Canes win season opener; Woodland and Cass drop home games

Cartersville opened the 2024 season Thursday evening with a win over Kennesaw Mountain while Woodland and Cass both dropped non-region home contests.

CARTERSVILLE 13, KENNESAW MOUNTAIN 1

Update provided by coach Kyle Tucker

Ryan Johnson

By the time Ryan Johnson’s night was over in the third inning of Thursday’s season opener against Kennesaw Mountain, the senior had mowed down the Mustangs’ starting lineup while his teammates built a 12-0 lead. 

It was more than enough for the UGA signee and top-ranked Canes. Johnson earned the win on only 33 pitches – 22 for strikes – alongside three strikeouts while never allowing a baserunner in a 13-1 Cartersville victory. 

“It was good to be back on the mound,” said Johnson. “I’ve been waiting on this one for quite a while. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to do it again next week.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had a little bit of butterflies, it being the first game of the year. I was excited, but feel I went out and performed pretty well.”

Fellow future Bulldog Caleb Daniel began the scoring in the bottom of the first with a liner up the middle that scored Luke Miller and Aidan Larkin. Daniel would score later on Landon Cole’s sacrifice fly to center before Julez Pratt drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the fourth run of the inning. 

Despite a pitching change in the second inning, the Canes would still go on to score seven runs.

The rally began with Daniel’s third and fourth RBIs of the night, courtesy of a two-run centerfield blast that also scored Larkin. Later in the inning, Cam Cochran jumped on his first pitch to drive the ball down the third base line for a two-run double, scoring Andrew Purdy and Tristian McKibben and making the difference 8-0. 

Cochran would later score on a passed ball to Pratt. After another pitching change, Miller stepped to the plate and launched a shot over the right field wall to push the lead to 11-0.

The Canes would put two more across the plate with Cochran’s hard shot past the shortstop in the third that scored Nolan Elrod and Hayden Hames’ fielder’s choice in the fourth that allowed Thomas Peters to score. 

Logan Shrewsbury pitched the fourth and fifth innings for the Canes, striking out two. An error allowed one run to cross for the Mustangs in the top of the fifth, but it wasn’t enough to prevent GHSA mercy rules from taking place. 

Canes head coach Kyle Tucker was pleased with the start of the season. 

“You never know until you get out there and play for the first time,” he said. “The guys have put in a lot of work. Luke and Caleb hit home runs. Andrew walked, stole a base and scored some runs. Ryan pitched like we knew he could. Thomas Peters got his first varsity hit. Turner Abernathy got a hit. It was cool to see those guys get in.”

Still, there were things to work on. 

“Our goal as a team is to make one or fewer errors in a game, and we made more than one tonight,” he said. “We walked some people with a big lead and we don’t want to do that. But the first game is good to find out some stuff about yourself, so we can carry that with us.”

VILLA RICA 14, WOODLAND 3

Villa Rica built an 8-0 lead through the first five innings Thursday night and added six more in the seventh inning to defeat Woodland, 14-3.

Woodland utilized six pitchers in the contest with Ayden Ray (3.1 IP, 4R, 3ER, 2H, 5BB, 6K0) tagged with the pitching loss. Zach Lambert (0.2 IP, 3ER, 2H, 3BB, 1K), JD Trail (2 IP, 1ER, 0H, 1BB), Logan Bentley (6BF, 6ER, 1H, 2BB), Conner Lujan (2BF, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) also taking the mound. 

Cam Williams had two hits for Woodland. Brett Good (two RBIs), Ray (RBI), and Stermer had one hit each.

Villa Rica improved to 2-0.

Woodland (0-1) plays at Chapel Hill on Saturday at 1 p.m.

SPRAYBERRY 10, CASS 5

The Colonels held a 5-2 lead through the first four innings Thursday night at home but Sprayberry scored in each of the final three frames totaling eight more runs to defeat Cass, 10-5.

The Colonels again utilized six different pitchers. Jesiel Moctezuma (1 IP, 4R, 1ER, 3H) was tagged with the pitching loss in relief of Trenton Payne (2 IP, 2ER, 2H, 2BB, 1K) and Jacob Johnson (3 IP, 1ER, 1H, 3K). Chase Tatum (0.2 IP, 3ER, 2H, 1BB, 1K), Jay Sheldon (3 BF, 0R, 0H, 2BB), and Israel Contreras (0.1 IP, 0R, 0H) also pitched in relief.

Tatum hit a two-run homer in the first inning. Hunter Lovett (double, RBI), Caleb Freeman (RBI), Nic Wright, Cayden Roberts (double), Payne, and Moctezuma added one hit each.

For the Yellow Jackets, it was a win in their season opener.

Cass (1-1) hosts Paulding County on Friday at 5:55 p.m.