Bartow, Cartersville teams advance at GRPA District 5 tournaments
Tuesday night’s action at Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 5 Tournaments:
10-and-under GRPA Baseball
Bartow #2 8, Cartersville 5
Bartow 10U All-Stars #2 scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday night on their way to an 8-5 win over Cartersville #1 at the GRPA District 5 10U Tournament at Westside Park in Whitfield County.
Kaiden Pirkle got the Bartow offense started in the first inning with a lead-off triple. Connor Lujan followed with a walk and Robert Mitchell reached on an error in front of back-to-back singles by Aiden Ritchie and Malachi Linley for Bartow’s first three runs. Joshua McBroon then doubled home two more runs for the five-run first.
Mitchell, Ritchie, Linley, and McBroom finished with one hit apiece.
Lujan (4 IP, 9K) was the winning pitcher.
Bartow #2 is now 2-0 at the double-elimination GRPA District 5 Tournament and will play Calhoun (2-0) Thursday night at 8 pm. The winner of that game locks in a spot in the District finals and will need only one additional win to capture the title.
Cartersville #1 (1-1) falls to the elimination bracket to play Cartersville #2 (1-1) Wednesday night at 6:15 pm. Cartersville #2 defeated Whitfield County Tuesday night 6-5 in an elimination game.
Calhoun 11, Bartow #1 1
Bartow #1 (1-1) lost a second round game to Calhoun (2-0) Tuesday night at the GRPA District 5 Tournament, 11-1. Cameron Adams had the lone hit for Bartow #1 who slips to the elimination bracket to play Rome Wednesday night at 8 pm.
10-and-under Machine Pitch GRPA Softball
10U Softball Bartow 15, Whitfield County 3
Bartow 10U trailed 3-1 early, but posted three runs in the second inning and six more in the third inning to take a lead they would not relinquish in a 15-3 defeat of Whitfield County at the District 5 Tournament at Heritage Park in Dalton.
With their victory, Bartow 10U advances to the championship round of the District Tournament and awaits the winner of Whitfield County and Dalton.
Those two teams play at 6:30 pm Wednesday night with the winner to play Bartow County immediately following.
In Tuesday’s Bartow win, Taylor Adcock, Layne Callan, Peyton Dorn and Naxyria Roberts had 3 hits each. Alivia Joslin, Sadie Raughton, and Taylor Evans added two hits apiece.
A win by Bartow Wednesday night secures the GRPA District 5 title. A loss means there will be a second championship game in the double-elimination tournament Thursday night again at Heritage Park in Dalton.
In other action involving local teams, the BCRD 8U Coach Pitch softball team was knocked out of the District 5 Tournament in Calhoun. Bartow lost to Rome 25-22 in the elimination bracket to finish the tournament 0-2.
The BCRD 12U softball team plays Paulding County Wednesday night in an elimination game at Hamilton Crossing Park. Bartow fell 9-7 Monday night to Whitfield County in both teams first round game at the GRPA District 5 Tournament.
Bartow County 8U plays Cartersville White 8U Wednesday in Calhoun in an elimination game of the GRPA District 5 Tournament. Bartow (2-1) has wins over Whitfield County Blue and Rome Red to go with a loss to Gordon County 8s, 11-10. Cartersville White (3-1) has tournament wins over Gordon County 7s 21-1, Rome Red, 7-0, and Rome White 15-0.
In 12-and-under baseball, Bartow County plays Rockmart Wednesday night at 8pm at Westside Park Field 1. Bartow defeated Rome 10-8 Monday. Rockmart has wins over Dalton and Whitfield County. Wednesday night’s Bartow/Rockmart winner secures a spot in the District 5 championship round of the double-elimination tournament.
Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 5 youth softball and baseball tournaments continue through Friday night in most age groups with some “if needed” games set for Saturday.
Bartow County Little League, Cartersville Little League, and Bartow County and Cartersville Recreation youth softball and baseball updates are provided by the respective leagues and recreation departments. Game results are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports - Cartersville - 410 Cherokee Place.
