The Cartersville baseball team swept the Pickens Dragons on Friday night by scores of 5-1 and 12-0 to earn a bid into the second round of the GHSA 4-A Playoffs.
In Game One, RHP Mason Barnett and Gage Morris combined to toss seven innings allowing one unearned run, scattering five hits and striking out 12 men. Morris earned the win after tossing four shutout innings out of relief with seven strikeouts.
Offensively in the first game, Anthony Seigler was 2-2 with a double, a solo home run, and two walks to help pace the Cartersville offensive attack. He drove in one and scored two. Jake Gooch was also an offensive contributor in the front-end double-header with a 2-4 performance that included an RBI and run scored.
In Game Two, the Cartersville offense exploded for 12 runs, which included a six-run fourth inning. The game was called after five innings when Pickens was run-ruled. The Canes offense had 10 hits in the contest, which included two home runs from Gooch and JP Martin.
Seigler tripled, walked three times and scored three times in the contest. Martin had a solo home run and a walk in his 1-2 performance.
Gooch drew the start for Cartersville and answered the bell by tossing five shutout innings with nine strikeouts, while allowing just two base runners. Gooch as also 1-2 at the plate with a 2-run home run in the first inning to give Cartersville an early 3-0 lead, which it would not look back from.
Cartersville improves to 26-7 on the season and will play Marist, the No. 2 seeded team from region seven. Marist swept Madison County on Friday to improve to 14-16 on the season.