Cartersville Little League 10U forces second game with Smyrna for state championship

The Cartersville Little League 10U team playing at the state tournament at Sewell Park and East Marietta Little League has forced a second championship game with a 10-5 win over Smyrna Little League Saturday morning.

Cartersville, who fell to Smyrna in their first tournament meeting Thursday, will now play a deciding game for the state title at 10am Sunday.

Smyrna took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, but Cartersville scored four runs — all with two outs — in the top of the third inning to seize the momentum.

Caleb Daniel and Miles Owen each singled to get the Canes started and Gavin Shrewsbury drove in a run with another hit. Connor Brasfield singled to load the bases and then Ayden Ray followed with an RBI single. Turner Abernathy added an RBI hit to complete the two-out rally and Cartersville held a 4-2 lead.

In the top of the fourth, Cartersville added two more tallies.

Hayden James hit a solo homer to center field and Shrewsbury singled home Daniel who had doubled following the solo shot.

Smyrna narrowed the Cartersville lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning with a double and an RBI single, but the Canes answered in their next turn adding four more runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 10-3 lead.

Shewsbury drove in two runs with a ground ball single and Brasfield hit a two-run home run as Cartersville took a seven run lead going to Smyrna’s final at bat.

Owen (4.1 IP, 2ER, 3H, 2BB, 5K) was the winning pitcher for Cartersville. Shrewsbury (1 IP, 2ER, 2H, 1BB, 3K) and Brasfield (0.2 IP, 1ER, 2H, 1BB, 2K) pitched in relief.