Cartersville 12U captures GRPA District 5 major division title
The Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department’s 12U baseball team won the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 5 Major Division championship Monday night in Rome by defeating Gordon County 12-11.
The win for Cartersville was their fourth straight in the tournament after losing their opening game in the double-elimination event last Tuesday.
In Monday night’s winner-take-all championship game, Cartersville took a 9-2 lead into the fourth inning, but Gordon County outscored the locals 8-1 in the next two frames to send the game into extra innings.
The California tie-breaker rule was utilized in the extra frame where each inning begins with a runner placed at second base.
Gordon County scored a run in the top of the seventh to take an 11-10 lead, but Cartersville answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning for a walk-off title victory.
Lee Camp, Adam Cornwell, and Luke Altizer all had key singles for Cartersville in the decisive frame.
Brett Goode (3 IP, 1ER, 2H, 3BB, 3K) picked up the pitching win for Cartersville by working the final three innings. Hunter Shirley (1.2 IP, 7R, 3ER, 3H, 3BB, 1K) and Cornwell (2.1 IP, 2R, 0ER, 1H, 1BB, 5K) also pitched for the locals.
Cartersville out hit Gordon County 15 to six in the contest as five different players had a multi-hit game.
Altizer paced Cartersville with three hits including a double and the walk-off RBI in the seventh. Drew Perry had a pair of hits that included a double and three RBI. Camp and Cornwell had two hits and two RBI each. Charlie Crum also added two hits and one RBI. Davis Wilkey contributed a hit and two RBI. Eli Jones, Collin Genrich, and Trevor Harris collected one hit apiece.
Cartersville was also productive on the base paths swiping 11 bases. Harris had three stolen bases. Cornwell and Camp had two each. Crum, Altizer, Perry, and Jones all swiped one base each.
Following their opening round 5-3 loss to Calhoun last Tuesday, Cartersville battled back through the double-elimination tournament’s losers’ bracket to win four straight games.
Cartersville defeated Rome, Calhoun, and Gordon County twice to capture the title.
The GRPA 12U Major State Tournament begins Tuesday, July 10 at E.B. Hamilton Complex in Tifton. Cartersville will play East Point in the opening round. The double-elimination tournament will continue through Friday, July 13.
Other teams in the state tournament include Grady County, Clayton County Braves, Savannah, Tift County, and Clayton County Pirates.
Cartersville roster: Luke Altizer, Lee Camp, Adam Cornwell, Charlie Crum, Collin Genrich, Brett Good, Trevor Harris, Eli Jones, Drew Perry, Davis Wilkey. Manager: Ben Genrich. Coaches: Chance Altizer, Blake Wilkey.
Results for Bartow County Recreation Department and Cartersville Recreation Department baseball and softball teams participating in Georgia Recreation and Parks Association are reported to Bartow Sports Zone by the respective recreation departments and presented on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports at 410 Cherokee Place in Cartersville.
