Cartersville 12U Gold wins GRPA District 5 championship

June 11, 2026

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

The Cartersville 12U Gold baseball team won the GRPA District 5 championship on Wednesday night, finishing a delayed title game with an 8-6 victory over Summerville 12U.

Cartersville 12U Gold won its first four games in the double-elimination tournament to earn a spot in the championship round that started on Tuesday night at Calhoun Park. Cartersville Gold had wins over Calhoun (20-2), Whitfield County (5-2), Dalton (17-5), and Rome (11-1), before falling to Summerville 6-4 in the first game of the championship round.  A winner-take-all championship game started on Tuesday night, but was suspended until Wednesday night for a conclusion.

In the title-winning game, Cartersville Gold 12U led 6-2 through three innings, but Summerville knotted the score with two runs in the fourth and two more in the sixth on a home run. Cartersville secured the extra-inning win, however, with two runs in the top of the seventh. Pitchers Shep Taylor and Noah Taylor blanked Summerville in the bottom of the seventh with a fly out and two strikeouts.

Cale Effler pitched the first two innings for Cartersville, allowing one run (none earned) on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Jackson Taylor (5R, 4ER, 5H, 2BB, 3K) worked three innings on the mound. Shep Taylor struck out four in 1-2/3 innings, allowing no runs, hits, or walks, and Noah Taylor earned a save with a strikeout to finish the game.

Tyson Botts (RBI) and Parson Adams (RBI) paced the Cartersville Gold offense with two hits. Blake Adams (double, two RBI), Jackson Taylor (double, RBI), and Noah Taylor each added one hit. Shep Taylor contributed one RBI.

Cartersville Gold 12U advanced to the GRPA Class A/B State Traditional Tournament, which will be hosted by Bulloch County Recreation and Parks on June 23-27 at Mill Creek Regional Park in Statesboro.

The Cartersville Gold 12U roster includes: Blake Adams, Parson Adams, Henry Baxter, Tyson Botts, Cale Effler, Brennan Simmer, Raden Sullins, Hudson Summey, Jackson Taylor, Noah Taylor, and Shep Taylor. Manager: Joey Taylor. Coaches: Nick Adams and Jacob Baxter.