Cartersville Little League 8U Purple wins District 1 Rookie crown

May 25, 2026

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

Cartersville Little League 8U Purple won the Georgia District 1 championship on Monday in Rockmart. Team members: Beau Bamforth, Brantley Bonner, Sawyer Crowe, James Gregory, Owen Hunnicutt, Lennox Kellogg, Beckham Mackey, Jacob Sadler, Easton Sammons, Gibbs Thomas, Jackson Walker, and Toccoa White. Manager: Justin Mackey. Coaches: Cody Bamforth, Evan Crowe, and Todd Thomas.

The Cartersville Little League 8-and-under Purple team won the Rookie District 1 championship on Monday at Nathan Dean Sports Complex in Rockmart with a 4-2 victory over Rockmart Gold 8U.

Cartersville 8U Purple went 4-0 in the tournament, including Saturday wins over Rockmart 8U Black (15-0), Cedartown 8U (13-0), and a Sunday win over Rockmart 8U Gold (8-1).

Jacob Sadler had seven hits, including one double and four RBI, to lead the Cartersville Purple offense in the tournament. Lennox Kellogg (triple, four RBI), Beau Bamforth (triple, double, three RBI), and Gibbs Thomas (four RBI) each finished the tournament with six hits. Toccoa White contributed five hits, including one triple, one double, and seven RBI.

Beckham Mackey (triple, double, RBI), Owen Hunnicutt (double, three RBI), Sawyer Crowe (RBI), James Gregory (two RBI), and Brantley Bonner had four hits. Jackson Walker (two RBI) and Easton Sammons (three RBI) produced three and two hits, respectively.

Cartersville 8U Purple advances to the Northwest Georgia Sectional Championship that begins June 2 at Peachtree City Little League.

CARTERSVILLE 8U GOLD SPLITS GAMES AT DISTRICT 1 TOURNEY

The Cartersville Little League 8U Gold team went 2-2 in tournament games this past weekend in Rockmart.

Cartersville 8U Gold opened the tournament with a 10-0 loss to Rockmart Black, but bounced back to defeat Bartow Green 10-9 and Bartow Blue 11-8 before falling to Rockmart Gold in an elimination game, 13-3.

Emmett Downer (triple, home run, seven RBI), Connor Kopp (three RBI), and Noah Williams (two RBI) led Cartersville Gold at the plate with eight hits in their four games. Tucker Collins followed with seven hits. Liam Abernathy (home run, three RBI) and Anders Mauldin (two RBI) contributed six hits. Hutson Sharp, Ryne Bernhardt (two doubles, four RBI), and Colt Carlton totaled five hits. Harrison Lambert (RBI), Bryce Collins, and Everett Rose each added three hits.

Cartersville 8U Gold will play in the 15-team GRPA District 5 tournament June 8-11 at Heritage Point Park in Dalton.

BARTOW 8U TEAMS EARN WINS, PREP FOR GRPA TOURNEY

The Bartow County Little League 8U Blue team and 8U Green team each finished 1-2 in District 1 Tournament games played this past weekend at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex in Rockmart.

Bartow 8U Blue won an 11-10 game against Cedartown but lost to Rockmart Gold (11-5) and Cartersville Gold (11-8). Bartow 8U Green defeated Rockmart Black 9-3 but fell to Cedartown (13-12) and Cartersville Gold (10-9).

The top hitters for Bartow 8U Blue were Luke Holbrook, Jacob Gilmer, Lucas Mansfield, and Bryson Lindsey. Leading the Bartow 8U Green offense were Axton Coker, River Dickerson, Kyler Lemons, Finn Baker, and Grayson Bunch.

Next up for both teams is the 15-team GRPA District 5 tournament scheduled for June 8-11 at Heritage Point Park in Dalton.