Athletes Beyond Bartow update for college softball and track and field for the week ending May 13. Please Note: Pro and College Baseball 'Athletes Beyond Bartow Update published separately this week at this LINK. SOFTBALL Kailah Rain (Embry-Riddle Sr., Cartersville) — Rain went 0-for-3 in each of Embry-Riddle's postseason games last week. The Eagles fell to Saint Leo 3-0 and University of West Florida in the double-elimination Division II South 2 Regional. Rain finished her senior season with a .323 batting average, six doubles, four triples, 30 runs scored and 29 RBIs. She also stole 14 bases in 15 tries while featuring in 46 of the team's 48 games. TRACK AND FIELD Miles Bearden (Kansas State Sr., Cartersville native) — Bearden placed 10th in the men's high jump at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Waco, Texas. Spencer Fields (Rhodes College So., Kingston native) — Fields finished second in the 10,000-meter run at the North Central College Dr. Keeler Track and Field Meet in Naperville, Illinois. Samantha Patterson (Jacksonville State Sr., Woodland) — Patterson took fifth in the pole vault in the Ohio Valley Conference Track and Field Championship over the weekend in Cookeville, Tennessee.

Charles Wilson of BartowSportsZone.com had a brief conversation with coach Eric Beagles of the Heritage-Catoosa Generals Monday night prior to the their Class 4A state semifinal series at Cartersville. Coach Beagles discusses his projected first round draft pick pitcher Cole Wilcox, his senior-led Generals, and what he expects from the Canes in this series. Heritage (31-6) plays Cartersville (29-8) in a best-of-three series beginning with a doubleheader at Richard Bell Field Tuesday at 4 p.m. LINK TO AUDIO PAGE: https://www.bartowsportszone.com/heritage-coach-eric-beagles

Former Cartersville Hurricanes Connor Justus and Sam Howard had productive weeks with their respective minor league clubs. Justus, a Double-A prospect in the Los Angeles Angels' organization is currently riding a five-game hitting streak with the Mobile BayBears of the Southern League. Howard, a southpaw with the Colorado Rockies' Triple-A team in Albuquerque, picked up his second win of the season and had another shutout performance in a no-decision outing. On the collegiate level, NCAA Division I teams are entering their final week of the regular season and teams at other levels have already begun post-season play. MiLB SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes (5th-year pro; LHP; Colorado Rockies organization; Pacific Coast ​League; Georgia Southern; Cartersville HS)... picked up his second win of the 2018 season last Monday (May 7) as the Isotopes knocked off visiting El Paso 11-7. Howard went five innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits and three walks. He fanned four of the 21 batters he faced. Saturday night, Howard tossed 4.1 innings of shutout baseball in a non-decision. He allowed only two hits and three walks while striking out two in an eventual 6-3 win for Albuquerque. The southpaw is now 2-3 for the season in seven starts. He has a 5.01 ERA in just over 32 innings with 30 strikeouts. Albuquerque (19-18) is in second place in the PCL Pacific Southern Division. The ‘Topes continue a four game series at Las Vegas through Tuesday night and return home Thursday for an eight-day homestand against Reno and Salt Lake that runs May 17-24. CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (3rd-year pro; MIF; Los Angeles Angels organization; Southern League; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… had one of his best weeks of the season at the plate as he continued a five-game hitting streak. In Sunday’s home game against Birmingham, Justus went 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, and scored a run in a 3-2 win. For the week, he was 7-for-19 (.368) with five walks and four runs scored. He has hit .242 over the last 10 games and has raised his season average to .206. With 23 starts at shortstop and eight at second base, the defensive standout has a .926 fielding percentage in 135 total defensive chances. Mobile (17-19) is in second place in the Southern League’s South Division, 6.5 games behind first place Biloxi. The BayBears open a three game home series with Birmingham Monday night and then travel to Jacksonville for a six-game series that begins Thursday through Monday, May 21 and includes a makeup game from an earlier rainout. COLLEGE BASEBALL ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Auburn University (Soph., LHP, Cartersville HS)…worked in the sixth inning of two of the Tigers’ three games this past weekend at 5th-ranked Ole Miss. The southpaw entered with a man on first and no outs in the sixth inning Thursday night and got a pair of groundouts sandwiched around an RBI single before being lifted with two outs in the inning and a runner at third. The Rebels went on the defeat 16th-ranked Auburn 5-4. Friday, Anderson allowed one earned in completing the sixth inning. He hit a batter and yielded an RBI double in an eventual 8-3 Auburn loss. Ole Miss completed the sweep Saturday by topping Auburn, 10-3, making the Tigers 1-3 for the week. In 21 appearances this season, Anderson is 5-0 with a 3.21 ERA in 28 innings pitched. Auburn (35-17, 13-14 SEC) plays at Troy Tuesday before hosting LSU Thursday through Saturday to close out the regular season. The SEC Tournament begins May 22 in Hoover, AL. MASON ROBINSON — Louisiana Tech (R-Jr., OF, Woodland HS)… went 4-for-16 including a walk, three runs scored, and four RBI in four games this week. The Bulldogs had a 12-1 win a Grambling State Wednesday and then took two-of-three at conference-leading and 13th-ranked Southern Miss over the weekend. Robinson has appeared in 53 games this season with 51 starts in the outfield. He has a .279 batting average that includes six homers, 14 extra base hits, and 34 RBI in 223 plate appearances (197 official at-bats). The Bulldogs (35-18, 18-9 C-USA) are currently tied for second place with Florida Atlantic and trail Southern Miss by 2.5 games with one conference weekend remaining in the regular season. Most projections have only two NCAA tournament bids for Conference USA including the automatic bid for the conference tournament winner. Louisiana Tech hosts a regular season ending three-game conference series with Old Dominion Thursday through Saturday. The C-USA tournament begins May 23 in Biloxi, MS. TRISTIN SMITH — Young Harris College (R-Jr., INF, Adairsville HS)… was 0-for-6 in three games at the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in St. Augustine, but did walk twice and contribute one RBI with a sacrifice fly. The Mountain Lions beat 26th-ranked USC-Aiken Friday, but lost to Flagler College and 9th-ranked Columbus State Saturday to end their year. Smith appeared in 37 games and started 29 this season. He finished with a .232 batting average in 112 official at-bats with five homers and 25 RBI. Young Harris completed the year with a 26-24 record. TYLER WASHINGTON — Young Harris College (R-Jr., OF, Adairsville HS)… had one hit in each of the Mountain Lions’ three games at the Peach Belt Conference Tournament in St. Augustine Friday and Saturday and was 3-for-10 in the event. Young Harris defeated USC-Aiken in their tournament opener, but lost to Flagler College and Columbus State to end their year. Washington finished the season with a .322 batting average in 47 games that included 44 starts. He had 16 extra base hits, including five homers and 19 RBI in 146 official at-bats. YHC finished the season with a 26-24 mark.

Track and field state championships were decided this weekend at three sites across Georgia and Bartow County had athletes participating at each location. Cass High School’s Stephen Smith (photo from an earlier meet) highlighted all results with a state championship in the Class 5A pole vault in Carrollton. Smith cleared 14 feet on his first attempt to edge Carrollton’s Joe Street who also cleared 14 feet, but on his second attempt. Karson Norris of Woodland and Josie Summerville of Adairsville each finished as a state runner-up in their respective events. Norris cleared 10 feet in the Class 5A pole vault and Summerville’s shot put of 37 feet and one inch was second in Class 3A in Albany. Cartersville’s London Shaw and Cass High’s Tavares Varnum were bronze medalists. Shaw, who also earned team points in the discus throw, was third in the Class 3A shot put in Rome. Varnum finished third in the Class 5A high jump by clearing 6 feet, four inches. The Adairsville girls led three local teams with top-15 finishes. The Lady Tigers — on points earned by Josie Summerville and Nakiyah Washington tied for ninth at the Class 3A meet in Albany. Woodland’s girls were 11th at the Class 5A state championships where the Cass boys earned a 15th place finish. Both the Lady Cats and Colonels were in Carrollton. The Cartersville girls and boys teams placed 26th and 27th, respectively, at the Class 4A state meet at Berry College in Rome. The Cass girls team was 31st and the Woodland boys were 33rd at the Class 5A meet in Carrollton, while the Adairsville boys team did not earn any team points. Individual results and marks from state finals and preliminaries: Adairsville Girls 2nd - Shot Put - Josie Summerville (37-01) 5th - Discus Throw - Nakiyah Washington (110-01) 6th - Shot Put - Nakiyah Washington (34-05.25) Adairsville Boys 12th - 100M - Daylon Bailey (11.31) 14th - 4x100M Relay - Daylon Bailey, Travon Branch, Ethan Belcher, Derrick Simmons (45.51) Cartersville Girls 3rd - Shot Put - London Shaw (38-7) 8th - Discus Throw - London Shaw (108-07) 16th - 800M - Kayla Carpenter (2:46.52) Cartersville Boys 5th - Pole Vault - Nick Bebko (12-06) Woodland Girls 2nd - Pole Vault - Karson Norris (10-00) 4th - 800M - Carli Clymer (2:21.36) 5th - 1600M - Carli Clymer (5:15.21) 6th - 3200M - McKenna Trapheagen (11:32.51) 7th - Pole Vault - Brooke Cooper (6-00) 13th - 3200M - Lindsay Scifers (12:34.26) Woodland Boys 4th - Pole Vault - Tommy Duke (13-00) 11th - 4x400M Relay - Jeven Reliford, Jonathan Holloway, Markal Brown, Dustin Ivie (3:25.22) 13th - 800M - Jonathan Holloway (2:05.93) 13th - Long Jump - Markal Brown (20-04.5) Cass Girls 7th - Shot Put - Chanel Clemmons (37-07) 9th - High Jump - Kyler Trouten (5-00) Cass Boys State Champion — Pole Vault — Stephen Smith (14-00) 3rd - High Jump - Tavares Varnum (6-04)

Cartersville Little League begins its post-season playoffs Monday while Bartow County Little League enters the final week of the regular season. CARTERSVILLE LITTLE LEAGUE (Major) Playoffs Double-Elimination Tournament continues through Thursday, May 24 if needed. First Round Pairings Game 1 — Mon May 14 — 5:45 — Rudy York Field — Braves (11-6) vs. Phillies (6-11) Game 2 — Mon May 14 — 7:45 — Rudy York Field — Dodgers (10-7) vs. Colts (7-10) Game 3 — Mon May 14 — 5:45 — JFH Field — Indians (14-3) vs. Padres (4-13) Game 4 — Mon May 14 — 7:45 — JFH Field — Crackers (7-10) vs. Tigers (9-8) BARTOW COUNTY LITTLE LEAGUE (major) NOTE: Below are select games not previously reported by Bartow County Little League. Friday, April 20 CARDINALS 5, TWINS 5 (tie) Cards: Connor Jenkins two hits including one solo home run; Reece Alexander, Benjamin Bowman, and Bryce Lawrence one hit each. Twins: Cadyn Wade two hits including one triple, two RBI; Reece Heaton one hit, one RBI; Jackson Nelson one triple; Camden Singleton and Joshua Hicks one hit apiece. Thursday, April 26 GIANTS 9, METS 4 Giants: Carson Waits four hits including one double, one RBI; Hudson Parr two hits; Jake Clowers one triple, three RBI; Dakota Richards one triple, one RBI; Hayden Reeder and Cooper Stone one hit, one RBI each; Rylan Brigman one hit. Mets: Drew Davey one double; David Kelley and Jacob McKinnies one hit each; Trace Faulkner one RBI. Friday, May 4 BRAVES 9, ORIOLES 3 Braves: Mason Wilson two doubles, two RBI; Caleb Freeman one double, three RBI; Dylan Moulton one double, two RBI; Price Higgins one hit, one RBI. Orioles: Talen Nix and David Jinks one hit, one RBI each. Joshau Love one hit. Monday, May 7 A’s 7, TIGERS 2 A’s: Ben Abernathy two hits including one home run, two RBI; Landon O’Neal one double, one RBI; Thomas Wells and Jett Johnson one hit each. Tigers: Tre Winters two doubles, one RBI; Sam Crump one double; Jaxson Curry one hit. ORIOLES 11, TWINS 3 Orioles: David Jinks two hits including one double, two RBI; Luke Evans one triple, three RBI; Cameron Adams one double; Talen Nix one hit. Twins: Reece Heaton and Lane McDonald one hit each. BARTOW COUNTY LITTLE LEAGUE (major) Updated Standings A’s . . . . . . . . . 10-2-0 Rangers . . . . . . 9-1-1 Orioles . . . . . . . 8-4-0 Cubs . . . . . . . . .7-5-1 Braves . . . . . . . .6-3-4 Twins . . . . . . . . .6-6-1 Giants . . . . . . . . 4-7-1 Cardinals . . . . . .3-8-1 Tigers . . . . . . . . 2-10-1 Mets . . . . . . . . . 2-11-0 ​NOTE: Pitching data not provided for all BCLL games. Games not completed or not posted on the respective leagues' GameChanger sites are not included, but will be added to future posts when made available. Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League capsules and game results are provided to BartowSportsZone.com by the two leagues and are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.

While the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes prepare for their state semifinal best-of-three series with Heritage-Catoosa, the Georgia High School Association has announced the sites for each classification and the schedule for the teams making it to their respective state finals. The state championships will be played at four sites -- Mercer's OrthoGeorgia Park, Savannah's Grayson Stadium, Rome's State Mutual Stadium (photo) and the University of Georgia's Foley Field. The state championships will be played May 21-23 and are best-of-three series. Class 2A and 1A Public will hold its championships at Grayson Stadium. Class 4A and 6A will be played at State Mutual Stadium. Class 3A and 1A Private will be played at Mercer. Class 5A and 7A will be played at Foley Field in Athens. Game times at all four sites are 5:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. (All "if" games played May 23 - times TBA) At Grayson Stadium (Savannah) DH May 21 - Class 2A DH May 22 - Class 1A Public At State Mutual Stadium (Rome) DH May 21 - Class 4A DH May 22 - Class 6A At Mercer (Macon) DH May 21 - Class 3A DH May 22 - Class 1A Private At Foley Field (UGA) DH May 21 - Class 5A DH May 22 - Class 7A

Woodland and Cass had multiple players named to the 2018 All-Region 7-AAAAA baseball team released recently. The Wildcats had seven players named including senior Kenny Jinks as Pitcher of the Year. The Colonels had three players honored. The left-handed Jinks posted a 4-2 record in eight region games in 2018. The Shorter University signee posted a 1.59 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He fanned 47 batters in 44 innings pitched. Haro hit for a .370 average in 17 region games. He added 13 RBI to lead the Wildcats in those games. Spell hit .319 in his senior season for the Colonels with a .495 on-base percentage and .565 slugging average. He had four homers and 17 RBI. Hinton had ten extra base hits that included a pair of homers for Cass. He drove in 16 runs and scored 19. On the mound, Hinton was 4-2 with 66 strikeouts in 46.1 innings. REGION 7-AAAAA PITCHER OF THE YEAR Kenny Jinks, Woodland ALL REGION 7-AAAAA FIRST TEAM Marco Haro, Woodland Evan Hinton, Cass Steven Spell, Cass ALL REGION 7-AAAAA SECOND TEAM Nathan Smith, Cass Koby Stansell, Woodland Dylan Webb, Woodland ALL REGION 7-AAAAA HONORABLE MENTION Jordan Lee, Woodland Bailey Ward, Woodland Toby Queen, Woodland Garrett Cornett, Woodland

Game capsules and standings for Cartersville Little League (major) and Bartow County Little League (major) baseball games completed May 3 - May 8. Note: Missing games for these selected dates will be reported with a future report. CARTERSVILLE LITTLE LEAGUE (Major) Thursday, May 3 BRAVES 3, PADRES 0 Braves: Miles Owen two hits including one double; Charlie Crum one hit, one RBI; Caleb Daniel one hit. Owen (5 IP, 0R, 0H, 2BB, 16K) and Sydney Seigler (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1K) combined no hitter. Padres: Geoffrey Gore (5 IP, 2R, 0ER, 4H, 1BB, 11K). TIGERS 10, DODGERS 5 Tigers: Casen Cochran two doubles, two RBI; Matthew Morris and Connor Brasfield two hits, one RBI each; Cameron Cochran two hits including one double; Hudson Lusk and Trenton Payne one RBI each. Payne (3.2 IP, 5R, 2ER, 5H, 4BB, 7K), Casen Cochran (0.1 IP, 1K). Dodgers: Stephen Rowser two hits including one double, one RBI; Ayden Ray solo home run; Landon Heath and Brelace Williams one hit each; Jimmy Channell one RBI. Landon Heath three stolen bases. Justin Peace (1 IP, 5R, 3ER, 5H, 3BB, 1K); Ray (1.2 IP, 5R, 2ER, 1H, 3BB, 4K); Noah Herring (0.2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB). Tuesday, May 8 DODGERS 6, INDIANS 0 Dodgers: Ayden Ray two doubles, one RBI; Peyton Emery two hits; Landon Heath one double, one RBI; Justin Peace and Stephen Rowser one hit, one RBI each; Brelace Williams, Isaiah Martin, and Christian Thomas one hit each. Peace (5 IP, 0R, 2H, 2BB, 10K); Ray (1 IP, 0R, 1BB, 1K). Indians: Maddox Frazier and Cooper Adams one hit each. Jackson Harwell (2.2 IP, 5R, 4ER, 6H, 3BB, 3K); Andrew Lutjens (1.2 IP, 0R, 3H, 3K); Drew Perry (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 2K). CRACKERS 11, BRAVES 7 Crackers: Easton Elrod two hits including one triple, one RBI; Boston Pittman two hits, two RBI; Jackson Graves two hits, one RBI; Adam Cornwell, Connor Stermer, and Benjamin Turcotte one hit, one RBI each. Cornwell (5 IP, 5ER, 6H, 1BB, 4K); Stermer (1 IP, 2ER, 3H, 1BB, 2K). Braves: Miles Owen three hits including two doubles, one RBI; Thomas Peters two hits, two RBI; Braylon Hill one double, two RBI; Caleb Daniel one double, one RBI; Charlie Crum one hit, one RBI; Kamdyn Woods one triple. Crum (1.2 IP, 4ER, 6H, 1BB, 1K); Matthew Clay (0.1 IP, 3ER, 1H, 4BB); Evan Archer (2 IP, 3R, 2ER, 2H, 2BB); Davis Waddell (1 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 1K). CURRENT STANDINGS​​ CARTERSVILLE LITTLE LEAGUE (major) Indians . . . . . . . . . 13-3 Braves . . . . . . . . . 11-5 Dodgers . . . . . . . . 10-6 Tigers . . . . . . . . . . 9-7 Colts . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10 Crackers . . . . . . . . 6-10 Phillies . . . . . . . . . .5-11 Padres . . . . . . . . . .4-12 BARTOW COUNTY LITTLE LEAGUE (major) Thursday, May 3 CARDINALS 9, METS 3 Cards: Reece Alexander two hits including one double, one RBI; River Durocher one double, one RBI; Sahaj Patel, Connor Jenkins, and Luke Hollis one hit each. Mets: Jayden Evans one hit; Trace Faulkner and Joseph McGrew one RBI each. CUBS 7, GIANTS 0 Cubs: Jonathan Torrence two hits, one RBI; Clausen O’Banion one double, one RBI; Colton Tucker and Mason Mize one hit, one RBI each; Joshua Bishop and Tyler Phillips one RBI each. Giants: Cooper Stone one hit. BRAVES 3, A’s 1 Braves: Joshua McBroom two hits including one triple, one RBI; Wesley Collum two hits; Israel Contreras one double, one RBI; Dylan Moulton and Mason Wilson one hit each; Aydin Priest one RBI. A’s: Ben Abernathy one double; Jett Johnson one hit; Andrew Foster one RBI. TWINS 10, TIGERS 7 Twins: Cadyn Wade three hits including two doubles, two RBI; Camden Singleton one home run, one double, three RBI; Reece Heaton two hits including one home run, three RBI; Joshua Hicks one double, one RBI; William Warnock and Domenic Ciavarro one hit each. Tigers: Tre Winters grand slam; Hadyn Hawkins one double, two RBI; Carson Gray one hit, one RBI. Monday, May 7 RANGERS 13, METS 2 Rangers: Malachi Linley one hit, two RBI; Brady Kerlin, Righley Worthington and Noah Williams one double, one RBI each; Daniel Stevenson one double; Brayden Shiflett and Fischer Arnold one hit each. Mets: Thomas Simmons one double, one RBI. CUBS 11, CARDINALS 0 Cubs: Dillon Sanford two hits including one triple, five RBI; Andrew Stiles, Jonathan Torrence, and Clausen O’Banion two hits, one RBI each; Mason Mize and DJ Brookshire one hit, one RBI each; Joshua Bishop one triple. Cards: Luke Hollis one hit. Tuesday, May 8 ORIOLES 12, METS 2 Orioles: Luke Evans two hits, three RBI; Cameron Adams two hits, one RBI; Brayden Davis one double, two RBI; David Jinks one double, one RBI; Christopher Romo one hit, one RBI; Camden Haloszka, Bryant Cullifer and Jayden Jinks one RBI each. Mets: Drew Davey two hits, one RBI; Jayden Evans one double; Jordan Durham and Joseph McGrew one hit each; Carter Collum one RBI. RANGERS 5, CUBS 3 Rangers: Jarrett Scott one double, one triple, one RBI; Harrison Cole one double, three RBI; Aiden Ritchie one double; Noah Williams one double; Kaiden Pirkle and Fischer Arnold one hit each. Cubs: Jonathan Torrence, Mason Mize, and Eddie Boggs one hit each. A’s 7, GIANTS 1 A’s: Robert Mitchell two doubles, three RBI; Hayden Blalock two hits; Landon O’Neal one double, one RBI; Jett Johnson one double; Ben Abernathy one hit, one RBI. Giants: Jake Clowers two hits; Carson Waits and Cooper Stone one hit apiece. TWINS 6, BRAVES 4 Twins: Camden Singleton two hits, one RBI; Joshua Hicks one triple, three RBI; Jackson Nelson one hit, two RBI; Cadyn Wade one hit. Braves: Mason Wilson two hits including one double; Israel Contreras one hit; Bryson Pruitt one RBI. CURRENT STANDINGS BARTOW COUNTY LL (major) A’s . . . . . . . . . 10-2-0 Rangers . . . . . 9-1-1 Orioles . . . . . . 8-4-0 Cubs . . . . . . . .6-5-1 Braves . . . . . . 5-3-4 Twins . . . . . . . 5-6-1 Giants . . . . . . .4-6-1 Cardinals . . . . .3-8-1 Tigers . . . . . . . 2-9-1 Mets . . . . . . . . 2-10-0 ​NOTE: Pitching data not provided for all BCLL games. Games not completed or not posted on the respective leagues' GameChanger sites are not included, but will be added to future posts when made available. Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League capsules and game results are provided to BartowSportsZone.com by the two leagues and are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.

Mason Barnett and Gage Morris combined on a three-hit shutout in Game 1 and Cohen Wilbanks tossed a complete-game, five-inning three-hitter in Game 2 as the Cartersville Purple Hurricanes swept Spalding 2-0 and 11-1 in the Class AAAA quarterfinals Wednesday night at Richard Bell Field. The Hurricanes (29-8) advance to host Heritage-Catoosa in the best-of-three state semifinals that begin next Tuesday. The Generals (30-6) beat West Laurens 6-0 and 6-1 Wednesday night in their quarterfinal series. For Cartersville, it will be a 12th trip to the state semifinals since 1989. Barnett (5.2 IP, 0R, 2H, 3BB, 9K) started on the mound for Cartersville and picked up the win in Game 1 by working into the sixth inning. Morris (1.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 3K) retired the final four outs to earn a save. While the pitching kept Spalding off the scoreboard, the Hurricanes’ bats produced single runs in the third and sixth innings to pull out the victory. Josh Davis doubled home J.P. Martin in the third inning for the Canes’ first run. Jordan Wilkie added an insurance run in the sixth inning by doubling home pinch runner Ladarius Winburn. Spalding pitcher Chase Coppock (6 IP, 2R, 1ER, 6H, 3BB, 5K) was solid in the opening game, but suffered the loss. He also had one of the Jaguars three hits. Wesley Hancock went 2-for-3 with a double. In Game 2, Canes’ pitcher Wilbanks needed only 66 pitches to dispose of the Jags in five innings. He scattered three hits and did not walk a batter while fanning eight for the abbreviated, complete-game win. Barnett, Wilkie, Martin, Jake Gooch and Devin Warner all had two hits for the Hurricanes in the nightcap as Cartersville scored runs in every inning except the third. Warner blasted a three-run homer in the fifth that extended the lead to 11-1. For the doubleheader, Martin went 4-for-5 including a double and two runs scored. Wilkie went 3-for-6 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Barnett finished 3-for-7 with a double, two runs, and three RBI. Gooch went 3-for-7 with a double, run scored, and two RBI. Davis went 2-for-5 on a pair of doubles, scored twice and drove in two runs and Warner finished 2-for-6 with a homer, two runs scored, four RBI, a walk, and a stolen base. Anthony Seigler was walked four times and scored three runs.

Athletes Beyond Bartow update for college softball and track and field for the week ending May 6. Please Note: Pro and College Baseball 'Athletes Beyond Bartow Update published separately this week at this LINK. SOFTBALL Sierrah Gani (Georgia Highlands CC Fr., Cass) — Gani went 1-for 3 with a run scored and a run driven in to help the Chargers reach the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association championship on Saturday. Stats were not available at the time of publication for Sunday's championship games, which GHC lost to South Georgia State by scores of 5-4 and 13-4. The Chargers finished the season at 35-24. Kailah Rain (Embry-Riddle Sr., Cartersville) — Rain and her teammates will compete in the NCAA Division II South Region tournament this week. Embry-Riddle earned the No. 6 seed in the South and will face third-seeded Saint Leo a fellow Sunshine State Conference school. Embry-Riddle won all three matchups with its conference foe during the regular season. North Alabama will host the tournament in Florence with the Eagles playing their tourney opener at 4 p.m. Thursday. Annalyn Yantis (Samford Jr., Cartersville) — Yantis went the distance in the second game of a doubleheader with UNC-Greensboro on Saturday. She allowed nine runs on 11 hits and one walk with one strikeout. Samford opens play in the Southern Conference tournament against Chattanooga at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Greensboro, North Carolina. TRACK AND FIELD Trevor Knowles (Albion College Fr., Woodland) — Knowles competed in three events at the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association track and field championship, placing between fifth and 10th in all three. He had his highest finish, fittingly, in the high jump with a fifth-place showing after clearing 1.90 meters. He was part of the Albion 4x400-meter relay team that earned a sixth-place finish. Knowles took 10th in the triple jump with a distance of 12.64 meters.

The Cartersville Little League Rookie Nationals won the regular season and tournament titles for 2018. The Nationals went 10-2 in the regular season and had playoff wins over the Mets and Giants last week to reach the championship game. The National then faced the Giants again in the playoff championship game last Friday and won 11-9. Members of the 2018 CLL Rookie League Nationals are: Avery Slye, Ty King, Price Startup, Landen Croy, Brody Jones, Emory Weaver, Gabriel Spencer, Landon Hamilton, Hudson Payton, Yosiah Gunn, and Bennett Hill. Coaches: Drew Startup, Joe Slye, Jake Mitchell, and Mitch Jones. Cartersville Little League Baseball and Bartow County Little League Baseball and Softball updates are presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports - Cartersville located at Cherokee Place.

Former Cartersville baseball right-hand pitcher Harrison Osborn saved his best performance of the year for Point University’s conference tournament this past weekend and was named to the Appalachian Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team. The Skyhawks won the tournament title and advanced to the NAIA Opening Round. Several other local college baseball players have entered post-season play with their respective teams while local MiLB standouts, Sam Howard and Connor Justus, are now into the second month of their seasons in the Pacific Coast League and the Southern League, respectively. MILB SAM HOWARD — Albuquerque Isotopes (5th-year pro; LHP; Colorado Rockies’ organization; Triple-A Pacific Coast League; Georgia Southern University; Cartersville HS)… Howard made his fifth start of the 2018 season last Monday (April 30). He went four innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits and six walks. He also struck out one in a no-decision. His next scheduled start is Monday night at home against division-leading El Paso. For the season, Howard is 1-3 with a 5.87 ERA. The Isotopes (14-17) trail the Salt Lake Bees by four games in the PCL Pacific Southern Division and start a four-game series at Reno Tuesday before traveling to Las Vegas for four games Saturday through Tuesday, May 15. CONNOR JUSTUS — Mobile BayBears (3rd-year pro; MIF; Los Angeles Angels’ organization; Double-A Southern League; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS)… went 2-for-19 with two walks and one RBI in a five-game home series with the Chattanooga Lookouts Wednesday through Sunday. The middle infielder’s season batting average is down to .169 through the first 26 games. He has started 18 games at shortstop and seven at second base with an overall fielding percentage of .921. The BayBears (13-16) snapped a five-game losing skid Sunday and now travel to the Mississippi Braves Monday through Friday for a five-game series. Mobile will then begin a five-game home series with Birmingham on Saturday. COLLEGE BASEBALL BRANDON ALLEN — Georgia Highlands CC (Fr., OF, Woodland HS)…started in left field last Tuesday at South Georgia State in a Chargers’ 11-1 loss. He was 0-for-3 in the game, but finished the 2018 season with a .297 batting average. He appeared in 23 games this season and drove in 11 runs in 49 plate appearances. Georgia Highlands did not qualify for the conference post-season and finished the year with a 29-23 record. ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Auburn University (So., LHP, Cartersville HS)… entered in the sixth inning to relieve starter Tanner Burns with no outs and runners and second and third Saturday at home against 11th-ranked Vanderbilt with the Tigers leading 8-2. Anderson retired the first two batters he faced on sacrifice flies that allowed his inherited runners to score. He then walked a batter and gave up back-to-back hits for a run before being lifted. Auburn went on to win the game 11-5 and eventually sweep the Commodores in the three-game Southeastern Conference series. Auburn (33-14, 13-11 SEC) hosts South Alabama Tuesday night before traveling to Ole Miss for a three-game set Thursday through Saturday. CODY JOHNSON — Georgia Highlands CC (Fr., RHP, Cass HS)… made an appearance last Tuesday at South Georgia State but did not retire an out. He allowed an earned run on a pair of hits and a walk as the Chargers lost 11-1. Johnson completed the 2018 season with 11 appearances and a 1-1 record in 10.1 innings of work. He walked 14 and fanned 12 and finished the year with an 8.71 ERA. The Chargers failed to make the post-season and finished the year with a 29-23 record. HARRISON OSBORN — Point University (Fr., RHP, Cartersville HS)… tossed a complete-game and won 5-1 over NAIA 9th-ranked Bryan College (TN) in an elimination game of the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament Friday in Kingsport, TN. Osborn scattered seven hits and four walks over nine innings. He struck out four. The victory sent Point into the AAC championship round where they went on to defeat Bryan again, 7-4, and edged 19th-ranked Tennessee Wesleyan 6-5 in 16 innings in the AAC title game. The fourth-seeded Skyhawks defeated Truett-McConnell in the opening round last Wednesday, but lost to Bryan on Thursday to slip into the losers’ bracket of their pool. Point then had to defeat TMU a second time to get back to their pool finals against Bryan. Osborn, who was named to the AAC All-Tournament Team, has appeared in 14 games this season with ten starts. He has a 5-2 record with a 3.46 ERA in 54.2 innings. He has walked eleven and struck out 33. Opponents have a .277 batting average against him. The Skyhawks (34-23) advance to the NAIA Opening Round May 14-17. The most likely site assignments are back in Kingsport or at Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville. GRANT ROBINSON — Central Alabama CC (So., 3B/RHP, Woodland HS)… made a start and was tagged with the loss last Tuesday in a home game against Chattahoochee Valley CC. He went three innings allowing three earned runs on five hits. Robinson was lifted with his team trailing 3-1 in an eventual 10-3 loss. Robinson also pitched the final three innings in relief Thursday during a 7-3 loss at Wallace State CC-Hanceville. He allowed an earned run on three hits and one walk in the appearance. For the season, he made 13 appearances, all but two in reilief, for 17.2 innings and a 3.06 ERA. Central Alabama (20-35-1, 10-21-1) finished the season in eighth place in the Alabama Community College Conference North Division and did not qualify for the post-season. MASON ROBINSON — Louisiana Tech University (R-Jr., OF, Woodland HS)… went 3-for-14 with a walk, three runs scored, and a pair of RBI as the Bulldogs won one of three at home this weekend over Middle Tennessee. Louisiana Tech’s right fielder is hitting .282 through 49 games this season and 181 official at-bats. He has 13 extra base hits including five home runs and 30 RBI. The Bulldogs (32-17, 16-8 C-USA) play out of conference Wednesday night at Grambling before traveling to Hattiesburg, Mississippi Friday through Sunday for a Conference USA series at Southern Miss. NOTES: Lane Griffith of University of West Georgia is with the Wolves at the Gulf South Conference Tournament that started Sunday in Cleveland, Mississippi. UWG lost 6-3 to University of West Florida Sunday afternoon and have round-robin pool games remaining with Lee University Monday and 21st-ranked University of Montevallo Tuesday. Griffith did not appear in Sunday’s game. The Wolves (31-17) will need to win their remaining pool games and have West Florida lose twice to reach the GSC tournament finals on Wednesday. Tristin Smith, Bailey Campbell, and Tyler Washington are local players for Young Harris College. The Mountain Lions will be the 7-seed at the Peach Belt Conference tournament that begins round-robin pool play in St. Augustine and Palatka, Florida Friday and Saturday with the championship between pool winners Sunday afternoon. YHC (25-22) will face 25th-ranked USC-Aiken, 9th-ranked Columbus State, and the host Flagler College Saints in Pool B.