Two local teams reach final day of GRPA 8U state tourneys
It was a full day of action Thursday for local 8U softball and baseball teams representing the Bartow County and Cartersville Recreation Departments at the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association (GRPA) State Tournaments at Sonoraville Recreation Complex in Calhoun. On the softball diamonds, the Bartow County 8U girls won three elimination games to be one of only three teams remaining in the double-elimination tournament. Bartow pounded Dalton 23-1 Thursday morning, defeated Lafayette 25-10 in the afternoon, and topped Summerville 17-7 in a late afternoon contest. In the 8U baseball state tournament, Cartersville Purple 8U suffered its first loss in the double-elimination tournament falling to Calhoun, 28-5. Cartersville Purple — one of the final three teams remaining — will look to bounce back Friday morning against Whitfield County. The Cartersville Purple/Whitfield winner will face Calhoun later in the day needing two wins to take the title. Calhoun is the only remaining unbeaten. Bartow County Blue 8U staved off a pair of elimination games Thursday, but lost its third game of the day to Whitfield County, 11-9. Bartow Blue had wins earlier in the day over Bartow County White 17-1 and Jasper County 15-3 to finish in fourth place.
BARTOW COUNTY 8U SOFTBALL REACHES FINAL THREE
Bartow County 8U softball survived three elimination games Thursday to advance as one of three remaining teams at the GRPA State Tournament.
Bartow opened the day with a 23-1 win over Dalton as Sloan Callan, Addi Lu Black, Shyla Woods, and Lillie Hollis finished with three hits each. Carder Brock, Samantha Porter, Paislee Rooks, Isabella Tummins, Maci Walker, and Kaidee Pirkle contributed a pair of hits apiece with Kylee Poston and Carly Adams adding one hit each.
In Bartow’s 25-10 win over Lafayette, the locals raced to a 15-2 lead in the first inning and led 23-7 after two frames on their way to a 15-run victory.
Black led the way with four hits including a pair of doubles. Woods had three hits including two triples and a double. Hollis had three hits including a home run. Poston’s three hits included a triple and two doubles. Walker had three hits including two doubles. Porter and Pirkle contributed three hits including a double each and Callan had three base hits. Adams finished with two doubles. Rooks collected two hits including a double. Brock added two hits and Tummins had one hit.
In the win over Summerville, Bartow 8U led 10-4 after two innings and pulled away with a six run fourth inning to win 17-7. Porter and Black led Bartow with three hits apiece. Callan, Hollis, Brock, Tummins, Adams, Walker, and Pirkle finished with two hits each. Woods, Rooks, and Poston all added one hit.
CALHOUN 8U 28, CARTERSVILLE PURPLE 8U 5
Calhoun 8U baseball remains the only unbeaten team of three remaining in the double-elimination tournament following a 28-5 win over Cartersville Purple 8U. Calhoun led 7-3 after one inning and 16-5 through two frames before scoring a dozen runs in the third to close out the contest.
Bowen Hardy had two hits for Cartersville Purple. Walker Phillips, Will Groce, Price Startup, Parker Huth, Blake Forstie, Chris Parker, and Noah Leffew had one hit apiece.
BARTOW BLUE FINISHES FOURTH AT STATE TOURNEY
Bartow Blue 8U baseball survived two elimination games Thursday, but was eliminated from the GRPA state tournament in a third game by Whitfield County, 11-9. Whitfield County led 8-2 after two innings but Bartow Blue narrowed the margin to 8-5 in the third. Whitfield pushed its lead to 11-5 through five frames and a four-run Bartow Blue bottom of the sixth inning came up two runs short. Noah Rogers paced Bartow Blue with three hits including a pair of triples. Brodie Gardner also had three hits. Cade McCorkle and Will Whitman both finished with two hits includig one double each. Jaxton Huskins tripled. Jackson Watts doubled. Abel Gentry, Joseph Frederick, and Austin O’Neal added one hit apiece.
In Bartow Blue’s win over Jasper County, Logan Smith and McCorkle led the way with three hits each. McCorkle’s three hits included two triples. Houston Walden, Gardner, Rogers, O’Neal, Huskins, Gentry, and Whitman contributed two hits each. Frederick added a base hit.
Walden and Huskins both had three hits including one home run each as Bartow Blue eliminated Bartow White 8U. O’Neal also had three hits including a pair of triples. Watts contributed a triple and a double for Bartow Blue. Frederick and Gentry both had two hits including a double each. Whitman, McCorkle, and Smith finished with two hits each and Rogers added a base hit.
Bartow White 8U was led by two hits each by Jasper Pruitt and Triston Brawner. Corbin Dotson contributed a hit and scored Bartow White’s run. Knox Gunter, Jace Reynolds, Brady Young, Javon Harris, Maddox Koontz, and Zion Weems added one hit apiece.
SPECIAL PHOTO: The two Bartow County 8U teams and coaches combine for a photo Thursday.
Little League results are provided to Bartow Sports Zone by Bartow County Little League and Cartersville Little League. The game data is shared by the leagues via GameChanger reports from the respective teams and/or leagues. GRPA tournament team results are also provided by the Cartersville Parks and Recreation Department and the Bartow County Parks and Recreation Department or the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. Results and capsules are sponsored on Bartow Sports Zone by Play It Again Sports and CiCi's - Beyond Pizza, both located in the Cartersville Main Street - Cherokee Place Shopping Center.
