The victory, the fourth in a row for the streaking Lady Purple Hurricanes, raised Cartersville’s region record to 4-3 and its overall record to 6-6.
Head coach Rick Holsomback said the Lady Hurricanes started with good pitching and followed it with a strong offensive performance.
“Annalynn [Yantis] pitched another great game for us,” Holsomback said. “She’s just phenomenal and she went 3-for-3 with three doubles, two RBIs and she hit the game-winning run.”
Twice Gilmer got two runners on base with no one out, and Yantis was able to put out the fire to preserve the victory.
Cartersville appeared in control throughout the game but never put Gilmer away. Mallory Jackson, who was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, had gotten the ball rolling for the Lady Canes, pushing them to a 1-0 lead in the first inning. She then added an insurance run in the third inning for a 2-0 lead.
Yantis knocked in the Lady Canes’ third run in the fourth inning with a double.
Maddie Geiger went 2-for-2 in the winning cause.
Gilmer tried to claw its way back into the contest in the sixth inning, scoring two runs off Cartersville errors.
The coach said Cartersville also made some key defensive play, particularly Annie Holsomback.
Holsomback said one of the keys to the Lady Canes’ win streak lies in the quality of opponents it played to start the season.
“We had a tough schedule before we entered region play,” he said, “and it taught us how to persevere through adversity. They are slowly finding their groove and their confidence was not destroyed when they played against good competition. They have found a way to win. Give them all the credit.”
The Lady Canes next play Tuesday at Pickens County.