The Georgia Highlands Chargers baseball team fell behind early and couldn’t come back in a 12-4 loss to East Georgia on Thursday. East Georgia, a fellow member of the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association, took the lead on a double in the second inning when catcher Michael Pineda doubled with one out in the second inning. East Georgia scored four runs in the seventh inning. The big inning for East Georgia came thanks to a single by Ashton Pratt and a double by Ryan Woiwode. Home runs for Georgia Highlands came when Brandon Bell homered in the sixth inning and Matthew Vacarro homered in the fourth inning. Bell, Vacarro, Bronco O’Brien, Nick Piccapietra, and Caleb McElwaney all had one hit to lead the Charger offense. East Georgia collected 12 hits. Woiwode, Gage Brown, and Drew Haygood each collected multiple hits for East Georgia. Brown went 3-for-3 at the plate as he led the team with four runs batted in. Matthew Norton started Thursday’s game for the Chargers and tossed 4.1 innings and allowed five runs, but just two were earned. The Charger bullpen got roughed up for the second time in as many days as Tyler Sellers, Britt Buckelew and Bradley Hood tossed 2.2 inningsand allowed seven earned runs. The defense for Georgia Highlands was also faulty for the second consecutive game, as the team committed three errors. The Chargers 2017 season is officially in the books. Georgia Highlands set new school records under first-year coach Dash O’Neill and ended with a 40-21 record and 14-10 in conference play. Both are the best records in school history.

After serving as an assistant baseball and softball coach at Cass High School over the past dozen years, Tim Ayers has been named as the new head baseball coach for the Colonels. The spot came open in late April when previous head coach Adam Williams stepped down. Principal Mike Nelson and athletic director Nicky Moore shuffled through a pile of outside applicants and conducted interviews, but ultimately decided to stay in-house. Ayers, a special education teacher at Cass High School, played at Glen Oaks CC in Michigan and Georgetown College in Kentucky. He has also previously coached with Division I IUPUI, East Cobb Baseball, and 6-4-3 Baseball Academy. Cass was 15-15 in 2017 and 8-8 in Region 7-AAAAA.

A pair of collegiate golf coaches with local ties are headed to the NCAA Division I national finals which will be held May 26-31 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The top five teams and the top individual not on those teams from each of the six regional sites — Austin, TX; Baton Rouge, LA; College Grove, TN; Sammamish, WA; Stanford, CA; and West Lafayette, IN advanced to the national finals. Kennesaw State advanced from the College Grove, TN regional along with Central Florida, Clemson, Lipscomb, and Vanderbilt. The KSU Owls are coached by Cartersville native, Bryant Odom. Odom, an All-American as a player and member of a national championship team at the University of Georgia, took over as head coach at Kennesaw State in 2015 after a stint at Western Carolina. Central Florida entered the final day at College Grove tied for second at four under and eight shots back of Vanderbilt. The Knights rallied, however, for a 3-over 291 on Wednesday while Vanderbilt struggled for a 13-over 301 to finish tied with Kennesaw State and Clemson at one over for the tournament. Lipscomb finished in the fifth spot with a 5-over 869 to advance to the championship. The Oklahoma Sooners also earned a spot in Sugar Grove. Oklahoma qualified out of the Stanford University regional along with the host Cardinal, Baylor, North Carolina, and Pepperdine. Another Cartersville native, Jim Garren, is the men’s assistant coach at Oklahoma. Garren played golf collegiately at Wallace State CC before graduating from Kennesaw State. He has served as a men's golf assistant at Southern Mississippi and New Mexico before arriving in Norman in 2014. Ryan Hybl, another Georgia native, is the head coach at Oklahoma. Top-seeded Stanford rallied to earn a share of the Stanford Regional Championships crown with Baylor, as that 54-hole finals qualifying event concluded Wednesday at Stanford Golf Course. Pepperdine (-5), Oklahoma (-3) and North Carolina (+3) also advanced. Individual Travis Trace (-2) of North Florida also earned a bid to the national finale. Oklahoma's Brad Dalke (-12) took home medalist honors, with Baylor's Cooper Dossey (-9) claiming second. Stanford's Maverick McNealy (-8) was third in his final home appearance. Finals play consists of three days of stroke play on Friday, May 26 through Sunday, May 28 (54 holes), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, May 29 to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, May 30, followed by finals on Wednesday, May 31. The Golf Channel will have television coverage of the Men's Championship May 29-31.

Georgia Highlands College baseball lost 10-3 to Columbia State CC Wednesday in the opening game of the NJCAA East Central District tournament at Dyersburg State CC in Tennessee. The Chargers fell behind early with CSCC posting three runs in the top of the third and three more in the top of the fifth to take a 6-0 lead. Georgia Highlands responded with Brandon Bell’s three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to narrow the margin to 6-3, but would get no closer. Bell, Caleb McElwaney, and Grant Bodison had two-hit games for the Chargers. Bronco O’Brien, Matthew Vaccaro, and Nick Piccapietra had the other GHC hits. Drew Wilson (5 IP, 6R, 1ER, 4H, 3K) started on the mound for Georgia Highlands and took the loss. Sam Sowerbrower (2 IP, 3ER, 4H), Jermiah Woods (0.2 IP, 1ER, 2H), and Sean Fitzpatrick (1.1 IP, 0R, 1K) also pitched. The Chargers slip to the losers’ bracket of the four-team NJCAA World Series qualifier and will play GCAA-foe East Georgia State in an elimination game Thursday at noon. East Georgia also lost Wednesday, falling 9-6 to host Dyersburg State. The double-elimination tournament continues through Friday and could extend into Saturday if the losers’ bracket team forces an “if needed” game.

The 2017 Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship gets underway Friday at Cartersville Country Club with 18 holes of stroke play each day through Sunday. Players at age 25 or older were eligible for this Georgia State Golf Association Championship and the field of 144 qualifying players will be cut to the low 70 and ties after Saturday’s round. A total of 370 players entered this year’s championship. 29 players were exempt from qualifying and the remaining 115 spots were filled by players who qualified in one of seven, 18-hole qualifiers in April and May. The qualifiers were held in Savannah, Flowery Branch, Columbus, Warner Robins, Alpharetta, Hampton, and Cartersville. The tournament length for Cartersville Country Club is 7,006 yards and plays to par 72. This is the fifth GSGA-sanctioned championship hosted by Cartersville Country. John Engler, Jr., of Augusta shot 6-under par to win the Georgia Mid-Am Championship last year on his home course Augusta Country Club. All of last year’s top ten competitors will be in the field including runner-up Taylor Smith, third place finisher Cameron Hooper, and Georgia Hall of Famer Jeff Knox. Current Cartersville Country Club champion Chad Branton (photo) is in the field, along with several other local area competitors. Local contenders in the event with their first round tee times for Friday listed: Player — Home — Starting Hole — Tee Time Chad Branton — Cartersville — 1 — 2:00pm Scott Davenport — Marietta — 1 — 1:10pm Cres Dodd — Calhoun — 1 — 1:20pm Chase Jones — Cartersville — 10 — 1:10pm Robbie Niedergall III — Cartersville — 10 — 9:40am David Noll -- Dalton -- 1 -- 1:30pm Tevis Upton — Acworth — 10 — 1:10pm Rob VanGorder, Jr. — Acworth — 1 — 1:20pm Fred Wolford — Acworth — 10 — 9:40am Mike Heffner -- Villa Rica -- 10 -- 8:40am Bill Faith -- Atlanta -- 1 -- 1:00pm Justin Johnson -- Canton -- 10 -- 2:10pm Tournament scoring may be followed live online at — http://www.ghintpp.com/gsga/TPPOnlineScoring/Default.aspx?ID=804

Benjamin Fairbanks of Cass High School was recently named a 2016-17 Georgia winner for Positive Athlete of the Year. The coaches and athletes identified will be recognized at the annual Positive Athlete Awards at the College Football Hall of Fame in June. Fairbanks was selected as a Positive Athlete for the Cass High School boys swim team. Positive Athlete Georgia is a movement by high-character professional athletes tied to Georgia professional and collegiate sports teams to promote the benefits of “positivity” to young athletes. These athletes believe it is crucial to begin shaping the futures of young athletes for life skills beyond athletic competition and to learn how to give back to their community. Current and former professional athletes are members of this organization, and high school athletes will be invited to join based on being nominated by a coach, school administrator, parent or fan for the annual Georgia Positive High School Athlete Awards. Coaches in youth sports leagues in Georgia are already naming “Positive Athletes of the Game” each game as a way to emphasize the importance of having a positive attitude. More information on the award and program is available here --> http://georgia.positiveathlete.org/about-us/

Final results for Scott Hamilton Golf Academy players for tour events ending last Sunday, May 14. Chris Kirk was the top SHGA competitor at The Players in Ponte Vedra Beach last week. He finished tied for 12th with rounds of 74-72-69-71. Two other players from the SHGA stable -- Aaron Baddeley and Boo Weekley -- also made the final cut at The Players. 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. RESULTS FOR WEEK ENDING SUNDAY, MAY 14 PGA TOUR The Players May 11-14, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Winner: Si Woo Kim (10-under par) SHGA players T12 — Chris Kirk (-2) T41 — Aaron Baddeley (+3) T48 — Boo Weekley (+4) MDF — Ben Crane (+8) MC — Hudson Swafford MC — Matt Every NEXT: AT&T Byron Nelson, May 18-21, TPC Four Seasons Resort, Irving, TX PGA CHAMPIONS TOUR Insperity Invitational The Woodlands, TX May 5-7 — The Woodlands CC Winner: John Daly (-14) SHGA player: T34 — Joe Durant (-2) Next: May 18-21 — Regions Traditions - Birmingham, AL - Greystone G&CC WEB.COM TOUR Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship Punta Cana, DOM May 4-7 — Corales Golf Club Winner: Nate Lashley (-20) SHGA players: MC — Casey Wittenberg (-4) MC — Kyle Thompson (-4) Next: May 18-21 - BMW Charity Pro-Am by SYNNEX - Greer, SC - Thornblade Club LPGA TOUR Volunteers of America Texas Shootout Irving, TX - April 27-30 Winner: Haru Nomura (-3) SHGA Player Brooke Pancake — placed 52nd at her most recent event, Volunteers of America Texas Shootout. Next event: May 18-21 — Kingsmill Championship - Williamsburg, VA

The Georgia High School Association has a new executive director. The announcement came Tuesday from the GHSA executive committee in Thomaston. The new director is former Houston County School System superintendent Robin Hines. Hines, who also served as a coach and principal in Houston County, was approved with a three-year contract that will pay him a base salary of $125,000 per year. He is a Valdosta State graduate who holds a doctorate from Nova Southeastern. Hines replaces Gary Phillips who retired after state legislators threatened legislation to replace the GHSA with a new high school athletic association. The executive committee also began a review of a proposal currently known as the “50 percent rule.” The proposal is a response to concerns over the recent perceived increase of student transfers for athletic purposes. The “50 percent rule,” as proposed, stated: “If a student makes a bona fide move from one GHSA high school to another GHSA high school, he/she will be required to sit out (i.e. shall be ineligible) for the first 50 percent of all competitions for one calendar year from the date of transfer unless the “sending” high school waives the 50 percent sit out rule.” The proposal was tabled by the executive committee over concerns about the short-implementation timeframe, per Ron Seibel of The Macon Telegraph.

The Bartow County Little League (major) Orioles continue their hold on the standings lead with an 11-0 mark. The O’s added wins last Thursday and Friday over their nearest competitors in the standings — the Braves and Athletics. Results for BCLL (major) games: Thursday, May 11 ORIOLES 2, BRAVES 1 Orioles: Ashton Phillips triple; Tyler Driggers, Braden Powell one hit each. Braves: Brice Craig one hit. RANGERS 5, ATHLETICS 2 Rangers: Cameron Constantine two hits; Daniel Stevenson one hit, one RBI; Righley Worthington one hit, one RBI; Titus Bagley one hit. A’s: Landon O’Neal one hit. CUBS 7, CARDINALS 4 Cubs: Garreth Kincannon two hits, three RBIs; Joshua Bishop two hits; Colton Tucker home run, three RBIs; Eddie Boggs double, RBI; Jonathan Torrence one hit. Cards: Julian Herndon triple, two RBIs; Sahaj Patel one hit; Danny Couey, Wade Litton one RBI each. METS 10, TWINS 3 Mets: Riley Scott and David Kelley one hit and two RBIs each; Brayden Johnson and Jake Crapps one hit, one RBI each; Hunter Lovett one hit; PJ Weeks one RBI. Twins: Cadyn Wade triple; Tyler Marston one hit; Matthew Renner one RBI. ​​Friday, May 12 ORIOLES 8, ATHLETICS 1 Orioles: Braden Powell three hits including a triple; Devin Henderson one hit, two RBIs; Ethan Reynolds and Bryant Cullifer one hit, one RBI each; Ashton Phillips one hit. A’s: no hits; Landon O’Neal one run scored. TIGERS 8, CARDINALS 5 Tigers: Graham Hilburn two hits including a double, two RBIs; Carson Gray and Cooper Brown one RBI each. Cards: Benjamin Bowman one hit, one RBI. CARDINALS 12, TWINS 0 Cards: Julian Herndon two hits including a triple, two RBIs; Sahaj Patel two hits; Benjamin Bowman two RBIs; Reece Alexander and Danny Couey one RBI each. Twins: no hits. GIANTS 6, METS 5 Giants: Andrew Stiles two hits, one RBI; Mark Perdue two hits; Jesse Wiseman double, two RBIs; Aiden Reeder one RBI. Mets: Brayden Johnson two hits including a double, three RBIs; Carter Collum one hit. BCLL (major) STANDINGS (for games posted through Friday, May 12) Orioles . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-0-0 Braves . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3-1 Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3-0 Giants . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4-0 Rangers . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5-0 Tigers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5-0 Cubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7-0 Mets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8-1 Cardinals . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12-0 Twins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-12-0 ​NOTE: Pitching data not provided for 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.

Addison Mealer and Chad Lowery of Adairsville High School were named recipients of the Coach Vince Dooley, Athletes for a Better World Award at the 10th annual ceremonies held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta April 29. Anna Katherine Cates of Darlington and Noah Shepard were named as recipients of the four-year scholarship award of $1000 per year at the ceremony. Nearly 300 student-athletes and guests attended the event which featured inspirational messages from Coach Dooley, ABW Founder/President Fred Northup, and Atlanta Public Schools’ Assistant Director of Athletics Kandice Mitchell. In attendance was last year’s speaker and special guest Carror Wright of the Georgia High School Association. All enjoyed a breakfast meal, compliments of Chick-fil-A. The Hudgens Family Foundation was once again the Presenting Sponsor for the event.

Except for Division I college baseball, the post-season for college sports has begun and Bartow County still has several athletes on teams either moving through the playoffs, competing in their championship meets, or preparing for their conference tournaments. Also in MiLB action, Connor Justus has been hot at the plate recently and Sam Howard continues to perform at a high level. MiLB SAM HOWARD — Hartford Yard Goats - Double-A Eastern League - Colorado Rockies organization (4th year pro; LHP, Georgia Southern University; Cartersville HS). . . allowed only one earned run on three hits and two walks, but was saddled with the pitching loss for Hartford last Thursday. The Yard Goats rallied late, but lost at home to New Hampshire 4-3. Howard slips to 0-3 on the season, but has a solid 2.28 ERA through five starts this season in AAA Albuquerque and AA Hartford. He has pitched 23.2 innings and has fanned 23 with opponents batting only .176 against him. Hartford is 13-20 this season and 7.5 games behind Trenton (NYY) in the Eastern League’s Eastern Division. CONNOR JUSTUS — Inland Empire 66ers - Class A Advanced - California League - Los Angeles Angels organization (2nd year pro; SS; Georgia Tech; Cartersville HS). . . has hit safely in four straight games and eight of his last ten games for a .423 batting average over that stretch. The surge has lifted his season average to .229. He has two home runs - including one last Thursday night at home against Vis ?? and has 10 RBIs. The 66er’s shortstop has a .966 fielding percentage in 118 total chances this season and has been part of 19 double plays. Inland Empire (18-18) is currently in second place in the California League’s South Division, one game behind Dodgers’ affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. BASEBALL ELLIOTT ANDERSON — Auburn University (Freshman, LHP, Cartersville HS). . . made a pair of appearances for the Tigers this past week. He worked an inning and one-third Tuesday in an 8-2 loss at Alabama-Birmingham. He allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk. He fanned one Blazer. On Thursday, Anderson faced two batters in an eighth inning relief appearance at 10th-ranked LSU. He threw only three pitches yielding a hit and a groundout. He now has 11 appearances totalling 11 innings with a 7.36 ERA. Auburn (32-21, 14-13 Southeastern Conference) was 0-4 for the week after being swept at LSU. Auburn hosts Ole Miss this Thursday through Saturday and the SEC Tournament begins May 23 in Hoover, AL. TY FOWLER — Tennessee Wesleyan College (Senior, RHP, Cartersville HS). . . Fowler and the Bulldogs are the No. 2 seed in the Kingsport (TN) Bracket and will play Indiana University Southeast on Monday at 2:30pm in their five team double-elimination NAIA Opening Round bracket. The tournament continues through Thursday with the winner advancing to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho May 26-June 2. Fowler has 12 appearances (3 starts) and has pitched 22.2 innings with a 2.78 ERA. MICHAEL GOSS — UNC-Greensboro (Senior, 1B, Cartersville HS). . . hit a two-run homer Friday in a home loss to The Citadel and finished the weekend conference series 3-for-11 with a walk, two runs scored, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Goss is hitting .325 in 45 games (42 starts) with 157 at bats, 7 homers, 19 extra base hits, 43 RBIs, and a .548 SLG%. He also has a .996 fielding percentage in 373 chances. The Spartans (30-19, 13-8 Southern Conference) won two of three with The Citadel and close the SoCon regular season at Samford this Thursday through Saturday with the conference tournament in Greenville May 23-28. SEAN McDERMOTT — Cleveland State CC (Sophomore, 1B, Adairsville HS). . . the Cougars were eliminated in the TCCAA playoffs last week, but the Mercer University signee was named First Team All-TCCAA with a .370 batting average, nine homers, and 36 RBIs for the year. He finished with a .438 on base percentage and a .656 slugging percentage that included 24 extra base hits. HAYDEN SINIARD -- Chattahoochee Valley CC (Freshman, RHP, Woodland HS). . . worked the eighth inning Saturday allowing one hit, but otherwise retiring the side to complete a 13-5 win over Alabama Southern. CVCC (47-11) was eliminated in the ACCC tournament by Shelton State. Siniard has a 3.00 ERA in 18 innings of work this season with 13 strikeouts. JO JO UNDERWOOD — UNC-Greensboro (Senior, 3B/C, Cartersville HS). . . started all three games of a home series with The Citadel this weekend and took advantage of the opportunity. The third baseman went 5-for-9 with a double, a sacrifice, a walk, and two RBIs hitting in the eight-hole. He now has appeared in 23 games with 12 starts. Underwood has a pair of home runs and eight RBIs and has raised his season average to .311. The Spartans (30-19, 13-8 Southern Conference) won two of three with The Citadel and close the SoCon regular season at Samford this Thursday through Saturday with the conference tournament in Greenville May 23-28. TRACK AND FIELD BREE COLE — Jacksonville State University (Freshman, Cartersville HS). . . finished 23rd (5:16.34) in the 1500 meters at the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships in Oxford, AL where the Gamecocks finished seventh. MILES BEARDEN — Kansas State University (Junior, Cartersville resident, Darlington HS). . . named the Big 12 Athlete of the Week last Wednesday by the conference office following his high jump victory at the Ward Haylett Invitational. Bearden cleared 2.15m/7-00.50 to win the Wildcats’ home meet. That gave him the third-best mark in the Big 12 and the 16th-best mark in the West Region heading into the Big 12 Championship. He finished eighth, earning one point for KSU Saturday at the Big 12 Championship in Lawrence, Kansas where the Wildcats were sixth headed into Sunday evening’s competition. SPENCER FIELDS — Rhodes College (Sophomore, Kingston resident, Darlington HS). . . came within seconds of a new school record May 3 at the WashU Invite in St. Louis, MO with a time of 14:56.29 in the 5000 meters. Next for the Lynx is the Gregory Invitational May 19-20 in Naperville, IL followed by the NCAA D-III Outdoor Championships May 25-27 in Geneva, OH. ANNA HIGHTOWER — Georgia Tech (Sophomore, Cartersville HS). . . placed 9th at the ACC Outdoor Championships hosted by Georgia Tech with a mark of 3.88 meters (12’-8.75”). Georgia Tech was 13th in the standings headed into Sunday evening. SAMANTHA PATTERSON — Jacksonville State University (Junior, Woodland HS). . . . placed sixth in the pole vault with a mark of 3.26m/10’8.25” at the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships. The Gamecocks finished seventh as a team. BLAKE PERRY — Jacksonville State University (Junior, Cartersville HS). . . finished 11th in the 100 meter hurdles (14.95) and 12th in the triple jump (11.56m/37’11.25”) at the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships. Her Gamecocks team finished seventh. SOFTBALL Reinhardt University, with local players Taylor Braselton, Sydney Flowers, Cassidy Howren, Hunter Irvin, and Taylor Weeks were assigned to the NAIA Sioux City Bracket that begins play Monday through Wednesday in Sioux City, IA. Reinhardt (41-14-1) is the No. 2 seed in the four-team Opening Round double-elimination tournament. Morningside (Iowa) is the top seed. Jamestown (ND) and Ottawa (KS) are the other two teams. Reinhardt opens play Monday at 2pm CST against third-seeded Jamestown. BETHANY BALLARD — Armstrong State University (Senior, 1B/C, Cass HS). . . made a pinch hitting appearance Friday in the Lady Pirates 7-0 win over Young Harris in the Southeast Region Tournament in Savannah hosted by ASU. ASU (34-12) defeated Pfeiffer twice Sunday to advance to the NCAA D-II Southeast Super Regional May 18-19 at Peach Belt rival University of North Georgia.

The Georgia Highlands College baseball team fell behind early, but took control in the middle innings and captured the 2017 GCAA Championship Tournament championship game with an 8-3 win Saturday over Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Playing as the home team in the title game at LakePoint Sporting Community in Emerson, ABAC took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Chargers scored twice in the second and one more in the third inning to take a 3-2 lead, but the Stallions tied the game with a run in the bottom half of the third. GHC took the lead for good with a three-run sixth inning and added insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings to complete their unbeaten run through the conference tournament. Colby Taylor tossed a nine-inning complete-game for the Chargers to earn the pitching victory. He scattered five hits and a walk while allowing three earned runs on a pair of homers. He fanned 10 ABAC batters. Caleb McElwaney had three hits and one RBI for the Chargers. Grant Bodison also had a three hit game that included a double. Matt Vaccaro had two hits including a double and one RBI. Nick Fink and Nick Piccapietra each added a double and one RBI apiece. John White and Bronco O’Brien each contributed one hit in Georgia Highlands’ 12-hit attack. The Chargers (40-19) won three consecutive games in the tournament. They had wins over Andrew College, South Georgia, and then ABAC in the finals. The tournament title is the first conference championship for coach Dash O'Neill's Chargers in his first season at the helm. (photo) GHC, along with Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association regular season winner East Georgia, advance to the NJCAA East Central District Championship Wednesday through Friday at Dyersburg State CC in western Tennessee. The winner of that double-elimination district tournament will advance to the NJCAA World Series May 27-June 3 in Grand Junction, Colorado.