The Cartersville Lady Canes defeated North Oconee 5-4 on a walk-off hit Thursday afternoon, improving to 2-0 in the GHSA Class 5A State Fast Pitch Softball Tournament in Columbus.
Carder Brock delivered the decisive blow. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Sophia Harper singled, and Sam Porter doubled. Brock then drove a ground ball up the middle, scoring the tying and winning runs.
The Lady Canes have now won both of their tournament games on their final swing of the day. On Wednesday, they rallied past Marist 4-3 in eight innings. Those two victories leave Cartersville and Jefferson as the only remaining unbeaten teams in the tournament.
North Oconee took a 1-0 first-inning lead on Allie Waldrop’s solo home run. Cartersville answered immediately, capitalizing on three walks and a sacrifice fly by Kennedy Crenshaw. Zoie Shiflett’s sacrifice fly in the fourth put the Lady Canes ahead 2-1. North Oconee tied the game in the fifth. Brock’s sixth-inning home run restored the 3-2 lead, but North Oconee pushed two runs across in the top of the seventh, one unearned, to take a 4-3 lead.
Cartersville’s starting pitcher, Presley Crabbe, worked into the sixth and allowed two runs, one earned. Shiflett earned the win with two innings of relief. Brock hit a home run and a double, driving in three runs. Porter also doubled.
Cartersville, now 32-2, faces Jefferson at 3:30 today. North Oconee dropped into the elimination bracket.
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