Hurricanes collect just two hits, both homers in 3-2 victory
CARTERSVILLE — Cole Crawford’s two-out, walkoff solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted Cartersville to a 3-2 victory here over Ware County in Game 3 Thursday afternoon.
The fifth-ranked Region 7 champion Hurricanes (267), winners in 24 of their last 25 games, will host Region 5 runner-up St. Pius X (21-13), which swept fourth-ranked Region 6 champion Blessed Trinity (22-12).
The Gators (21-14) suffered a second consecutive “Sweet 16” exit following last season’s loss to North Oconee. Ware County had reached the quarterfinals three times and the semifinals twice in a four-year span from 2021-24.
Head coach Jamie Ammons’ club reached the 20win plateau for the third consecutive campaign and fifth in the last six seasons.
Crawford’s (2-for-3) second homer of the game and third in the series spoiled the combined pitching efforts of Ryder Kinnon and Slade Sweat. The two righthanders allowed just two hits.
Kinnon (1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 2 BB) worked the first inning, giving up a tworun homer to Crawford, the third consecutive game Cartersville blasted a first inning roundtripper. Crawford drilled a three-run homer in Game 2.
Sweat (6.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6 K, 3 BB) came on in long relief throwing 6.2 innings of hitless ball before Crawford launched the game-winner off a 2-2 offering.
Sweat, who had four 1-23 innings, retired 23 of the 26 batters before Crawford’s walk-off. He issued two walks in the third and another in the sixth,ending a stretch of eight consecutive batters retired. The homer ended second streak of eight batters retired in order.
Ware County left two runners on in the first inning and had another picked off base. Seth Suess (2-for-3) and Sweat (1-for-4) lined consecutive one-out hits. Landon Smallwood drew a two-out, four-pitch walk.
Kinnon walked the Cartersville leadoff batter and retired the second before Crawford deposited a 11 offering over the fence in center for the early 2-0 lead.
The Gators finally solved Logan Buchanan (5+ IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 2 BB) with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Walker Hudson (1-for-3) ended a stretch of eight consecutive Ware County batters retired launching a solo homer, his second of the season, to left leading off the fifth cutting the deficit to 21. Hudson was the last Gator to reach on on a one-out error in the second.
Ware County evened the score at 2-apiece in the sixth. Suess started the inning with a single, moved over to second on a passed ball, and advanced to third on Sweat’s grounder. He tagged and scored on Smallwood’s sacrifice fly to right.
A walk to Isaiah White and a single by Keaton Holloway (1-for-3) followed ahead of the third out ending the threat with White standing at third.
After each team went quietly in the seventh, Suess drew a leadoff walk in the eighth. He would be left standing at third.
