Hurricanes secure program's 26th region title with win at Cedartown

The Hurricanes got a complete-game, shutout performance Wednesday night from pitcher Cohen Wilbanks and enjoyed a pair of two-run home runs from Kolby Adams and Josh Davis for a 5-0 win at Cedartown. The win — combined with Troup’s 4-3 walk-off loss at LaGrange — secured the twenty-sixth region baseball championship in program history for Cartersville.

Wilbanks scattered five hits, needed only 76 pitches, and did not walk a batter in one of his best performances of the year. He fanned six Bulldogs. Adams’ two-run home run in the second inning gave the Canes an early lead. Preston Welchel doubled home Davis in the fifth to make the score 3-0, and Davis added a two-run homer in the top of the seventh for some Hurricanes’ insurance. Davis finished the night with three hits including his home run and a lead-off double to start the game. He also scored twice. Ian Inaba had two hits and scored a run.

The other Canes’ hits were Adams’ dinger, Welchel’s RBI double, and a seventh inning single by Wilbanks. The loss evened Cedartown’s record at 14-14 overall and 6-6 in Region 5-AAAA. The Bulldogs will be the region’s fourth-seeded team in the state playoffs.

Cartersville (23-4, 10-1) will wrap of their region slate Thursday at Chapel Hill at 5:55 p.m. and will host River Ridge Saturday at 1 p.m. in their regular season finale’. The Canes will host the fourth place team from Region 8-AAAA in the opening round of the state playoffs that begin next Wednesday. With two more region games remaining for most teams in Region 8-AAAA, the likely opponent for Cartersville will be Oconee County but St. Pius is a possibility.