Russell, Canes blank Bears in lightning-delayed Game 1 victory

April 24, 2025 Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

Nate Russell tossed six shutout innings to help lead the Canes to a 5-0 win in Game 1 of their first-round state playoff series with the Cambridge Bears.

Cartersville starting pitcher Nate Russell struck out 11 batters in six innings Wednesday at Richard Bell Field, and the Purple Hurricanes shut out the Cambridge Bears 5-0 in Game 1 of the two teams’ first-round GHSA Class AAAA state playoff series.

The game started at 4:30 p.m., and the best-of-three series was scheduled to play a doubleheader on Wednesday, but Mother Nature had different plans.

Following a scoreless first inning, lightning in the area and eventual light showers delayed the game for 4-½ hours. Play resumed after 9 p.m., and the Canes responded with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Cartersville would add three more insurance runs in the fifth inning to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Russell scattered two hits over the first six innings and did not walk a batter. He hit one Bears batter, but faced only three more than the minimum while collecting the pitching victory. Maddox Frazier recorded a rare fourth strikeout in his one inning of relief in the seventh. He had one batter reach base on a dropped third strike.

David Vargas had two hits and one RBI in Game 1 of the Canes' playoff series with Cambridge.

The Hurricanes grabbed their second-inning lead with three singles and a sacrifice fly. Julez Pratt started the offense with a one-out single. Brayden Logan followed with a single, sending Pratt’s courtesy runner Gavin Renegar to third base. Nolan Elrod was retired on a fly ball to left field, allowing Renegar to tag up and score as Logan moved to second base. David Vargas added an RBI single, giving the Canes a 2-0 lead.

Vargas also ignited Cartersville’s three-run fifth inning with a leadoff single. Thomas Peters walked, and Tristan McKibben drove in Vargas with a single lined into centerfield. Cole Crawford’s single scored Peters and walks to Pratt and Logan forced in the Canes’ fifth run.

Calloway Holmes and Ethan Herrington had the only hits for the Bears. Charlie Paulus (5 IP, 5ER, 7H, 3BB, 3K) made the pitching start for Cambridge (17-13-1) and was saddled with the loss. Brendan O’Dowd (1 IP, 0R, 1H, 1K) pitched an inning of relief.

McKibben and Vargas finished with two hits and one RBI for Cartersville (24-7). Andrew Purdy, Pratt, Crawford (RBI), and Logan (RBI) added one hit. Elrod contributed one RBI.

The series will continue on Thursday with a scheduled doubleheader at 3 p.m.

The Cartersville/Cambridge series winner will travel to Starrs Mill for a second-round series next Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Wednesday, in other playoff action involving Region 7-AAAA teams, Kell eliminated Dalton, Blessed Trinity discarded Cedartown, and Allatoona won two straight over Westminster.