Cedartown takes losses to Cartersville, Cherokee
The Cedartown Bulldogs played valiantly but could not get it done on Saturday night.
Cedartown baseball fell to Cartersville 1-0 in the Championship Game of the Battle for Bartow Classic at LakePoint over the weekend. After six-and-ahalf scoreless innings, Bulldog pitching walked in four consecutive batters in the bottom of the seventh to give the Canes the literal walk-off victory.
Freshman Reece Tanner picked up his first varsity start, and the young Bulldog put together a gem on the mound. Tanner worked six innings allowing no runs on only two hits and five walks. Reece tallied one strikeout in the tough loss.
Unfortunately, Cartersville’s Mason McBee put together just as good of an outing against the Bulldog batters. McBee pitched six innings, allowing no runs on two hits and zero walks.
Against Tanner, the Canes put multiple runners on the bases in nearly each inning, but every single time the freshman righty worked out of the jam. None of those were more impressive than in the fourth inning when two Cartersville batters reached on an error and a walk. Tanner recorded a strikeout before Easton
Oxenreider turned a line-out to shortstop into a double play to end the Cartersville threat.
Silas Freeman entered in the top of the seventh for Coach Kyle Tucker’s Canes. Although Cade Dingler reached on an error with two out, Cedartown’s offense found no other success against the sophomore pitcher.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, freshman Matt Henslee came in to relieve Reece Tanner. Henslee threw only one strike in two at-bats and truly struggled to find the zone.
With nobody out and two aboard for Cartersville, Dylan Cupp came in for Coach Gevin Johnson. After working the first batter into a full count, Cupp missed on the payoff pitch to load the bases. Despite throwing some pitches that appeared to be very close to the strike zone, the Mississippi State commit did not get the calls. He walked in the game’s first and only run to give Cartersville (5-3) the ultimate walk-off triumph.
The only batters for Cedartown (4-5) to earn a hit in the game were Zane Barrow who was 1-3 with a double and Reece Tanner who went 1-2 with a single. Although pitching folded late, Cedartown’s lack of offense did not aid
the Bulldogs’ efforts to win.
Cedartown baseball was hoping to get back into the action this week, but backto-back rainouts have put the Bulldogs in a strange predicament. Even though we are in the middle of the season, Haralson is coming up next Friday, and Cedartown does have a scheduled game until March 14 at Rockmart.
They were able to get in a March 6, 10-9 loss over nine innings against Cherokee at LakePoint Sports Complex.
Should CHS reschedule any games to take place during this extended break, fans can find out where and when they will play by following their Facebook page, “Cedartown High School Baseball.”