Canes sweep Thursday doubleheader

With poor weather expected for Friday, Cartersville baseball bumped their non-region game scheduled with Class 7A Lassiter up to Thursday evening to follow a regularly scheduled region game with Chapel Hill. The result was a doubleheader sweep for the Class 4A second-ranked Canes who eased past Chapel Hill 13-0 in five innings before a come-from-behind 6-3 win over Lassiter.

In the opener, Cartersville scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning against Region 5-AAAA foe Chapel Hill and waltzed to a 13-0 victory.

Starting pitcher Mason Barnett did not allow a hit through four innings, fanned nine, and issued only one walk. Gage Morris needed only 12 pitches to get through the final inning giving up a hit, but striking out two.

Jordan Wilkie (photo) had a three hit game for the Canes. Josh Davis and J.P. Martin both contributed three RBI and two hits against the Panthers. Preston Welchel had a pair of hits that included a first inning, two-run homer. Barnett had two hits and two RBI and Ian Inaba drove in a run with one hit.

Chapel Hill (6-13-1, 2-7) will host Cartersville Monday at 5:55 p.m. in the second game of their Region 5-AAAA series.

In the nightcap, the Purple Hurricanes trailed 3-0 through 4 and one-half innings, but cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth and added four runs in the sixth to complete the comeback.

Cartersville’s Cohen Wilbanks drew a bases loaded walk to tie the game 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth and Welchel followed with a bases-clearing double to provide the deciding runs.

Morris (3 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 1K) picked up the pitching win in relief of starter Logan Martin (4 IP, 3ER, 4H, 2BB, 6K).

Welchel (double, 3 RBI), Kolby Adams, and Josh Davis finished the Lassiter game with two hits each. Wilbanks and Wilkie had one hit and one RBI each. Barnett forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning.

The loss drops Lassiter to 9-14 on the season.

Cartersville (18-4, 6-1) is scheduled to host Maryville (TN) Saturday at 12 noon.