiece across Coastal Alabama's two doubleheaders. Coastal (17-27, 11-6) play at Coastal South Tuesday, host Enterprise State Thursday, and travel to Chattahoochee Valley Saturday. KAILAH RAIN — Embry-Riddle University (Sr., OF, Cartersville HS)… had an almost flawless showing in a three-game series with Rollins College over the weekend. She went 7-for-8 with a double, a triple, three runs scored and four driven in. She even drew two walks. Arguably, the only negative was that she did get caught stealing, making her 14-for-15 and ending her perfect mark in the department. ERU (27-12, 15-9) host Sunshine Conference foe Lynn University in a three-game series Saturday and Sunday. ANNALYN YANTIS — Samford University (Jr., P, Cartersville HS)… started three games this past week — once against Jacksonville State and twice against Texas. She struggled early against the Gamecocks, lasting just 1 2/3 innings, but her offense picked her up in an eventual 11-10 victory. Yantis pitched stellar in her first outing against the Longhorns, allowing just one run on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts. However, Samford fell by a 1-0 score. She started the next day and understandably struggled to replicate her success, giving up four runs (three earned) over two-plus innings in a 4-0 defeat. Samford (12-29, 2-3) hosts Western Carolina in a conference series Saturday and Sunday. TENNIS PEYTON GOLLHOFER — Ball State University (Jr., Cartersville, GA; Laurel Springs Academy)… won her singles match in a non-conference victory over Northern Iowa on Friday. On Sunday, she dropped a three-setter in singles play to Toledo, 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, but she teamed up with Victoria Sec for a 6-2 doubles triumph. It's the fourth time in as many MAC matchups that Gollhofer has fallen in Line 1 singles play but emerged victorious with Sec in doubles action. Ball State (8-9, 0-4) hosts Western Michigan Friday and Northern Illinois Sunday. TRACK AND FIELD MILES BEARDEN — Kansas State University (Sr., Cartersville, GA; Darlington HS)… finished fifth in the high jump at the Jim Click Shootout hosted by the University of Arizona over the weekend. Next for the Wildcats is the Texas Invitational in Austin, TX Friday and Saturday. AUBREE COLE — Jacksonville State University (Fr., Cartersville HS)… took fifth in the 3000-meter run at the South Alabama Invitational on Saturday. The Gamecocks will compete in the Western Carolina University Benyon Classic Thursday through Saturday. ANNA HIGHTOWER — Georgia Tech (Jr., Cartersville HS)… placed sixth in the high jump at the Spec Towns Invitational hosted by the University of Georgia over the weekend. Georgia Tech competes in the Auburn University Tiger Track Classic Friday and Saturday. TREVOR KNOWLES — Albion College (Fr., Woodland HS)… Knowles and his 4x100 teammates took second, while he finished fourth and 11th, respectively, in the triple jump and high jump at the Marv Frye Invitational hosted by Ohio Wesleyan on Saturday. Next for the Britons is the Alma/Olivet Dual Meet. BLAKE PERRY — Jacksonville State University (Sr., Cartersville HS)… placed fifth in the triple jump and seventh in the 100-meter hurdles on Saturday in Mobile. The Gamecocks will compete in the Western Carolina University Benyon Classic Thursday through Saturday. Nicholas Sullivan, The Daily Tribune News, contributed to this article.

The two current minor league baseball prospects from Cartersville -- Sam Howard and Connor Justus -- opened their respective 2018 campaigns this past week with both off to solid starts. At the collegiate level, ten local athletes made contributions with their programs around the country during the week ending April 8. MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes - Triple A Pacific Coast League (5th year pro; Colorado Rockies organization; Georgia Southern University; Cartersville HS)… made his first start of the 2018 regular season and earned a win Sunday as the ‘Topes won at Salt Lake 11-4. Howard (1-0) allowed two earned runs on six hits. He did not issue a walk and fanned four. Albuquerque (3-1) wraps up their series at Salt Lake Monday and hosts Las Vegas and Salt Lake Tuesday through Monday, April 16. CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears - AA Southern League (3rd year pro; LA Angels organization; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… went 3-for-3 with a walk and a double in the BayBears season opener last Thursday at home as Mobile defeated Pensacola 9-4. He followed that with a 1-for-4 performance in a Friday loss. Justus was 0-for-3 in a Sunday afternoon doubleheader, but walked three times as the BayBears swept Pensacola 9-0 and 4-3. He started all four games playing shortstop in the first three games and second base in Sunday’s second game. Mobile (3-1) concludes a five-game series with Pensacola Monday and travels to Jacksonville for a five-game set Wednesday through Sunday. COLLEGE BASEBALL BRANDON ALLEN — Georgia Highlands CC (Fr., OF, Woodland HS)… made appearances in games Friday and Sunday for the Chargers and went 0-for-3 for the week. GHC was swept in a four-game conference series during the week with South Georgia State. The Chargers (24-15, 10-10) play non-conference games this week at Chattahoochee Valley CC Tuesday, at Emmanuel College (DH) Wednesday, and against Shorter University JV at LakePoint on Thursday. ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Auburn University (Soph., LHP, Cartersville HS)… worked an inning and two-thirds in relief and was credited with the pitching win last Tuesday as the Tigers routed Alabama A&M 19-5. Anderson (4-0, 4.91 ERA) retired all five batters faced and struck out one. He has now appeared in 13 games and pitched 14 and two-thirds innings. Auburn (23-10, 4-8) plays at Samford Tuesday night before hosting a three-game SEC series with Mississippi State Friday through Sunday. BAILEY CAMPBELL — Young Harris College (Fr., 1B, Cass HS)… struck out in his only pinch hitting appearance last week during a 14-8 loss Monday at Anderson (SC) University. YHC (21-17, 13-11 Peach Belt Conference) was 2-3 last week and plays at Southern Wesleyan (SC) Wednesday before hosting USC-Aiken in a three-game conference series Friday through Sunday. BRANDON ETHERIDGE — Limestone College (Sr., OF, Cass HS)… went 3-for-13 with a walk, a sacrifice fly for an RBI, and scored two runs in four games last week. The Saints went 3-1 for the week with a loss at Wingate and a three-game conference sweep at home of Southern Wesleyan. Limestone (17-20, 9-9 Conference Carolinas) travels to Carson-Newman University Tuesday and plays a three-game series at North Greenville Friday and Saturday. CODY JOHNSON — Georgia Highlands CC (Fr., RHP, Cass HS)… had a rough outing in his only appearance this past week for the Chargers. He entered in the eighth inning and allowed three earned runs on three walks and a hit in an 11-2 loss last Friday to South Georgia State. The Chargers (24-15, 10-10) play non-conference games this week at Chattahoochee Valley CC Tuesday, at Emmanuel College (DH) Wednesday, and against Shorter University JV at LakePoint on Thursday. SEAN McDERMOTT — Mercer University (Jr., 1B, Adairsville HS)… started each game and went 3-for-13 as the Bears won mid-week road games at Savannah State and Georgia Southern but dropped two of three home conference games to Furman. McDermott had a double, two walks, and three RBI for the week. He was twice hit by a pitch and had a sacrifice fly. Mercer (26-8, 6-3) hosts Georgia Tech Tuesday and plays a three-game Southern Conference series at Samford Friday through Sunday. HARRISON OSBORN — Point University (Fr., RHP, Cartersville HS)… started and went three innings for no decision last Tuesday in an eventual 5-4 10-inning loss at Talladega (AL). Osborn allowed no runs on two hits and no walks. He struck out one of the ten batters he faced. In Dayton, TN Saturday, Osborn went five innings in a start and 7-4 loss to Bryan College. He allowed seven earned runs on twelve hits and a walk. He fanned five. Point (21-17, 11-7) plays a doubleheader Tuesday at Toccoa Falls College and hosts Milligan College for a three-game Appalachian Athletic Conference series Friday and Saturday. HUNTER REAID — Shorter University (Fr., C, Woodland HS)… was 0-for-1 but walked twice last Tuesday in a 4-1 home win over Clark Atlanta University. Reaid started that game and made a defensive appearance Sunday in an 11-4 Gulf South Conference win at Auburn-Montgomery. The Hawks (17-18, 7-12) play the rubber game of their series with AUM Monday, play at Georgia College Wednesday, and host a three-game conference series with University of Montevallo Saturday and Sunday. TRISTIN SMITH — Young Harris College (Jr., Inf., Adairsville HS)… started all five games last week and went 3-for-20 with a homer, a walk, and six RBI as the Mountain Lions went 2-3. Young Harris won a non-conference game at Emmanuel College last Wednesday and won one of three Peach Belt Conference games at University of North Georgia over the weekend. YHC (21-17, 13-11) plays at Southern Wesleyan (SC) Wednesday and hosts USC-Aiken Friday through Sunday in conference games. TYLER WASHINGTON — Young Harris College (Sr., OF, Adairsville HS)… started four of five games last week for the Mountain Lions as they went 2-3. For the week, Washington was 3-for-14 with two doubles, five walks, four runs, and one RBI. He has a .277 batting average for the year in 32 starts and 101 at bats. Young Harris (21-17, 13-11) plays at Southern Wesleyan (SC) Wednesday and hosts USC-Aiken Friday through Sunday in Peach Belt Conference games.