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The Woodland Lady Cats softball team lost 10-2 Wednesday night at Darlington in a non-region game. Darlington, coached by former Lady Cats’ and Georgia Tech standout Jessica Weaver, scored ten runs in the first three innings to take control. Woodland’s two runs came in the top of the fifth. Kathryne Ledbetter (5 IP, 2ER, 5H, 0BB, 5K) was the complete game pitching winner for the Lady Tigers. Alex Gardner and Sydney Seymour were among the top bats for Darlington with multi-hit games. Gabby Fuller added five RBIs. Madgie Robinson led Woodland with two hits and one RBI. Bella Carnes (RBI), Audrey Morris, and Jamison Kilgo had the other hits for the Lady Cats. Jordan Duck (3 IP, 10ER, 10H, 5BB, 2K) suffered the pitching loss for the Lady Cats. Sarah Baynard (1 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB) worked the final frame in the circle. Woodland (1-2, 1-1) travels to Villa Rica for a region game Thursday at 5:55pm.

The Woodland Lady Cats’ and Cass Lady Colonels’ volleyball teams each split a pair of matches Tuesday. Woodland, playing at Wheeler High School in Cobb County, defeated Meadowcreek in three sets, 25-15, 15-25, and 26-24. Grace Ryan totaled three aces, four kills, and two digs for the Lady Cats. Madilyn Tuplin added three aces, nine kills, five digs, and six blocks. Kalia Henry finished with 13 assists, two kills, three aces, and four digs. Ansley Flowers posted 10 digs in the victory. In the nightcap, Woodland fell to Wheeler in straight sets, 25-19 and 25-20. Ryan had two kills and four digs. Tuplin finished with three kills, three digs, three blocks, and a pair of aces. Henry added four assists, eight digs, three aces, and a pair of kills. Flowers contributed nine digs and a kill. Cass, playing at Model High School, lost to Rome 26-24 and 25-14 in their first match of the evening, but bounced back for a three set win over the host Lady Blue Devils, 25-18, 20-25, 25-21. Woodland (2-4) is scheduled for matches with Model and Cedartown at Cedartown High School Thursday. Cass (3-2) travels to Ridgeland Thursday to face the Lady Panthers and the Coosa Eagles.

The Adairsville Lady Tigers softball team took advantage of a late error by Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe Tuesday night for a come-from-behind 3-2 Region 6-AAA win at home. Morgan DeBoard reached on an infield single and later scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth on an infield error by the Lady Warriors. Loren Harris, who threw a no-hitter Monday to beat North Murray, allowed only two earned runs on three hits and a walk. She struck out eight in seven innings in the circle. LFO took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the Lady Tigers bounced back to tie in the bottom of the second frame. DeBoard singled and scored on a Breeana Wilson groundout. Harris had a single to advance DeBoard. Sierra Tanner then singled to centerfield scoring T Lee who was a courtesy runner for Harris. The Lady Tigers out hit Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe eight to three. DeBoard finished with two hits and stole a base. Havyn Isaac, Bailey Robinson, Tanner, Macy Hufstetler (double), Cortni Jacobs, and Harris had one hit each. Adairsville (3-3, 2-2) plays at Murray County Thursday and will participate in the LFO Invitational Friday and Saturday.

Cartersville softball was shutout Tuesday night in a region duel at Central-Carroll. Central took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and later added three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth inning to seal the contest. Emily Williams tossed a three-hit shutout in the circle for the Lady Lions to earn the pitching victory. She struck out 17 and did not issue a walk in seven innings of work. Williams also homered in two hits at the plate and drove in three runs. Abby Cook contributed a pair of RBIs for Central with a double. Molly Wilson had two hits for Cartersville. Paris Poston added a double. Hannah Todd (4.1 IP, 5R, 2ER, 6H, 0BB, 3K) and Colbi Ballard (1.2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 1H, 3BB, 2K) split the pitching duties for the Lady Canes. Cartersville (1-3) plays at Darlington Thursday at 5:30pm and will host Fannin County Saturday at 11am at Stars Field.

If you enjoy lots of scoring and offense, then Woodland’s Region 7-AAAAA home softball victory over Cass Tuesday night was the place to be. Woodland defeated Cass 17-11 in a back-and-forth matchup that lit up the scoreboard. Cass took a 5-0 lead early, but the Lady Cats scored 17 runs over the next three innings to take a lead the Lady Colonels could not overcome. Cass out hit Woodland 17 to eight, but the Lady Colonels committed four errors and Cass pitchers issued ten walks and hit five batters. In the Lady Cats' seven run bottom of the second inning, Caroline Higdon doubled to get things started. Brittney Cox moved Higdon to third with a bunt single. Skylar Chappell and Sarah Baynardd reached on back-to-back outfield errors that plated three more runs. Jamison Kilgo reached on a fielder’s choice and Audrey Morris followed with a bunt single. Bella Carnes drove home Jamison Kilgo and Audrey Morris with a two-run triple. Canes then scored on a wild pitch. Madgie Robinson walked to continue the frame and she scored on a Jordan Duck RBI double that gave Woodland its first lead at 7-5. Woodland pushed the lead to 9-5 in the bottom of the third inning. Cox singled, Baynard walked, and Kilgo was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Lady Cats. After a force out at the plate on a grounder, Bella Carnes drew a base on balls to force in a run. Robinson then bunted to reach on an error that forced in another run. Cass narrowed the margin to 9-7 in the top of the fourth inning. Hope Elrod and Sarah Fox singled in the inning and Arianna Mustin drove them in with a two-run RBI double. Woodland answered again with eight runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 17-7. Higdon and Robinson had RBI singles in the frame. Kilgo and Duck picked up RBIs with walks. There were three hit batsmen and another walk in the frame plus three more runs scored when Cox reached on an infield miscue. Cass scored four runs in the top of the fifth, narrowing the Lady Cats’ lead to 17-11. Brittnee Mayer, Elrod, and Fox singled to load the bases. Mustin drew a bases loaded walk to force home a run. Moore added a two-RBI single and Alexia Najarro contributed an RBI single. Following all those offensive fireworks, the two teams went scoreless the rest of the way. Cass took a 5-0 lead early. Sierrah Gani singled in the top of the first and later scored by taking home on a double steal play. Elord and Mustin had hits in the inning and Najarro and Maggie Collum added RBI singles. The Lady Colonels pushed their early lead to five in the top of the second on three singles with two outs. Mustin and Sarah Moore had hits and Najarro drove in a run with a hit. Najarro and Mustin had three hits and three RBI each for Cass. Fox (RBI) and Elrod also finished with three hits. Moore drove in a pair of runs with two hits. Mayer, Collum (RBI), and Gani had the other Lady Colonels’ hits. Gani (2), Elrod, and Najarro had stolen bases for the Lady Colonels. Higdon (double) and Cox led Woodland with two hits apiece. Carnes finished with a triple and four RBIs. Duck had two RBI with a double. Robinson added a hit and an RBI and Audrey Morris contributed a hit for the Lady Cats. Baynard drove home three runs. Chappell and Kilgo had one RBI each. Kilgo also stole a base. Cass (1-3, 0-2 in 7AAAAA) will host Paulding County Thursday at 5:55pm and will play Fannin County Saturday at 1pm at Stars Field. Woodland (1-1, 1-1) plays at Darlington Wednesday at 5:30pm and will travel to Villa Rica for another region game Thursday at 5:55pm.

Adairsville’s Loren Harris threw a no-hitter Monday as her Lady Tigers shutout region opponent, North Murray, 8-0. Harris needed only 67 pitches to complete the five-inning no hitter. She struck out four and the Lady Tigers’ defense played well behind her. Adairsville did not commit an error. Only a pair of Mountaineer batters reached base in the contest, both in the top of the second inning when Harris hit a batter and walked one. Meanwhile, the Lady Tigers’ offense provided six runs in the fourth and fifth frames to end the game in five innings. Adairsville took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run home run by Bailey Robinson. That lead would stand until Emily Collum hit another two-run blast in the fourth frame to give the Lady Tigers a 4-0 advantage. Adairsville closed out the contest in the bottom of the fifth inning with four more runs. With Robinson and Morgan DeBoard aboard on singles, Harris doubled in a run. Breeana Wilson reached on an error to drive home another run for a 6-0 lead. Harris and Wilson both later scored on a stolen base play that included a throwing error and Adairsville had an 8-0 victory via the GHSA mercy, run rule. Adairsville (3-3) continues a busy week on the diamond Tuesday when they host Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe. The Lady Tigers then travel to Murray County Thursday and play in the LFO Invitational Tournament Friday and Saturday.

Excel Christian Academy scored in every inning Monday on their way to an 11-0 five inning victory over visiting Model. ECA pounded out 14 hits on offense including five extra base hits. Meanwhile, the pitching combination of Hannah Lee (3 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB, 3K) and Taylor Gibson (2 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 3K) shut out the visiting Lady Blue Devils. The Lady Eagles scored a single run in the opening inning, then followed with three runs in the second, three in the third, and four in the fourth inning. Kalli Beth Scheff was 3-for-3 with a double at the plate and drove in three runs. Rachel Parrott had three hits that included a double and one RBI. Gibson contributed two hits and one RBI. Landry McCollum had a triple with two RBI. Lee (2 RBI), Kami Cooper, Lindsey Mauldin (stolen base), Brighton McCollum (double, RBI), and Aliza Baker (RBI) had the other hits for the Lady Eagles. Excel (3-3) hosts Gordon Central at 4:30pm next Monday (August 22) and Trion in a region game, August 25.

The Georgia High School Association unanimously approved a new set of pitch count rules in baseball at its fall executive committee meeting Monday in Macon. As part of a mandate by the National Federation of High Schools, the GHSA will limit pitchers to 110 pitches in a game. The pitcher will be allowed to finish the current at-bat before being replaced. Under previous rules, there were no pitch counts in Georgia and pitchers were limited to 10 innings per calendar day with a maximum of 14 innings in four consecutive calendar days. The new changes are effective immediately. "I think the pitch count rules can be a good thing," said Cartersville High School head coach Stuart Chester. "It's just important that everyone is held accountable and accurate with the record keeping." Rest for pitchers is a vital part of the new pitch count rules. If a pitcher throws 86 or more pitches, the pitcher is required to rest for three days. Pitchers throwing 61 to 85 pitches will be required to have two days of rest. Pitchers who throw 36 to 60 pitches are required to take a day of rest. No rest would be required for pitchers throwing 35 or less pitches. However, a pitcher would have to take a day off if he throws 60 pitches on consecutive days. The rule gets more complex in the postseason where pitchers won’t be allowed to throw more than 120 pitches in a series unless weather extends the series. Any pitcher who reaches 40 pitches or more in a single state tournament game will be restricted to the same days of rest as designated during the regular season. "The new rules won't bother us," concluded Chester. "We stay on a strict pitch count." It will be the responsibility of the official scorer (home and visitor) to maintain pitch count records. Violators will be subject to a $250 fine and a two-game suspension for the head coach. A second offense would net a $500 fine and a minimum suspension of four games. The coach would also have to be re-instated by the GHSA executive director. "I think the pitch count plan is a step in the right direction when it comes to the health of young arms," added Cass head coach Adam Williams. "Anything we can do to help players stay healthy is a great idea and one I can stand behind." Williams shared Chester's concerns, however, about how the record keeping will take place. "I feel as if there could be a better way to be more transparent, so that not only other coaches, but even parents could keep coaches accountable," Williams said. A proposal was also submitted to allow baseball teams to conduct tryouts during the fall. The proposal failed to pass out of the baseball committee. The other new item, previously approved by the GHSA, is the centralized sites for the 2017 State Championship series'. The state finals for each classification will be played at either State Mutual Stadium in Rome or at Golden Park in Columbus. The GHSA will place the games in one stadium or the other based on the participants in each championship series. "I'm not a fan of centralizing the state championships," said Canes' skipper Chester. "I think it is going to make travel costs go up for the participating schools, and regardless of whether we've been the home or away team in a finals, the championships are best at school sites." The GHSA cites items such as the large stadium seating capacities, adequate restroom and concessions facilities, and potential televising of the state finals as positives to centralizing baseball in a similar fashion to other sports. "I think it will bring even more exposure to the high school game." noted Williams. "As a coach I like it because it gives you a destination to the journey, similar to Omaha in the college game."

The "dog days" of summer are upon us and three MiLB players with local connections continue to toil with their respective clubs. Two locals appear to be shut down for the season, but Grant DeBruin, Sam Howard, and Connor Justus will continue through the month. DeBruin's Hagerstown Suns have also clinched a post-season berth due to their performance in the South Atlantic League's first half. Grant DeBruin — Hagerstown Suns — Class A, South Atlantic League — MLB Parent Club, Washington Nationals -- (Adairsville HS) The former Adairsville High School and University of Alabama-Huntsville standout has continued a steady rise in his batting average and offensive production in July and early August. He has hit safely in seven of his last ten games and is 5-for-9 with two doubles in his last three games against the Asheville Tourists. Through 57 games this season, DeBruin is now hitting .276 with four home runs and 27 RBIs at Hagerstown. DeBruin, 26, spent the first part of the year in extended spring training and was briefly at the Advanced Class A level with the Potomac Nationals. Hagerstown is 28-22 in the SAL second half, currently tied for the lead in the Northern Division with the Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox affiliate) and one-half game ahead of the Lakewood BlueClaws (Phillies affiliate). Hagerstown already clinched a post-season spot by winning the division’s first half. Dalton Geekie — Rome Braves — Class A, South Atlantic League — MLB Parent Club, Atlanta Braves -- (Georgia Highlands College) Geekie is on the disabled list for the remainder of the season by the Braves and was forced to have Tommy John surgery after developing an issue in his elbow August 1. Geekie finished his first pro season with a 2-4 record and had a 5.16 ERA in 31 appearances in 2016. He had one save in his only save opportunity and worked 45 and 1/3 innings. Opponents had a .247 batting average against him. Rome is currently 28-22 in the South Atlantic League’s second half standings, in second place, four and one-half games behind the Southern Division leading Augusta GreenJackets (SF Giants affiliate). Sam Howard — Hartford Yard Goats — Double-A, Eastern League — MLB Parent Club, Colorado Rockies -- (Cartersville HS) Howard has now won four of his last six starts for the Yard Goats with victories July 17, July 27, August 3, and August 14. He had a no-decision performance July 22 and August 9 during that span. In his two most recent starts — August 9 and 14 — Howard was 1-1 and worked 10 and 2/3 innings. He allowed five earned runs on 13 hits in the two starts combined. He walked three and struck out 15. The 23-year-old former Canes and Georgia Southern University pitcher is now 8-9 on year after starting the season 4-3 with the Advanced Class A, Modesto Nuts of the California League. He has a 3.63 ERA in 23 starts and 129 innings. Opponents have a .255 batting average against him. The Yard Goats are 66-52 on the year and in third place in the Eastern League’s Eastern Division. They trail the Reading (PA) Fightin’ Phils by 11.5 games. Connor Justus — Burlington Bees — Class A, Midwest League — MLB Parent Club, Los Angeles Angels -- (Cartersville HS) After a fast start with the Rookie level Orem Owlz, Justus continued his rapid progress with a fast start with the Class A (full season) Burlington Bees of the Midwest League. The month of August, however, has been difficult at the Class A level for the former Cartersville Purple Hurricanes’ and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets’ shortstop. He has seen his batting average slip from over .300 in late July to .192 with Burlington as of August 14. Justus was selected in the fifth round of this year’s June MLB draft by the Los Angeles Angels. Justus’ batting average remains .275 through his 48 games as a professional combining his Orem and Burlington numbers. He has 11 extra base hits, including one home run and 27 RBIs. Defensively, Justus has a .924 fielding percentage in 192 total chances. He has been part of 23 double plays in 408 innings. The Burlington Bees are 25-24 in the second half standings of the Midwest League’s Western Division and are 57-62 overall in 2016. The Bees are currently nine games back of division-leading Clinton LumberKings (Seattle affiliate). Donavan Tate — Rancho Cucamonga Quakes — Advanced Class A — California League — MLB Parent Club, Los Angeles Dodgers (Cartersville HS) Tate played in ten games after coming off the disable list to start the season. He has a .143 batting average in 35 at bats with a home run and four RBIs. He has played defensively at both corner outfield positions and has been utilized as a designated hitter, but has not seen action since July 6. The Quakes are 19-17 in the second half standings of the California League’s South Division. They are currently 5.5 games behind the Lancaster JetHawks (Houston Astros affiliate). To check on these local players any time, use the 'Athletes Beyond Bartow' page of this web site to locate active links to each players statistics, schedules, results, and other team information.

Ben Martin, a client of Cartersville Country Club’s Scott Hamilton Golf Academy, finished second Sunday at the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois. Martin, who shot 62 on Saturday to move into second place heading into the final round, shot 68 Sunday to finish two shots behind tournament winner Ryan Moore. Moore was 22-under (65-65-65-67). Martin shot 66-68-62-68. Martin, a 2009 U.S. Amateur finalist and Clemson graduate, also recorded top-10 finishes last season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players Championship, and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Other Scott Hamilton Golf Academy players this week at the John Deere Classic: — Scott Stallings, tied for 16th, 69-67-66-70 — Boo Weekley, tied for 47th, 69-69-70-71 — Hudson Swafford, tied for 47h, 69-65-73-70 — Steven Bowditch, missed cut, 74-75 — Brendon Todd, missed cut, 77-72 Acworth’s Jason Bohn tied for 56th after shooting 70-69-70-70. He is a former SHGA client. Another former SHGA player, Rob Oppenheim tied for 70th after rounds of 67-68-73-75. On the senior PGA Champions Tour, Joe Durant is tied for sixth place heading into Monday’s final round at the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. The U.S.G.A. postponed Sunday’s final round to Monday due to course conditions. The final round is scheduled to begin at 7:30am Monday. Durant, another client of SHGA, is fresh off a win last week at the 3M Championship in Minnesota. He is currently in second place in the Schwab Cup points race behind Bernhard Langer. Langer is tied with Durant for sixth place going into the final round Monday. Durant, who has rounds of 75-67-70 is 2-over par. He trails leader Miguel Angel Jimenez by five shots with 18 holes remaining. On the WEB.com Tour, SHGA player Hunter Hamrick tied for 29th Sunday at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Missouri. Hamrick was 12-under par with rounds of 72-67-66-71. Tournament champion Mackenzie Hughes shot 24-under par (67-67-64-66). Adam Mitchell of SHGA tied for 50th at 9-under. He shot 70-69-68-72. For other SHGA players, Kyle Thompson, Jim Renner, Jonathan Fricke, and Mark Silvers all missed the cut in Missouri. __________________________ Scott Hamilton is Director of Golf at Cartersville Country Club and works with many prominent professional golfers on the PGA Tour, PGA Champions Tour, WEB.com Tour, LPGA, and other professional tours through the Scott Hamilton Golf Academy.

Coming off a 1-1 start Friday evening at the 32-team Sequoyah Classic volleyball tournament, the Lady Canes won four of five matches Saturday to capture the event's Silver Division Championship. The Lady Canes began Saturday with their third match in Pool B of the preliminary round against Newnan. Cartersville edged the Lady Cougars 25-23 in the opening set, but Newnan rebounded to take sets two and three, 25-11 and 15-9. Lauren Wenzell led Cartersville with five kills. Grace Hunter added seven assists for the Lady Canes. The loss dropped Cartersville to third in their pool and into the Silver Bracket of the tournament, but the Lady Canes won four straight on their way to the division title. In their Silver bracket opener, the Lady Canes defeated Morrow 25-9 and 25-12. Standout players for Cartersville included Catie Heilman with five aces and two kills; Kameron Hendrix with four aces and nine assists; and Wenzell contributed four kills. Next, Cartersville battled for three sets with Oconee County. The Lady Canes dropped the opening set 27-25 to the Lady Warriors, but rallied for a 25-22 win in set number two and a 15-11 win in the third set to take the match. Heilman had 13 kills and six digs in the victory. Hunter totaled 18 assists. In their fourth match of the day, Cartersville again battled through a three-set match with Eagles Landing Christian Academy to win 22-25, 25-12, and 15-7. The victory over the Lady Chargers, advanced Cartersville to the Silver Division championship. Hunter had nine assists and four aces for the Lady Canes. Anna Mathis added eight digs. Rebekah Stevens contributed four kills and Bella Corrigan totaled six digs. Cartersville won the final round in straight sets over Northgate 25-22 and 25-23. Heilman had six kills and two aces in the championship. Hendrix contributed three assists and five aces. Hunter contributed 10 assists and five aces. Stevens finished with six kills, while Corrigan and Mathis added four digs each. Cartersville (6-3) is scheduled to host Pepperell and Creekview Thursday beginning at 5pm at The Storm Center.

Ben Martin, a client of Cartersville Country Club’s Scott Hamilton Golf Academy, fired a third-round low 62 Saturday at the John Deere Classic to trail leader Ryan Moore by only one shot moving into Sunday’s final round. Martin, who won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in 2015, is tied for second with Morgan Hoffman who also shot 62 on Saturday at the TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. Martin has rounds of 66-68-62. Hoffman’s rounds were 67-67-62. Moore, the leader, has three consecutive 65s. Martin, a 2009 U.S. Amateur finalist and Clemson graduate, also recorded top-10 finishes last season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players Championship, and the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Other Scott Hamilton Golf Academy players this week at the John Deere Classic: — Scott Stallings, tied for 11th, 69-67-66. — Boo Weekley, tied for 37th, 69-69-70. — Hudson Swafford, tied for 50th, 69-65-73. — Steven Bowditch, missed cut, 74-75. — Brendon Todd, missed cut, 77-72 Acworth’s Jason Bohn is tied for 66th after shooting 70-69-70. He is a former SHGA client. Another former SHGA player, Rob Oppenheim is also tied for 66th after rounds of 67-68-73. On the senior PGA Champions Tour, Joe Durant is tied for sixth place heading into Sunday’s final round at the U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio. Durant, another client of SHGA, is fresh off a win last week at the 3M Championship in Minnesota. He is currently in second place in the Schwab Cup points race behind Bernhard Langer. Durant, who has rounds of 75-67-70 is 2-over par. He trails leader Miguel Angel Jimenez by five shots with 18 holes remaining. On the WEB.com Tour, SHGA player Hunter Hamrick is tied for 27th through three rounds at the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper at Highland Springs Country Club in Springfield, Missouri. Hamrick is 11-under (72-67-66) and trails leader Mackenzie Hughes by seven shots. Adam Mitchell of SHGA is at 9-under. He shot 70-69-68. For other SHGA players, Kyle Thompson, Jim Renner, Jonathan Fricke, and Mark Silvers all missed the cut in Missouri. __________________________ Scott Hamilton is Director of Golf at Cartersville Country Club and works with many prominent professional golfers on the PGA Tour, PGA Champions Tour, WEB.com Tour, LPGA, and other professional tours through the Scott Hamilton Golf Academy.