Pitching, Shook's late double lifts Cass to season opening win

Matt Shook doubled home the go-ahead run and a trio of Cass pitchers limited visiting Rockmart to only one earned run Thursday night in a 3-2 season opening win for the Colonels.

Rockmart took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, but Cass responded in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of runs.

Gavin Young doubled before Shook was hit by a pitch. Clay Means followed with an RBI double to knot the game at 1-1. After Evan Hinton was intentionally walked to load the bases, Nathan Smith was hit by a pitch that gave the Colonels a 2-1 lead.

The Yellow Jackets took advantage of a hit batsman and a Cass error in the top of the sixth to tie the score again at 2-2, but the Colonels answered again in the bottom of the frame.

Parker Hardin singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth and Shook drove him home with a two-out double into right-center field.

Blaine Ingram (3 IP, 0R, 3H, 3BB, 4K) started on the mound for Cass. Means (2 IP, 2R, 1ER, 5H, 1BB, 1K) worked the middle innings and Nic Wallin (2 IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 3K) picked up the pitching win by recording the final six outs.

Means finished with two hits for Cass and one RBI. Thomas Botts, Bryson Markley, Hardin, Young, and Shook had the other Colonels’ hits.

Kole Holder, Evan Ratcliff, and Cody Paramore had two hits each for Rockmart (0-1).

Cass (1-0) hosts Adairsville Friday at 5:30 p.m. and will play Wheeler and Columbia Saturday in games at Pickens County.