Local GRPA 12U baseball and softball teams start district tourneys with wins

June 7, 2026

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

Cartersville 12U Gold Baseball started the nine-team, double-elimination Georgia Parks and Recreation Association District 5 Tournament in Calhoun with three wins this past Thursday through Saturday. Cartersville 12U Gold defeated Calhoun 20-2, Whitfield County 5-2, and Dalton 17-5.

Noah Taylor led the Cartersville 12U Gold hitters with six hits and four RBIs. Tyson Botts followed with five hits, including two doubles, one triple, and six RBIs. Cale Effler produced four hits, including one double and six RBIs. Jackson Taylor (double, three RBIs), Henry Baxter (RBI), and Brennan Simmer (RBI) had three hits. Raden Sullins contributed two doubles and two RBIs. Hudson Summey and Blake Adams also had two hits and two RBIs. Parson Adams (sac fly, three RBIs) and Shep Taylor (RBI) each added one hit.

Effer pitched six innings and had seven strikeouts in the win over Whitfield. Shep Taylor and Summey shared pitching duties against Calhoun. Adams, Jackson Taylor, and Shep Taylor pitched in Cartersville Gold’s win over Dalton. Shep Taylor has six strikeouts in 3-2/3 innings. Summey has fanned three. Adams and Jackson Taylor have combined for three strikeouts.

Cartersville 12U Gold plays Rome on Monday night in Calhoun at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to the championship round on Tuesday with no losses. The loser will slip to an elimination game on Monday night at 8 p.m. against either Trion or Summerville and will need three straight wins to capture the tournament title.

Bartow County 12U won its opening game in the GRPA District 5 Tournament on Friday in Calhoun but was eliminated with two losses on Saturday. Bartow 12U defeated Murray County 11-2, before falling to Rome 10-2 and Summerville 10-1.

Aiden Hill went 3-for-3 with three RBIs in the victory. Brody Morrow went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, and Cash Burgess was also 2-for-2. Griffin Dobbs collected the pitching win for Bartow 12U, working four innings with six strikeouts.

In Saturday’s two losses, Hill was 3-for-6 at the plate. Morrow went 1-for-3 and pitched four innings with one strikeout in the loss to Rome. Burgess struck out four in the loss to Summerville.

BARTOW 12U SOFTBALL WINS GRPA TOURNAMENT OPENER

Bartow County 12U softball opened play in the seven-team GRPA District 5 Tournament this past Friday with a 16-3 win over Rome at Edwards Park in Dalton.

Caroline Owen (3 IP, 2R, 0ER, 3BB, 8K) and Emma Kuykendall (1 IP, 1R, 0H, 1BB, 1K) combined in the pitching circle for the victory. 

Harper Fox (two RBIs) and Kuykendall (two RBIs) each had two hits for Bartow County. Gracie Moon and McKynlee Gunter each had solo home runs. Cayden Sexton (RBI) provided one hit. Ellie Hardman and Emilyn Sexton each added one RBI.

Bartow 12U plays Whitfield County on Monday night. The tournament continues through Thursday in Dalton.

SMYRNA BLUE COACH-PITCH TEAM ELIMINATES BARTOW AND CARTERSVILLE

The Smyrna Little League Blue 7U team won the Georgia Little League Northwest Section Coach-Pitch Tournament this past weekend in Peachtree City with a win over Bartow County and two wins over Cartersville on Friday and Saturday.

Smyrna Blue survived an elimination game against Bartow County, 11-7, on Friday night, and defeated Cartersville 12-5 and 9-3 on Saturday in the championship round to capture the title. Cartersville 7U and Bartow County 7U finished the tournament with 2-2 records. Smyrna Blue finished the double-elimination tournament with a 4-1 mark.

Sawyer Arnold led Cartersville 7U hitters in the championship round losses with four hits and two RBIs. Knox Ammons (two RBIs), Barrett Malik (RBI), and Russell Pressley (RBI) each had three hits. Brooks Dooley contributed two hits. Eli Fillers (RBI), JT Menerey (RBI), Myles Banks, Owen Baxter, Kamden Williams, and Hank Harrell each added one hit.

In Bartow 7Us Friday night loss, Chase McCoy led the offense with three hits and two RBIs. Jameson Reynolds (RBI), Beckett Best (RBI), and Evan Jacobs each contributed two hits. Rodrigo Catala (RBI), Brynlee Rogers (RBI), Bo Hamby, and Grayson Cagle added one hit each.

CARTERSVILLE LITTLE LEAGUE 8U FALLS IN CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND

The Cartersville Little League 8U Rookie Division team reached the championship round of the Northwest Section Tournament in Peachtree City, but fell to Smyrna Blue in the finals.

After splitting the first two games earlier in the week — a win over Peachtree City and a loss to Smyrna Blue — Cartersville 8U defeated Rockmart 10-9 on Friday night in an elimination game before suffering an 11-5 second loss to Smyrna Blue on Saturday. 

In Saturday’s games, Sawyer Crowe (two RBIs), Lennox Kellogg (RBI), Owen Hunnicutt (RBI), Gibbs Thomas, and Beau Bamforth each had one hit. Jacob Sadler contributed two RBIs. Toccoa White and Jackson Walker each added one RBI.

Sadler (four strikeouts), Brantley Bonner (three strikeouts), and Beckham Mackey (two strikeouts) each pitched 2+ innings for Cartersville 8U in the final two games.

CARTERSVILLE LITTLE LEAGUE 9U FINISHES THIRD

The Cartersville Little League 9U Sandlot Division baseball team finished third at the Northwest Georgia Section Tournament this past week in Peachtree City.

Cartersville 9U went 2-2 in four games at the tournament, with both losses coming against host Peachtree City 9U. Cartersville 9U also had elimination game wins over Bartow County and Smyrna Red. Smyrna Blue defeated Peachtree City in the championship game.

In Friday’s 8-6 elimination game loss to Peachtree City, Nolan Menerey pitched five innings and recorded five strikeouts. Menerey also had three hits with two RBIs. Easton Fillers (two RBIs) and Brooks Caverly each had two hits. Corbin Ferguson, Max Brown, AJ Jones, Brooks Poole, and Baylor Foster produced one hit. Beckham Bowden and Colton Hamby each added one RBI.