Calhoun offense has big day in first-round sweep
The Calhoun softball team utilized its impressive power and timely production from the entire lineup to sweep in the first round of the Class AAA State Tournament against the Franklin County Lions on Wednesday.
The No. 1 seeded Lady Jackets (33-1) battled through a sluggish start to claim a 12-3 victory in a run-rule shortened Game 1.
Franklin County ( 1415) jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage after an RBIdouble by Megan Floyd and a deep home run by Jaden Cheek plated two.
However, the Calhoun bats managed to wake up in a huge third inning that included an RBI-bunt single by Ryan Brzozoski, an RBIdouble sliced into the outfield by Maddie Bumgardner, and a towering homer by Allie Jones to left field. The inning was capped off by a blast over the outfield fence by Cassie Henderson.
The Lady Jackets tacked onto the lead in the fourth when Bumgardner knocked two more runs home with a single. Calhoun sealed Game 1 with an Ashlyn Barnes double that scored two additional runs and then a no-doubt homer by Jana Johns that pushed the lead to 12-3.
In total, the Lady Jackets compiled a whopping 16 Game 1 hits. Barnes finished 4-for-4, and Brozozski went 3-for-4.
Calhoun was anchored by Torri Gaddis in the pitcher’s circle. She settled in after a little early trouble and picked up the win. She struck out two batters and allowed only five hits.
“It took us a little while to get going, but once we did I think we really had a solid game at the plate,“Calhoun head coach Diane Smith said. “Franklin County is a better team than they were seeded, and they came ready to play.“
The offense clicked much faster for Calhoun in Game 2, as the Lady Jackets cruised to a 13-5 win and invoked the run rule in the fifth.
The Lady Jackets started the game with a bang, scratching across seven runs in the first inning. Johns was responsible for most of the early damage by slugging a two-run shot over the left-field fence. Henderson added an RBI-single and Brzozoski hit a scorching double that plated two.
Calhoun also flexed their strength in the fourth with huge home runs from Bumgardner and Henderson. Chloe Rice finished off the victory by lacing a two-run double in the fifth.
The team collected 10 hits in Game 2. Jones went 2-for2 at the plate, while Johns, Bumgardner and Brzozoski all finished 2-for-4.
Franklin County attempted to rally in the closing innings by scoring four runs in the fourth. However, Calhoun pitcher Kayla Watson shut the Lions offense down the rest of the way.
Watson managed to keep the Lions off-balance all game as the junior picked up the Game 2 win.
“I think both of our pitchers were great tonight,“Smith said.
“I always tell them just to pitch the best that they can and let the defense work behind you, and that is exactly what they did.“
The Lady Jackets now advance to the second round of the Class AAA State Tournament and will host Brantley County next Wednesday. The series will start with a doubleheader on Wednesday at 3 p.m., and if a Game 3 is necessary, it will be played on Thursday.
In other action from the first round of the Class AAA State Tournament:
Sonoraville’s season ends at Morgan County
The Sonoraville Lady Phoenix had one of the toughest first-round draws in Class AAA as they visited last year’s state runner-up Morgan County, and the Lady Bulldogs took advantage of some mistakes to earn the sweep on Wednesday.
The Lady Phoenix (18-15) dropped Game 1 8-1 as they had some costly errors that helped Morgan County extend their lead. Sandra Beth Pritchett finished 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, and Harleigh Chastain had a double and a run scored.
Kristen Davis took the loss, going three innings and giving up six runs, only one of those earned, on one hit. Alyssa Hughes pitched the final four innings and gave up two runs (one earned) on four hits.
“Defensively we just made far too many mistakes,” said Sonoraville coach Chad Hayes. “We knew they were going to play small ball and put pressure on us, and we prepared for it pretty well in practice, but it’s sort of like seeing a triple option offense for the first time -- you have to adjust to the speed of it. The problem was we kicked it around too much, bobbled balls on the infield and had some poor throws, and we gave them extra bases and extra outs. They took advantage of that.”
In Game 2, the Lady Phoenix kept it close, but a four-run third inning by the Lady Bulldogs proved to be the difference. Sonoraville had the bases loaded in the sixth with no outs as they looked to get back in the game, but an infield fly, a strikeout and a groundout in order ended the threat.
Davis had the lone RBI in Game 2 for Sonoraville, and she also pitched 4 2-3 innings of scoreless relief and struck out four. Chastain scored the lone run for Sonoraville.
“We had scoring opportunities in both games but couldn’t get the timely hit,” said Hayes. “They played us deep on the outfield and made some good defensive plays out there to steal extra base hits from us. It was a disappointing draw. We felt like if we were in the top two we would probably make it back to Columbus, but drawing Morgan County in the first round was a tough road. We just didn’t play well and give ourself a good opportunity to win. If we play clean we had a good chance. I’m proud of our seniors and what they have accomplished in our program, making it to state all four years. I’m looking forward to all these players coming back and making a run at Columbus.”