The Adairsville High School softball game schedule for Thursday with Ringgold has been postponed due to the weather forecast for the afternoon and evening. The game will be played at Lady Tigers’ field Wednesday, September 6. The Lady Tigers’ game with Coahulla Creek that was cancelled Tuesday has also been rescheduled. The Lady Colts will visit Lady Tigers Park Thursday, August 24. Cartersville’s softball game at Cedartown scheduled for Thursday has been postponed until Monday at 5:30pm. Woodland’s home game with Carrollton was also moved to Monday at the Lady Cats’ field at 5:55pm. Cass and Kell officials waited until 5:30pm Thursday afternoon in efforts to squeeze their game in around the weather, but also postponed. A reschedule date has not been set.

It was another no-decision for Cartersville’s Sam Howard Wednesday night in his six inning start for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League, but the southpaw produced another quality performance in a 5-2 victory at the New Orleans Baby Cakes. Howard allowed a pair of earned runs on seven hits and two walks in his six innings of work. The runs came on a two-run homer in the first inning off the bat of New Orleans’ first baseman Chris Parmelee to snap a previous shutout string of 13.2 innings by Howard. Howard picked off one baserunner and produced a pair of sacrifice bunts in his plate appearances. The 24-year-old former Georgia Southern pitcher selected in the third round of the 2014 draft by the Colorado Rockies, is now 5-6 for the year with a 3.19 ERA. He has 91 strikeouts in 11 starts for Albuquerque and nine starts earlier in the season for the Eastern League, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats. Albuquerque (58-59) is only one game behind the Salt Lake Bees (LAA) in the PCL Pacific Southern Division. Former Cartersville High School and Georgia Tech shortstop Connor Justus drove in a run with an RBI single Wednesday night for the Adavanced Class A Inland Empire 66ers of the California League. Unfortunately, the game resulted in a 6-5 loss for the 66ers, but the hit snapped a five-game hitless streak for Justus. Justus, 22, 5th-round selection of the Los Angeles Angels in 2016, has a .207 batting average in 96 games this season with five homers, 28 RBIs, 26 extra-base hits, 51 walks, and a dozen stolen bases. His high base on balls rate has his on-base percentage at .325. The middle infielder has a fielding percentage of .952 in 354 chances this season with 93 starts at shortstop, two at second base, and one as DH. Inland Empire (23-23, second half) is at the .500 mark for the California League’s second half standings and in third place. They trail the division-leading Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (LA Dodgers affiliate) by six games in the South Division.

Cartersville High School’s official GHSA football scrimmage this Friday night has been moved from Westminster in Atlanta to the Canes’ Weinman Stadium. Flooding at the Wildcats’ home stadium forced school officials to relocate the game. Also in official scrimmage action this Friday, Woodland will travel to Adairsville in a matchup of Bartow County rivals. The Cass Colonels will take the field for their official GHSA scrimmage on Friday, August 18 when they host the Pepperell Dragons. Pepperell is participating in two scrimmages since they did not conduct spring football practice. The Dragons are playing Paulding County this Friday.

The Cass High School volleyball team started the 2017 season Tuesday evening at home with a pair of non-region victories over North Murray and Pepperell. The Lady Colonels swept a pair of sets with North Murray 25-12, 28-26 in the opener and took early leads in both sets with Pepperell before holding off the Lady Dragons 26-24, 25-23 in the nightcap. Cass coach Alan Potter credited strong play by Kyler Trouten, Keegan Krause, Madison Philpott, and Keila Sanchez in the Lady Colonels' opening night wins. The Lady Colonels (2-0) travel to Jasper Thursday to face host Pickens County and Gilmer County in matches scheduled for 5 p.m. WOODLAND VOLLEYBALL DROPS MATCH WITH HIRAM In the season opener for the Lady Cats, Woodland lost all three sets with visiting Hiram 6-25, 13-25, and 14-25. Woodland (0-1) returns to action Thursday at Rockmart against the host Yellow Jackets and with East Paulding. Matches are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

Hudson Swafford shot a 5-under-par total at the World Golf Championship Bridgestone Invitational last weekend in Akron, Ohio to earn top performance honors for players affiliated with Cartersville Country Club's Scott Hamilton Golf Academy and/or Athletic Motion Golf. Swafford was eleven shots behind eventual winner Hideki Matsuyama, but finished with rounds of 70-69-70-66 to finish in a tie for tenth in a world-class field. SHGA/AMG players, Ben Crane and Chris Kirk wrapped up top twenty finishes at the PGA Tour Barracuda Championship in Reno, Nevada. The modified Stableford scoring system event included nine SHGA/AMG players. Matt Every and Aaron Baddeley made the 36-hole cut. Meanwhile, Joe Durant continued his consistent play on the PGA Champions Tour. He finished tied for 13th in his title defense at the 3M Championship in Minnesota. The defending champion fired three rounds in the 60s -- 67-66-69. PGA TOUR World Golf Championships - Bridgestone Invitational August 3-6 — Akron, OH Winner: Hideki Matsuyama (16-under-par; 69-67-67-61) Scott Hamilton Golf Academy and/or Athletic Motion Golf players: T10 — Hudson Swafford (5-under; 70-69-70-66) Barracuda Championship August 3-6 — Reno, NV (Modied Stableford scoring) Winner: Chris Stroud in playoff over Richy Werenski and Greg Owen Scott Hamilton Golf Academy and/or Athletic Motion Golf players: T11 — Ben Crane (37 pts.; 4-12-11-10) T18 — Chris Kirk (32 pts.; 8-5-11-8)​​ T61 — Matt Every (19 pts.; 5-13-[-1]-2) 64 — Aaron Baddeley (16 pts.; 5-5-2-4) MC — Brendon Todd (9 pts.; [-2]-11) MC — Scott Stallings (8 pts.; 7-1) MC — Jason Bohn (5 pts.; 5-E) MC — Bobby Wyatt (-3 pts; 1-[-4]) MC — Steven Bowditch (-11 pts.; 2-[-13]) Next Event: PGA Championship — August 10-13 — Quail Hollow; Charlotte, NC Ben Crane PGA CHAMPIONS TOUR 3M Championship August 4-6 — Blaine, MN Winner: Paul Goydos (20-under-par; 70-60-66) in playoff over Gene Sauers Scott Hamilton Golf Academy and/or Athletic Motion Golf players: T13 — Joe Durant (14-under; 67-66-69) Next Event: Dick’s Sporting Goods Open; August 18-20; Endicott, NY Joe Durant WEB.COM TOUR Ellie Mae Classic August 3-6 — Hayward, CA Winner: Martin Piller (18-under-par; 68-62-68-64) Scott Hamilton Golf Academy and/or Athletic Motion Golf players: None of the SHGA/AMG players participated in this event. Next Event: Price Cutter Charity Championship — August 10-13 — Highland Springs CC — Springfield, MO LPGA TOUR Ricoh Women’s British Open August 3-6 — Fife, Scotland Winner: In-Kyung Kim (18-under-par; 65-68-66-71) Scott Hamilton Golf Academy and/or Athletic Motion Golf players: None; Brooke Pancake did not play. Next Event: The Solheim Cup — August 18-20 — West Des Moines, IA Next Full Field Event: Canadian Pacific Women’s Open — August 24-27 — Ottawa, Canada Each week, Bartow Sports Zone tracks the professional golfers on tour affiliated with Cartersville Country Club's Scott Hamilton Golf Academy (ScottHamiltonGolf.com) and teaching professional Mike Granato (MikeGranatoGolf.com). Both Hamilton and Granato are affiliated professionals with Athletic Motion Golf. (https://athleticmotiongolf.com) Scott Hamilton is the long time Director of Golf at Cartersville Country Club and is teacher/advisor/instructor to many prominent golf professionals competing on the PGA Tour, PGA Champions Tour, WEB.com Tour, LPGA Tour, and more. Mike Granato is a local golf instructor who also works with many of Hamilton's clients. Scott Hamilton and Mike Granato

Emily Collum tripled, homered and drove in three runs while teammate Loren Harris limited Cass to a pair of earned runs and four hits over six innings as the Adairsville Lady Tigers opened their 2017 campaign with a 9-4 victory at the Lady Colonels’ home field Monday night. Harris (6IP, 3R, 2ER, 4H, 0BB, 2K), a University of North Georgia commit, limited the Cass bats most of the evening. She gave way to Victoria O’Neal (1 IP, 1R, 4 BB, 2K) in the seventh inning to finish off the night in the circle. The Lady Tigers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning off Cass starting pitcher Taylor Gibson. PHOTO: Adairsville's Loren Harris pitches to Cass batter Sarah Moore. Havyn Isaac reached on an infield miscue, Harris doubled, and Collum tripled for most of the Lady Tigers’ opening frame damage. Collum later scored on a wild pitch. Both starting pitchers controlled the action in the second through fourth innings. The Lady Colonels cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by Sarah Fox that scored Haley Owens. Adairsville then took control with six runs over their final three offensive frames. The Lady Tigers scored twice in the fifth without a hit, taking advantage of three walks in the inning. They added another run in the sixth on an RBI single by Isaac and scored three more in the seventh on a pair of walks, Collum’s homer, a double by Sadye Johnson, and an RBI single by Courtney Jacobs. Cass narrowed the Adairsville lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the sixth, but that would be as close as they would come. Fox tripled in Alexia Najarro who had been hit by a pitch to make the score 6-2 and later scored on a single by Sarah Moore. The Lady Colonels final run came in their final half inning at the benefit of four walks in the frame. Collum finished with three RBIs and two extra base hits. Harris, Johnson, and Jacobs had one hit each with an RBI. Isaac and Chloe Sauders added the other Lady Tigers’ hits. Fox drove in two runs with a pair of hits for the Lady Colonels. Taylor Gibson (RBI) and Mae Mae McIntyre had the other Cass hits. Moore had one RBI. Gibson (6.1 IP, 9R, 7ER, 6H, 6BB, 5K) started in the circle for Cass and was tagged with the pitching loss. Macenzie Dougharty (0.2 IP, 1H, 1K) recorded the final two outs for the Lady Colonels. “We looked good for a season opener,” reflected Adairsville head coach Amanda Nelson who picked up her first win as the Lady Tigers' head coach. “We put the ball in play, had some sacrifice bunts, and worked well as a team. I felt good about how we looked in our first game.” Nelson was pleased with some of her team’s small ball efforts. “We put down three sac bunts late in the game that ultimately produced a couple of runs,” she noted. “Sierra Tanner, Courtney Jacobs, and Tori Lee laid down those bunts. Makayla Tanner and Isaac stole bases.” Nelson also appreciated the leadership of two of her seniors. “Collum and Harris are good leaders,” added Nelson. “Collum is the quarterback out there from the catcher position and has that big bat in the four-spot. Harris was solid, hit her spots, and used her speed. They are leading the way.” Adairsville (1-0) returns to the diamond Tuesday at Coahulla Creek for their Region 6AAA opener. “Tonight was a great building block for the girls,” Nelson continued. “We hope to build off tonight’s game moving into region play.” Cass coach Greg Hight also reflected on the game. “We made a couple of mistakes in that first inning,” noted the Lady Colonels’ coach. “We didn’t cover the bag at first on that opening play and let the ball get away from us at the plate. They had a couple of big hits, but we could have escaped that inning with only one run if we take care of business.” Hight also mentioned the positive play he saw in his team’s opening night loss. “I was proud of the way we battled back,” added Hight. “Harris is a good pitcher and we hung in there pretty good against her.” “Taylor Gibson did a good job. She really settled down and pitched well after that opening inning. We walked some people in the fifth inning and that almost always comes back to hurt. I probably should have taken her out of there a little earlier that I did,” the Lady Colonels’ coach continued. “Maggie Collum made two great plays in right field. Sarah Fox swung the bat well, and Haley Owens did a good job in left field. In all, we sent four of our freshmen to the plate, two reached and they all had good plate appearances. We will learn from these mistakes tonight and be ready to play on Thursday. Cass (0-1) will begin Region 7AAAAA play Thursday at home against Kell.

Cartersville Country Club completed its 2017 Girls Golf Junior Club Championship Sunday, August 6 with the following winners listed below: 14-and-over 1st — Liza Frisbee 2nd — Lindsey Bonner 13-and-under 1st — Christina Surcey 2nd — Brooklyn Heath 3rd — Erin Evans

The Cass softball team will open the 2017 season Monday evening by hosting county rival Adairsville at 5:55 p.m. and coach Greg Hight is eager to see the Lady Colonels in action. “I feel like we will be competitive and contend for one of the state playoff spots in our region,” said Hight. “If we hit the ball and play good defense behind our pitching, we will be in position to win games. We just can’t beat ourselves with mistakes.” The Lady Colonels will lean on senior pitcher Taylor Gibson who transferred to Cass from Excel Christian Academy. Hight expects Gibson to carry much of the load in the circle — especially early. “She has good velocity,” said Hight referring to Gibson. “The movement on her off-speed pitches is good too.” Hight also pointed to younger pitchers Haillie Owens, Macenzie Dougharty, and Holly Elrod as potential contributors in the pitching circle. Those pitchers will throw to a pair of younger catchers that Hight expects to split time behind the plate. “Madison Sheppard and Jaden Musacchio will likely share time behind the plate. They have both done a good job blocking pitches. I’m confident they can get the job done back there.” added Hight. It is in the infield the Lady Colonels return the most experience. Sarah Fox, who has also played some catcher during the summer and pre-season, will return to her shortstop position this year. Fox hit a few points shy of .500 with 24 RBIs in 2016. Sarah Moore will open the season at third base with Alexia Najarro will start at second base with Mackenzie McIntyre at first base. “Fox, Moore, Najarro, and Gibson have all swung the bat well this summer,” Hight said. “We will need their leadership this season at the plate.” In the outfield, switch-hitting Kaila Carson will play centerfield with several players competiting for the two corner outfield positions. The Cass coach pointed to last season’s top teams in Region 7AAAAA as the teams to beat once again. “Carrollton, Villa Rica, Kell, and Woodland have to be considered the top teams in the league,” Hight noted. “We have the capability of playing with any of them, we just have to execute and keep our mistakes to a minimum. I think we’ll challenge for a playoff spot again.” Outside of those top four, the region also includes Hiram, Paulding County, and East Paulding. The Lady Colonels will play non-region games against Gordon Lee and Adairsville. They will also face Campbell, Sequoyah, Coffee County, and Sonoraville in the Allatoona Tournament, face a pair of local opponents in the Bartow County Championship Tournament, and will play at least four more opponents in the Gordon Lee SCORE International Tournament in the Chattanooga area in mid-September. Cass was 6-20 overall last season and finished with a 4-10 mark in Region 7AAAAA. Following Monday evening’s opener, Cass will host a region game with Kell Thursday at 6:45 p.m. Lady Colonels roster: Sarah Fox, Maggie Collum, Holli Elrod, Mae Mae McIntyre, Haley Owens, Alexia Najarro, Madison Harrison, Taylor Gibson, Sarah Moore, Keturah Hight, Macenzie Dougharty, Haley Smith, Jaden Musacchio, Madison Sheppard, Tatianna Christian, Hailie Owens, Oshauna Finch, Kaila Carson, and Lexi Ellison.

Starting pitcher Sam Howard recorded another strong outing for the Albuquerque Isotopes Friday night, extending his stretch of innings having not allowed a run to 13 and one-third dating back to July 22. Howard retiried 18 of the 21 batters he faced in six innings Friday as the Isotopes edged Round Rock 1-0. The southpaw limited the Express to two hits and one walk while striking out four batters. The start resulted in a non-decision for Howard, but his ERA dropped to 3.98 since moving up to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League June 16. He is now 4-2 in 10 starts for Albuquerque after opening the 2017 season 1-4 with a 2.33 ERA for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats of the Eastern League. The former Cartersville High School and Georgia Southern University standout has 86 strikeouts in 98 innings with only 32 walks. Opponents have a .227 batting average against him. The Isotopes are 57-55 and only one game behind the Salk Lake Bees in the PCL Pacific Southern Division. Howard, 24, 3rd round selection in 2014 by the Colorado Rockies, is 26-27 in his minor league career with a 3.59 ERA. He is widely considered one of the Rockies top pitching prospects. Connor Justus, shortstop for the Inland Empire 66ers had a 6-for-23 performance over six games last Sunday through Friday. He scored three runs, drove in three, walked twice, and stole two bases in that stretch across three series with Rancho Cucamonga at home and in away games at Stockton and San Jose. Justus had a pair of two-out RBIs and was 2-for-5 in a 9-8, 11-inning home loss to Rancho Cucamonga July 30. The next day he was 3-for-5 with a double and a stolen base. He had a rare start as the 66ers designated hitter Saturday night, but received most of the night off. He was lifted after one at-bat. He has played in 94 games this season -- almost all starts at shortstop. Justus, 22, 5th round selection of the Los Angeles Angels in 2016, has a .212 batting average with 5 home runs and 27 RBIs this season . He has drawn 51 walks for a .332 on-base percentage and has 12 stolen bases. Angels’ affiliate Inland Empire is 22-20 in the second half standings of the Advanced Class A California League South Division. The 66ers trail Rancho Cucamonga (LAD) by four games.

The Adairsville Lady Tigers softball team will travel just down the road Monday evening to take on county rival Cass in both team’s 2017 regular season opener. The game will mark the debut of new Adairsville head coach Amanda Nelson. Nelson is a Rome, GA native and this will be her first year as a head coach. She played collegiately at Valdosta State University and earned her degree in Spanish Education. Prior to taking over the Lady Tigers’ program, Nelson spent nine seasons coaching at Alexander High School in Douglas County and Pepperell High School in Lindale. She has been encouraged by the attitude of her new troops. “I’m new, so I’m just getting to know the girls,” Nelson told Bartow Sports Zone Saturday afternoon. “It’s a wonderful group of girls. They love being on the softball field, practicing and playing ball. They’ve been a fun group to be around. They’re working hard every day to get better and prepare for the challenges of the season ahead.” Adairsville finished 9-13 in 2016 and 5-8 in Region 6AAA. The Lady Tigers’ season ended with a region playoff series loss to top-seeded Ringgold. The Lady Tigers return three seniors for the 2017 campaign. Nelson credited the senior players with accepting their leadership roles. “Emily Collum, Loren Harris, and Mackenzie Gwin have taken over as leaders for this team. They have done a really good job. I hate that I’m going to only have them for one year,” added the first-year head coach. Last season, pitcher Loren Harris emerged as the Lady Tigers’ top performer in the pitching circle and Nelson expects that to continue. “Loren is definitely our ace,” noted Nelson. “She has committed to University of North Georgia already, so I’m excited to have her this season and looking forward to seeing her succeed at the next level. She has really good velocity and also has good movement on her off-speed pitches.” The rising senior has also shown some pop in her bat in the pre-season. “She has looked good as a hitter,” added Nelson. “She’s one of those pitchers that will definitely stay in the lineup to hit and she has shown quite a bit of power in the pre-season.” A pair of freshman pitchers, Taylor Rhodes and Victoria O’Neal, will also be called on to throw for Adairsville. “The freshmen are looking good,” said Nelson. “They’ve shown a good variety of velocity and control.” The Lady Tigers’ coach also expects Emily Collum, Havyn Isaac, and Alexa Varner to be among her leaders on offense. “Emily has some power. She homered last Thursday in our official scrimmage with Armuchee,” the coach reflected. “Havyn has looked good at the plate. She’s a hitter that can bunt and has developed into a slap-hitter also. She is looking like a force to be reckoned with at the plate. Alexa has been good too. She moves runners with her bat and does what she needs to do to get on base.” Adairsville will face non-region opponents when they play at the Dalton Tournament, Bartow County Championship Tournament, Armuchee, Cartersville and Monday’s games at Cass. Nelson is looking forward to the challenges of playing teams new to her experience. “I don’t know a lot about the caliber of teams outside our region that we will be facing. The schedule was in place when I got here,” she continued. “This region is really good, however.” The Lady Tigers will face Region 6AAA foes Coahulla Creek, Ringgold, North Murray, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, Bremen, Haralson County, Sonoraville, and Calhoun. Calhoun was state runner-up in 2016 and Ringgold advanced to the Class AAA Sweet Sixteen. “I’m new to this region, so I have a lot to learn about these teams as we go along,” said Nelson. “I know from their reputation, however, this is a tough region. The league includes a lot of good, solid teams.” The Lady Tigers’ coach said she is anxious to get the year started. “I’m excited to see what these girls can accomplish this season. They are working well together, but right now putting the team together is like putting together a big puzzle. We are simply working as hard as we can to find where all the pieces fit to generate the most success.” Nelson and her husband Dean have four girls; Riley 10, Josie 2, Sadie 1, and Hallie on the way. Following Monday's opener at Cass, the Lady Tigers have region home games Tuesday and Thursday against Coahulla Creek and Ringgold. All three games are scheduled for 5:55pm starts.

Cartersville High School baseball standouts Mason Barnett, Jake Gooch, JP Martin, and Preston Welchel have been assigned to rosters for the Perfect Game Underclass All American Games August 14 and 15 in San Diego. Barnett will pitch while Gooch and Martin will be catchers for the East team. Welchel will play outfield for the USA team. PG UNDERCLASS ALL AMERICAN GAMES Aug 14 - 15, 2017 Fowler Park And Cunningham Field (University Of San Diego) - San Diego, CA Event Schedule 2017 PG Underclass All American Games Fowler Park & Cunningham Field- University of San Diego Monday, August 14th 7:00 AM EAST and WEST, Central Team Players Report to USD 8:00 AM East Batting Practice (Central Shag) 8:30 AM West Batting Practice (East Shag) 9:00 AM Central Batting Practice (West Shag) 9:30 AM East Infield 9:45 AM West Infield 10:00 AM Central Infield 10:15 AM Game 1 - East vs West 11:30 AM Game 2 - East vs. Central 12:45 PM Game 3 - West vs Central 1:00 PM USA, National and CALIFORNIA team players report to USD 2:15 PM USA Batting Practice (National Shag) 2:45 PM National Batting Practice (California Shag) 3:15 PM California Batting Practice (USA Shag) 3:45 PM USA Infield 4:00 PM National Infield 4:15 PM California Infield 4:30 PM Game 4 - National vs. USA 5:45 PM Game 5 - National vs California 7:00 PM Game 6 - California vs USA Tuesday, August 15th 8:00 AM Game 7 - Group 1 3rd vs Group 2 3rd 10:30 AM Game 8 - Group 1 2nd vs Group 2 2nd 1:00 PM Game 9- Group 1 Winner vs Group 2 Winner Complete rosters https://www.perfectgame.org/events/Rosters.aspx?event=5993

Cartersville High School quarterback Trevor Lawrence made it official Wednesday night by signing his Financial Aid Agreement with Clemson University. The official signing finalizes what had been a verbal commitment and confirms the nation's top 2018 senior and pro-style QB will be a Clemson Tiger. Lawrence (6-5, 200) verbally committed to Clemson last December. Lawrence's career stats per MaxPreps.com include 10,601 yards and 120 TD passes with a QB rating of 124. As a junior in 2016, Lawrence threw for 3,904 yards and 51 touchdowns as he led his team to its second straight Class 4A state title. The Hurricanes have a 40-1 record with Lawrence taking snaps. Lawrence will enroll early in January.