Top-ranked Canes extend win streak to a dozen, defeat Alexander 5-1

Caden Carroll

Cartersville pitchers Caden Carroll and Phillip Schiltz combined Wednesday for 14 strikeouts and limited the visiting Alexander Cougars to just five hits in a 5-1 non-region win at the Cartersville Baseball Complex.

The Canes scored two runs in the third inning on a run-scoring double by Caleb Daniel and an infield error off the bat of Harrison Childers.

After Alexander narrowed the margin to 2-1 in the top of the fourth, Cartersville went up 4-1 on a two-run homer by Paul Gamble.

The Hurricanes added an insurance run in the fifth when Kaden Stephenson singled home Childers.

Carroll (5.2 IP, 1ER, 5H, 0BB, 10K) started on the mound for Cartersville and worked into the sixth inning. He struck out ten and issued no walks. Schiltz (1.1 IP, 0R, 0H, 0BB, 4K) retired the final four outs with strikeouts.

Luke Miller, Miles Owen, Harrison Childers, and Landon Cole added one hit apiece for the Canes.

The loss dropped Alexander to 13-8 on the season.

Cartersville (18-2), ranked No. 1 in Class 5A, hosts Cedartown -- ranked No. 3 in Class 4A -- Thursday at 4 p.m. and will play Sandy Creek and Class 5A 8th-ranked Decatur Friday at LakePoint in the Battle for Bartow.