Calera claims three area wins in three days over Carver-Montgomery, Stanhope Elmore, Chilton County

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

The Calera Eagles finished area play unscathed as they survived a gauntlet of three area games in three days by beating the Carver-Montgomery Wolverines on Monday, April 15, Stanhope Elmore Mustangs on Tuesday, April 16 and Chilton County Tigers on Wednesday, April 17.

In the first game of the week against Carver, Calera started the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles from Whitney Holtzapfel and Mia Wade. Bristol Rogers followed that with a sacrifice fly to score the first run of the game, and an error on the same play made the lead 2-0.

A fly out reduced the Eagles to two outs, but a walk kept the inning alive and led to three straight scoring plays. A Lily Townsend RBI double, a run off an error and an Alyssa Quintanilla RBI single increased the lead to five runs at the end of the inning.

That led to a hitting party in the bottom of the second with 11 runs in the inning.

Holtzapfel hit an RBI double that was followed immediately by a Wade RBI single. Two batters later, Khloe Gothard doubled to score a run and start a run of seven straight scoring plays.

A Megan Overton RBI triple, Townsend RBI single, Lexi Johnson RBI double, Quintanilla RBI double, Neeley Carstensen RBI double and Holtzapfel RBI single took the lead to 14-0 before the Wolverines earned the second out of the inning.

After the second out, Rogers hit an RBI double and Gothard hit an RBI single to put Calera up 16-0, and that score line held after three strikeouts in the top of the third to end the game.

Townsend dominated in the circle, allowing just one hit in three innings and taking seven strikeouts in the process to secure the win.

The Eagles took that momentum into their second game of the week against Stanhope Elmore the next day.

The Mustangs got the jump on Calera to start the game as they hit a two-out solo home run in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead, but the Eagles responded in the bottom of the frame.

Holtzapfel and Wade kicked off the inning with back-to-back singles, and after both stole a base, a sacrifice fly by Kinley Rodgers tied up the game.

Two pitches later, Kate Townley gave Calera a 3-1 lead off a two-run home run to center field.

The Eagles added another run to that total with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second.

Calera loaded up the bases on the first three batters of the home half of the third thanks to a Armiya Shamburger double, Rogers reaching off a fielder’s choice that didn’t result in an out and an Isabella Overton single.

Gothard then brought a pair of runs home off an RBI single, and once an error loaded up the bases again, Holtzapfel scored two more runs with an RBI double. Rodgers joined the parade of runs with a two-run hit of her own, this time on an RBI single to make the lead 10-1.

Stanhope Elmore got a run back in response in the top of the fourth with Jada Mcleod’s second home run of the game, but that was the last run of the game for the Mustangs.

With runners on the corners and two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Holtzapfel and Wade hit back-to-back RBI singles to score three runs total and seal the 13-2 run-rule win.

Calera then hit the road to Clanton on Wednesday looking to close out area play undefeated.

Neither side got much offense going in the first two innings, but the Eagles found the scoreboard in the third inning.

After lead-off singles by Townsend and Holtzapfel, Wade hit a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners to scoring position. A wild pitch scored Townsend for the first run of the game and Rodgers hit into an RBI ground out to make the lead 2-0.

That score line held until the top of the sixth when Calera used their opportunities with base runners to pull away for good.

A walk, Townley single and a hit by pitch loaded up the bases for Megan Overton, and she hit an RBI single to take the lead to three.

Shamburger was then hit by a pitch to plate another run, and Isabella Overton followed that up with a two-run single which put the Eagles up six.

Another walk loaded up the bases again, and after a Holtzapfel RBI single and a run-scoring sacrifice fly by Wade, Calera led 8-0.

That left Chilton County with little time to recover and respond, and a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh was the only pair of runs the Tigers could score, giving the Eagles the 8-2 win.

Townley went the distance and earned five strikeouts in seven innings, allowing just one earned run, two total runs, seven hits and two walks. That came just a day after she pitched all five innings against Stanhope Elmore, striking out four against two runs, three hits and no walks.

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