Cass softball cruises to season-opening win

The Cass softball team cruised to a 21-1 season-opening win Tuesday night at Armuchee in a non-region contest. Rachael Lee had four hits, including a double and three RBI to pace the Colonels on offense. Ansley Hight followed with three hits, including a first inning, two-run home run and three RBIs. Meanwhile, the pitching combination of starter Maddie Bentley (3 IP, 0R, 0H, 4BB, 3K) and reliever Kylee Hembree (2 IP, 1R, 0ER, 2H, 0BB, 2K) kept the Indians’ bats almost silent. Cass led 4-0 through two innings and led 8-1 heading to the fifth frame where they scored 13 runs to end the game in five innings. A quartet of Colonels — Eryn Lee (RBI), Saydee Najarro (RBI), Haley Smith (RBI), and Kendyl Hardin — finished with two hits each. Macenzie Dougharty contributed a double and two RBIs. Kylee Hembree drove in two runs with a double and Alexis Woods had a double with one RBI. Kimberly Allen had one RBI hit and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. Kelly Young had a hit and one RBI while Savannah Tatum and Tattianna Christian also contributed one RBI each. Cass (1-0) also stole eight bases in the win including two swipes each by Hardin and Lee. The Colonels will play four games this Friday and Saturday at a tournament hosted by Dalton High School at Heritage Park.

CEDARTOWN 7, CARTERSVILLE 5 A pair of runs in the top of the eleventh inning lifted visiting Cedartown to a 7-5 victory at Cartersville Tuesday night. The lead exchanged hands three times in regulation with the Hurricanes holding a 2-0 advantage through two innings and a 5-3 lead after the fifth. Cedartown’s Reagan Clarke picked up the pitching win with a complete game performance. She did not allow an earned run while scattering four hits and six walks. McKinley Chada (8.1 IP, 4R, 2ER, 7H, 4BB) suffered the pitching loss for Cartersville in relief of starter Ava Perkins (2.2 IP, 3ER, 3H, 4BB). Kaylee Nikolopoulus, Alexus Poole (double, 2 RBI), and Carlie Holland led the Bulldogs with two hits apiece. Marycille Brumby hit a three-run home run for Cedartown (1-0) in the third inning. Four Canes finished with one hit each. Amelia Elrod (2 RBI), Mikey Lewis (2 RBI), Campbell Rogers, and AnnaKate McElhaney each singled. Cartersville (1-1) hosts Allatoona in a doubleheader Thursday. RINGGOLD 8, ADAIRSVILLE 0 The Adairsville softball team fell for the first time this season in Tuesday evening’s Region 6-AAA opener at Ringgold. The host Tigers blanked the visiting Tigers 8-0 behind a two-hit pitching performance by Ringgold’s Taylor Layne. Ringgold scored three times in the bottom of the first inning, added another three-spot in the second inning, and rounded out the scoring with two runs in the third frame. Victoria O’Neal suffered the pitching loss for Adairsville. She worked all four innings allowing three earned runs on seven hits and no walks. O’Neal fanned three. A trio of Ringgold hitters, Baileigh Pitts (3 RBI), Amber Gainer (2 RBI), and Alyissa Sue (RBI), had two hits each as the host Tigers who won for the first time this season and improved to 1-2. Chloe Souders and Sadye Johnson had the only hits for Adairsville. Adairsville (2-1, 0-1) will host North Murray Thursday at 5:30 p.m.