Little League Baseball District Playoffs: Bartow 10U, Cartersville 11U both one win from titles
The Bartow County Little League 10U team is off to a fast start at the 2021 Georgia Little League District 1 Tournament being played at Dean Field in Rockmart. Bartow (2-0) defeated Cartersville Little League 10U Saturday 13-6 and beat Rockmart Little League 10U Sunday 14-3 to grab the driver's seat in the double-elimination tournament.
The two wins place Bartow 10U in the championship round Tuesday night needing only one more win to capture the district crown.
Rockmart and Cartersville will play Monday night for the right to face Bartow in the finals.
In Saturday’s win over Cartersville, Bartow County pounded out 14 hits, stole 19 bases, and scored runs in four of their five offensive frames.
Cade McCorkle finished 4-for-4 at the plate with a double and one RBI to pace the Bartow offense. Mitchell Raughton followed with three hits including a double and one RBI. Noah Rogers contributed two hits including a double and two RBIs. Maddox Koontz also had two hits and two RBIs. Houston Walden finished with one hit and two RBIs. Logan Smith and Leroy Watts added one hit apiece.
Walker Phillips had a triple and one RBI for Cartersville. Colt Priest also had one hit and one RBI. Noah Leffew added one base hit.
Raughton (4.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 1BB, 8K) earned the Bartow pitching win with 4-1/3 innings of work in relief of starter Rogers (1 IP, 4R, 2ER, 1H, 4BB, 3K). McCorkle (0.2 IP, 2ER, 2H) wrapped up the win by retiring the final two outs in the sixth inning.
In Sunday’s 14-3 win over Rockmart, the Bartow offense was proficient again with 13 hits in four offensive innings. The locals also swiped 23 bases in 25 attempts.
McCorkle had four hits including a double to pace the Bartow attack. Walden had two hits including a solo, inside-the-park home run in the third inning. Karsin Darbin finished with two hits including a double. Koontz (double), Raughton (triple), and Smith contributed one hit and one RBI each. Rogers and Brodie Gardner finished with one hit each. Joseph Frederick was credited with a pair of RBIs.
Walden made the pitching start and picked up the pitching win allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out five in three innings. Frederick and McCorkle shared the fourth inning and recorded one strikeout each.
Cartersville Little League 11U wins District Series opener
The Cartersville Little League 11U baseball team beat Bartow County 16-9 Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three championship series for Georgia Little League District 1 being held at Rockmart’s Dean Field.
Cartersville 11U scored five runs in the top of the third to break open a 5-5 game and take a 10-5 lead. Cartersville then added on over the final three frames to secure a seven-run win.
Cameron Kachinsky paced the Cartersville 11U offense with three hits including a double and three RBIs. Braden Slocumb contributed a pair of hits. Aiden Turner and Brody Jones tossed in one hit and one RBI each. Avery Slye and Noah Kearney finished with one hit each while River Wade was credited with one RBI.
Jackson Jarrett led the Bartow 11U team with three hits including a pair of doubles and three RBIs. Nick Robinson and Kasey Jacobs had two hits each. David Vigil added one hit while Tyler Parker and Tucker Duncan were credited with two and one RBI, respectively.
Jones earned the pitching win for Cartersville in relief. He entered in the second inning and allowed only one hit and one walk in 2-2/3 innings while fanning six. Cartersville starter Brant Rutledge retired the first five outs, allowing five runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks. Rutledge struck out three. Kearney retired the final two outs of the fifth inning charged with four runs (none earned) on two hits and three walks, while Slye worked a scoreless sixth inning on the mound working around a hit and a walk.
Dustin Walling (2.1 IP, 8R, 3ER, 4H, 3BB, 6K) suffered the pitching loss for Bartow 11U. Parker (3 IP, 8R, 3ER, 5H, 4BB, 3K) and Jarrett (0.2 IP, 1BB) pitched in relief.
Game 2 of the 11U District 1 series is set for Monday night in Rockmart at 8 p.m.
Information for local Little League softball and baseball updates along with updates from Georgia Recreation and Parks Association baseball and softball tournaments are provided by the Cartersville and Bartow County Recreation Departments and the respective Little League Baseball and Softball organizations. The updates are presented by CiCi's of Cartersville located in the Cherokee Crossing shopping center.
