Cartersville LL 11U reaches state final four in Savannah
For a second straight day, Cartersville Little League 11U won an elimination game at the Georgia Little League 11U State Tournament in Savannah. This time the 11-1 win over East Marietta advanced Cartersville to the final four teams remaining in the eight-team double-elimination event.
Cartersville 11U opened state tournament action Saturday at Charlie Brooks Park in Chatham County (photo) with a 10-0 loss to Northern-Columbus, but bounced back Sunday with an 8-7 win over Martinez-Evans. Monday’s win sets up an elimination game rematch with Northern-Columbus at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Warner Robins American and Toccoa are both unbeaten in the tournament and face one another Tuesday at 10 a.m. The winner of that game advances to the championship round which begins Thursday. The Warner Robins American-Toccoa winner will also need only one additional win to capture the state title.
Starting pitcher Bodie Brumlow limited East Marietta to a lone run on four hits and a walk through 4 and 2/3 innings Monday. He also struck out four. Asa Mitcham, who started in centerfield, relieved Brumlow in the fifth inning with two on and two outs. He fanned the only batter faced with Cartersville leading 9-1 at the time. Meanwhile, the Cartersville offense took a 6-0 lead in the second inning. Brayden Channell started the inning with a double to right field and moved to third base on a passed ball. Logan Buchanan then drove Channell home with a bunt. After Griffin Woodall singled into centerfield, Reed Ezell doubled home Buchanan and set up runners at second and third base.
Back-to-back walks to Matthew Morris and Lyle Woody made the score 3-0. Ezell scored on a triple steal and Mitcham drove in a run with a groundout for a 5-0 advantage. Brumlow then capped the inning with a triple that scored Woody to give Cartersville a 6-0 lead.
East Marietta scored in the top of the third inning to narrow the margin to 6-1, but Cartersville added a run in the third and two runs each in the fourth and fifth frames to close out the win. Two walks and an infield error led to Cartersville’s run in the third inning. Woody reached on an error and Mitcham singled to set up the locals’ runs in the fourth. Woody scored on a Bear McWhorter groundout and a second East Marietta miscue of the inning plated Mitcham for a 9-1 lead.
Woods drove in two runs in the bottom of the fifth with a single to right field that provided Cartersville’s walk-off, run-rule victory. Cartersville totaled seven hits paced by Ezell who was 2-for-2 including a double with one RBI and scored twice. Woods (2 RBI), Mitcham (RBI), Brumlow (RBI triple), and Channell (double) had the other base hits. McWhorter, Woody, and Buchanan were each credited with one RBI. Ezell, Morris, and Woody stole one base apiece.
The Georgia Little League 11U state tournament continues through Friday.
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
