Baseball roundup: Canes survive challenge with walk-off win
Cartersville baseball survived a stiff challenge from visiting Sandy Creek Wednesday night at Richard Bell Field with a 6-5 walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Knotted 5-5 heading to the bottom of the seventh, Ian Inaba singled with one out and then scored on J.P. Martin’s walk-off double for a Region 5-AAAA victory. Cartersville led 1-0 in the second inning on Martin’s first RBI — a ground ball single back through the middle of the diamond. The visiting Patriots — who are still looking for their first region win of the year — tied the game 1-1 with a Glenn Green RBI double in the top of the third. Sandy Creek then sent eight men to the plate in the top of the fifth inning to score four runs on four hits and a walk. That gave the Patriots a 5-1 lead, but it would be short-lived. The Canes answered by sending nine of their own to the plate in the bottom of the frame to score four times on two walks, a catcher’s interference, and three consecutive singles. The result was another tie score at 5-5 until the final inning heroics.
Gage Morris (2.2 IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 4K) picked up the pitching win for Cartersville in relief of starter Cohen Wilbanks (4.1 IP, 5R, 4ER, 5H, 2BB, 6K). Glenn Green (1.1 IP, 1ER, 3H, 1BB, 3K) was the losing pitcher for Sandy Creek in relief of Pats’ starter Connor Housely (5 IP, 5R, 3ER, 6H, 4BB, 5K).
Six different Sandy Creek players finished with one hit each. Mason Barnett led the Cartersville attack with three hits including a double and one RBI. Martin had two hits including the walk-off double and two RBI. Josh Davis, Preston Welchel (RBI), Jordan Wilkie (RBI), and Inaba had the other Canes’ hits.
Cartersville (20-4, 7-1) plays at Sandy Creek (6-20, 0-9) Friday at 5:55 p.m.
EAST PAULDING 5, WOODLAND 0
East Paulding pitchers Cole McDaniel and Connor Vaughn combined to keep Woodland off the scoreboard Wednesday night for a 5-0 Region 7-AAAAA win at The Ballpark at Woodland.
Starter McDaniel fanned four and scattered three hits in six innings of work. Vaughn allowed one hit and a walk with one strikeout in the seventh. Eli Studdard had three hits and one RBI to lead the Raiders’ offense. Jackson Phipps had two hits for East Paulding.
Woodland starting pitcher Bailey Ward (6 IP, 4ER, 5H, 3BB, 3K) was saddled with the loss. Ben Ammons (1 IP, 1ER, 4H, 1K) retired the final three outs for the Wildcats.
Scotty Smith was one of four Wildcats with one hit each. Smith’s safety was a double in the fifth inning. Dallas Adams, Toby Queen, and Ward had the other Woodland base hits.
East Paulding improved to 17-7 overall and remains in second place in Region 7-AAAAA with a 10-2 mark.
Woodland (10-14, 6-8) steps out of the region next Monday for a game at Coosa before closing out the season with a home-and-home series with 4th-ranked Kell on Wednesday and Friday.
KELL 9, CASS 1
Cass baseball mustered only three hits Wednesday night and dropped a 9-1 Region 7-AAAAA decision at 4th-ranked Kell.
The loss for the Colonels was their eleventh straight after a 7-6 start to the season. Kell pitchers Jack Gilmartin (5.2 IP, 1ER, 2H, 4BB, 1K) and Matt Collins (1.1 IP, 0R, 1H, 0BB, 1K) combined for the three-hitter.
Four Longhorns combined for nine of Kell’s eleven hits.
Sam Blancato had three hits including a triple. Brad Grenkoski doubled and tripled driving in three runs. Logan Smith had two hits including a double and one RBI while Jay Inglis added a two-hit performance.
Cass scored a run in the top of the sixth, but also left the bases loaded.
Matt Shook was stranded after a one-out double in the third and had a two-out single in the seventh inning. He also walked twice and scored the Colonels’ only run in the sixth inning. Bryson Markley had the only other Cass hit with a liner in the fifth inning. Thomas Botts (4 IP, 8R, 7ER, 9H, 1BB, 1K) was tagged with the Cass pitching loss. Blaine Ingram (2 IP, 1ER, 2H, 0BB, 4K) retired the final six outs for the Colonels.
Kell improved to 20-4 overall and continues to lead the region with a 12-1 mark.
Cass (7-17, 3-11) travels to East Paulding Friday at 5:55 p.m.
NORTH MURRAY 11, ADAIRSVILLE 0
North Murray scored three runs in the third and eight in the fourth while shutting out Adairsville Wednesday as the Mountaineers beat the Tigers, 11-0.
Logan McCurdy (4 IP, 0R, 2H, 0BB, 3K) and Preston Poag, Jr. (1 IP, 0R, 0H, 2K) combined on the mound to shutout Adairsville on two hits. Jordan Frazier hit a three-run home run in the third inning and Alex Hooper had two hits including a two RBI single in the fifth to lead the Mountaineers’ offense.
Jacob Ray singled in the third inning and Landon Ayers had an infield hit in the fourth inning for the only Adairsville hits.
Levi Blackwell (2.1 IP, 3ER, 3H, 4BB) started on the mound for the Tigers and took the loss. Braden Powell (0.2 IP, 4R, 3ER, 1H, 2BB, 1K), Noah Simpson (0.1 IP, 4ER, 1H, 3BB), and Eli Agnew (1.2 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 2K) all pitched in relief.
North Murray improved to 7-11 for the season and in now 5-9 in Region 6-AAA.
Adairsville (3-15, 2-10) plays at Sonoraville Thursday.
