Cartersville Little League 12U baseball reaches state finals

July 15, 2025 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

Cartersville Little League 12U's Sawyer Ezell struck out three and closed out a 4-1 victory on Tuesday.

Cartersville Little League 12U baseball moved one step closer to winning its first-ever state championship Tuesday night with a 4-1 win over Warner Robins-American Little League at the Georgia Championship in Macon.

The victory sends Cartersville to the championship round of the double-elimination tournament on Thursday evening as the only unbeaten team remaining in the event.

Cartersville 12U scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning for a 2-0 lead and added two more in the fifth as insurance.

Hayes Burris and Sawyer Ezell had RBI hits in the fourth inning for Cartersville. Sawyer White singled and later scored on a passed ball in the fifth inning. Gavin Ham drove in the locals’ fourth run with a groundout that scored Connor Murphy.

Cartersville pitchers Messiah Carter and Ezell combined for nine strikeouts and allowed only four hits and two walks. Carter made the pitching start and worked into the fifth inning. Ezell did not allow a run or a hit and retired the final four outs of the game, including three by strikeout.

Burris finished with two hits and one RBI. Grayson Dean, Carter Harris,  Ezell (double, RBI), and White added one hit.

The loss sends Warner Robins-American to an elimination game on Wednesday night against Smyrna. Smyrna blanked Peachtree City on Tuesday, 10-0. 

The Warner Robins-American / Smyrna winner will play Cartersville for the state championship on Thursday at 6 p.m. Cartersville needs one win to claim the title. If a second game is needed on Thursday, it will be played immediately after the first game.