Bartow County Little League 12U wins Georgia District 1 championship

Bartow County Little League 12U won the third and deciding game with Cartersville Little League Thursday night at Dean Field in Rockmart to capture the 2021 Georgia Little League District 1 championship.

Bartow County defeated Cartersville in their first meeting Sunday 12-2. That forced Cartersville into a rematch with Rockmart in the elimination round. Cartersville advanced to the finals with a second tournament win over Rockmart setting up Thursday’s finals with Bartow County in the double-elimination tournament.

Needing two wins Thursday, Cartersville took the first step and handed Bartow their only loss in the tournament with a 4-2 win.

In the nightcap, however, Bartow pitchers Raiden Sexton and McCayden Hufstetler combined for 16 strikeouts and a 6-0 one-hitter for a shutout to capture the district crown.

CARTERSVILLE 4, BARTOW COUNTY 2

Clint Hosea tossed a complete game for Cartersville Little League 12U scattering six hits while striking out six. He also went 1-for-3 at the plate. Devon Beavers had two hits for Cartersville and Payton Paul added one hit. Drew Nida went 3-for-3 in the opener for Bartow County. Rush Faulk, Drazen Jones, and Hayden Miller added one hit each. Jones, who worked 3-2/3 innings on the mound, and Matt Zander combined for ten strikeouts. Zander pitched the final inning and two-thirds.

BARTOW COUNTY 6, CARTERSVILLE 0

Bartow County carried a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning and secured their victory by posting four runs in the frame. The rally included a bases clearing double by Zaylen Cochran as Bartow built a 6-0 advantage. Sexton, who also went 1-for-3 at the plate, was dominate on the mound for 5-1/3 innings. He struck out 14. Hufstetler closed out the final two outs on the bump with a pair of strikeouts.

Faulk was 2-for-3 for Bartow and Cochran was 1-for-3 with a double.

Cole Henson had the only Cartersville hit in Game 2. Cooper Reynolds pitched 5-2/3 innings with one strikeout. Bartow County Little League 12U advances to Georgia Little League State Tournament to be hosted by Hamilton Crossing Park beginning July 17.

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Information for local Little League softball and baseball updates along with updates from Georgia Recreation and Parks Association baseball and softball tournaments are provided by the Cartersville and Bartow County Recreation Departments and the respective Little League Baseball and Softball organizations. The updates are presented by CiCi's of Cartersville located in the Cherokee Crossing shopping center.