Cedartown sweeps rivals on the diamond
♦ The Bulldogs top Rockmart on back-toback days to take the cross-county series.
The Red and Black reigned supreme on the diamond over the weekend.
Cedartown baseball completed their first sweep of Rockmart since the 2017 season by picking up victories over the Jackets in back-to-back days. The Bulldogs downed Rockmart 7-5 at home on Friday before winning 4-0 on the road on Saturday afternoon.
On paper, one might have assumed that Rockmart would take the first game of the series. After all, the Jackets out-hit Cedartown 9-2 in the matchup. However, costly walks and five defensive errors allowed the Bulldogs to pull out a tworun victory.
A pair of sacrifice flies brought home Dylan Cupp and Xavier Holiday in the first inning. CHS increased their advantage to three runs the following inning thanks to a bases-loaded walk. Rockmart got on the board in the top of the third inning when Trevor Caldwell drove in Mason Phillips from third base with an RBI single off Jay O’Neal. The Jackets then loaded the bases and made it a one-run difference by drawing a walk.
It would stay a 3-2 ballgame for several innings until Rockmart tied it in the fifth. A twoout sacrifice fly brought in the tying run, but the Jackets failed to take their first lead. Cedartown responded by posting a two-spot in the bottom of the fifth inning, reclaiming a 5-3 advantage.
Rockmart loaded the bases in the sixth but scored just one run. After Cedartown once again brought home two runners in the home-half of the inning, the Jackets had their backs to the wall trailing by three. Although RHS would score once and have the tying run at the plate in the seventh inning, Mississippi State commit Dylan Cupp slammed the door on any comeback hopes and closed out the 7-5 triumph.
For Cedartown, Dylan Cupp was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run. But, with only two hits, nine walks, and five defensive errors, much of the damage the Bulldogs did were simply in capitalizing off Rockmart’s mistakes.
Mason Phillips (2-3, R) and
Trevor Caldwell (2-4, RBI) led the Jackets on offense while Jake Bailey drew three walks and had one run scored and one run batted in.
Cedartown’s Jay O’Neal gave up one earned run in three innings while Britt Baxter allowed two earned runs on four hits and two walks. Dylan Cupp served as the closer and surrendered one earned run on three hits and one walk in the last two innings.
Jonathan Moore surrendered three earned runs in four innings pitched for the Jackets and had six strikeouts. Hunter
Atkins pitched the final two frames, surrendering zero earned runs on no hits and two walks.
Saturday’s showdown at the Rock did not have the same caliber of offensive explosion. Both defenses played well but, again, Cedartown did just enough to pull away for a 4-0 win over Rockmart.
The Bulldogs had another quick start on the east side of the county. After tallying a leadoff single, Dylan Cupp worked his way into scoring position and was brought home on an RBI single by Cole Dingler to give Cedartown a 1-0 lead.
The score would remain 1-0 until the fifth inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Cole Dingler
trotted up to the plate again. This time, the talented sophomore sent a rocket to deep center field, easily clearing the bases and driving in three runs.
That 4-0 lead, paired with fantastic pitching and top-notch defense, lifted the Bulldogs to a shutout victory at Rockmart.
Dingler, undoubtedly the player of the game, went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, and four RBI. Cupp (1-2, 2 R), MJ Holiday (1-2, R), and Xavier Holiday (1-2) also had hits on the day while Reece Tanner (03) touched home plate once.
Rockmart’s Colton Leathers had a 2-for-2 performance. Calliyon Thompson (1-3) and Phillips (1-2) also picked up a hit versus Cedartown pitching.
Reece Tanner got the start for the Bulldogs and tossed four scoreless innings. The junior struck out
nine Jackets and gave up just two hits and four walks. Xavier Holiday pitched the last three innings, giving up two hits and one walk and striking out one.
Cedartown (3-2) has a trio of nonregion matchups scheduled in the final week before Region 7-4A play starts up. The Bulldogs are set to host Haralson County on Monday at 5:30 p.m. before a return matchup in Tallapoosa on Wednesday evening. CHS will round out the week on Saturday at State Mutual Stadium, the home of the Rome Braves. The Bulldogs will take on Pepperell at 5:30 p.m. in that 4A versus 2A showdown in Floyd County.
As for Rockmart (2-2), they will play host to Calhoun on Tuesday for a battle between the Yellow Jackets. Following a trip to Rome High School on Thursday evening, Rockmart will return home to play Woodland at 5:45 p.m. Friday.