Baseball roundup: Canes win thriller in 10th, Wildcats take slugfest
With two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning Friday night, Cartersville lead-off man Josh Davis lined a single into left field to score pinch-runner Hayden Davidson from second base to lift the Canes to a 2-1 Region 5-AAAA win over Troup County at Richard Bell Field.
The extra innings win gives Cartersville a regular season split with the Tigers who won Wednesday night in LaGrange, 4-1.
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PHOTO: Cartersville pitcher Gage Morris tossed three shutout innings in relief Friday night in the Canes' 2-1 extra innings win over Troup County. __________
Both teams scored first inning runs Friday, but there would be no more scoring until the tenth inning heroics.
Colton Webb had an opening inning RBI single for Troup. Cartersville got an unearned run in the bottom of the first when Davis reached on an error, advanced to third on another miscue, and scored on a Preston Welchel groundout. The next eight and one-half innings belonged to the pitchers. Troup starter Colby Williams (7 IP, 1R, 0ER, 5H, 1BB, 9K) worked through seven innings and Daniel Martin (2.2 IP, 1ER, 3H, 3BB, 2K) took the game into the tenth inning, but suffered the pitching loss. Cartersville starter Logan Martin (7 IP, 1R, 0ER, 5H, 0BB, 14K) fanned 14 in a no-decision performance. Gage Morris (3 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 3K) entered in the eighth and picked up the pitching win with three shutout innings.
The Canes finished with nine hits.
Welchel was 2-for-4 in five plate appearances with a walk and one RBI. Mason Barnett doubled in the first inning. Kolby Adams, Brant Smith, Ian Inaba, Jordan Wilkie, and Cohen Wilbanks had the other Hurricanes’ hits.
The loss leaves Troup at 6-12 overall and 3-1 in region competition.
Cartersville (16-4, 5-1) steps outside Region 5-AAAA next week to host Lassiter Thursday at 5 p.m., followed by a home region game with Chapel Hill Friday at 5:55 p.m. and the Canes will host Maryville (TN) next Saturday at noon.
WOODLAND 17, VILLA RICA 12
Woodland won a slugfest at Villa Rica Friday night 17-12 as the two teams combined for 29 runs and 24 hits.
Five Woodland hitters finished with two hits each including Scotty Smith (photo) who hit a first inning grand slam and Koby Stansel who had a two-run double and drove in three runs in the game.
Zach Wilson and Dallas Adams had two hits and two RBI each. Toby Queen had the other two-hit game for Woodland with one RBI. Peyton Posey drove in a run with a double. Fisher Davis added one hit and one RBI. Bailey Ward contributed two RBI.
Aubrey Gaines and Mekhi Boykin combined for seven hits and five RBI for Villa Rica (6-12, 3-7). Posey (5 IP, 8R, 5ER, 10H, 3BB, 2K) started on the mound for Woodland and picked up the pitching win. Trent Porter (2 IP, 4R, 1ER, 2H, 2BB, 2K) closed out the final two frames.
Woodland (10-9, 6-6) steps out of region action next week and travels to Pensacola for the Adidas Beach Blast Tournament. The Wildcats are scheduled to play Pace (FL) Monday night, Trinity (KY) Tuesday afternoon, and South Warren (KY) on Wednesday with a fourth game on Thursday to be determined.
PAULDING COUNTY 12, CASS 5
Cass out hit Paulding County Friday night, but also committed six errors on defense contributing to nine unearned runs in a 12-5 home region loss to the Patriots. The Colonels led 1-0 through two innings, but Paulding County scored 11 total runs in the next two innings to essentially put the game away with an 11-1 lead. Cass stayed in the contest with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to cut the Patriots’ lead to 11-5, but would get no closer. Chandler Postlewait had four hits for Paulding with one RBI. Colin Hynek added a double and three RBI. Robbie Reeves hit a three-run home run in the Patriots’ fourth inning.
Postlewait (4 IP, 1ER, 4H, 0BB, 3K) went four innings in a start on the mound to earn the win. Parker Duffey (1 IP, 4ER, 6H) and Reeves (2 IP, 0R, 1H, 3K) also pitched for Paulding County.
Jayden Smith (2.2 IP, 8R, 0ER, 4H, 2BB, 1K) took the mound loss for Cass although he did not allow an earned run. Trey Scott (0.1 IP, 3ER, 2H, 3BB) and Jordan Gani (4 IP, 1R, 0ER, 3H, 1BB, 4K) pitched in relief for the Colonels.
Gani (photo) led Cass with three hits. Logan Nelson contributed two hits and one RBI. Sam Melton also had a pair of hits for the Colonels. Clay Means tripled with two RBI. Matt Shook drove in one run with one hit. Bryson Markley and Karson Kelley added one hit apiece.
Paulding improved to 5-13 overall and 4-8 in Region 7-AAAAA.
Cass (7-13, 3-7) has now lost eight straight, including six consecutive region games and will try to bounce back next Thursday at home in a non-region game with Darlington.
RINGGOLD 15, ADAIRSVILLE 0
Class AAA seventh-ranked Ringgold sent 18 men to the plate and scored 15 runs in the bottom of the first inning Friday evening in a 15-0 Region 6-AAA win over visiting Adairsville in three innings.
Sam Mills hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in the first inning as Ringgold pounded out nine hits in the frame to go with three walks, two hit batsmen, and an Adairsville error.
Trace Still, Evan Henry, and Levi Blackwell each had singles for Adairsville.
Ringgold improved to 16-4 overall and 8-0 in region play to stay atop the league standings. Adairsville (3-11, 2-6) travels to Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe next Thursday and plays at Calhoun next Friday.
