Softball state playoffs: Lady Canes sweep into the second round, Cass falls at Kell

October 16, 2024

Cartersville pitchers Zoie Shiflett and Presley Crabbe delivered a solid performance in the circle, while the Lady Canes' offense was effective in a successful sweep of visiting Westminster in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs on Wednesday night.

The Lady Canes blanked the Wildcats 5-0 in the first game of the best-of-three series and pounded out 17 hits in the second game for a 19-3 rout.

GAME ONE: CARTERSVILLE 5, WESTMINSTER 0

Zoie Shiflett tossed a complete-game, one-hitter, and fanned ten in the Lady Canes’ series-opening win over Westminster, 5-0.

Cartersville scored a single run in the bottom of the first, added two runs in the fourth, and two more in the sixth inning.

Allana Williams (solo home run), Lakaiya Banks (double, RBI), and Kinsey Woodard (double, RBI) led the Hurricanes with two hits. Shiflett, Layne Callan, and Addi Burns had one hit. Jordan Bishop drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

GAME TWO: CARTERSVILLE 19, WESTMINSTER 3

Cartersville started fast in the second game and clinched the first-round series with a 19-3 win in five innings.

Presley Crabbe pitched for the Canes and limited Westminster to only three runs (none earned) on two hits and two walks. She struck out seven.

Cartersville scored five runs in the top of the first inning and led 7-3 after three frames. The Lady Canes added five runs in the fourth and seven in the fifth to put the game away.

Jordan Bishop had four hits, including two doubles, a solo home run, and four RBI. Reese Dumas followed with three hits, including two doubles and two RBI. Addi Burns (RBI), Zoie Shiflett, and Kennedy Crenshaw contributed two hits. Kinsey Woodard (two RBI), Lakaiya Banks (sac fly, RBI), and Allana Williams (two RBI) added one hit. Layne Callan hit a grand slam in the fourth inning.

Westminster’s season ended with a 10-14 record.

Cartersville (24-5) will host Northside-Columbus in a best-of-three second-round series. The Lady Canes will host a doubleheader next Tuesday. If a third game is needed, it will be on Wednesday.

Northside-Columbus swept Jackson-Atlanta in the first round Wednesday night, 16-0 and 18-3.

The winner of the second round series will advance to the state finals tournament in Columbus on October 30-November 2.

CASS DROPS FIRST-ROUND SERIES AT KELL

The Cass Lady Colonels were eliminated by the Kell Longhorns Wednesday night in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs after being swept in a doubleheader in Cobb County.

Kell won the opening game 1-0 in nine innings before overpowering Cass in the second game, 13-1.

GAME ONE: KELL 1, CASS 0 (9 inn.)

Kell won the opener with a two-out, walk-off fielder’s choice that pushed across the game’s only run in the bottom of the ninth.

Pitching was outstanding for both sides, with Kylie Gentry (8.2, 1R, 0ER, 5H, 4K) of the Colonels working all 8-⅔ innings in the circle. The Longhorns’ Lyla Morici (9 IP, 0R, 2H, 1BB, 5K) went the distance for Kell.

Darianna Sosa had the only two Cass hits.

GAME TWO: KELL 13, CASS 1

Kell pitcher Anna Bardeen limited Cass to just one run on four hits as the Longhorns clinched the Class 4A best-of-three, first-round series with a 13-1 victory.

Bardeen struck out six in six innings.

KK Evans had two hits for Cass. Chloe Hill and Bailey York added one hit for the Colonels.

Emma Gibson (2 IP, 4R, 2ER, 4H, 2BB) and York (4 IP, 9R, 6ER, 7H, 2BB, 8K) shared the pitching duties for Cass.

Kell improved to 24-5 and will play at Pace Academy in the second round.

The Cass season ends with a 17-11 mark.