After battling back from a sluggish start to earn the Area 8 championship, Calera’s baseball season ended with a 16-6 loss to Red Level in the first round of the 2A playoffs.

The Eagles (8-11 overall) led 4-3 after the first inning but Red Level took a huge lead with a five-run second inning and a seven-run third.

Calera was unable to score again until the fifth inning, much too late to make a difference in a game that already appeared well in hand.

&uot;I thought we came out a little uptight,&uot; said first-year Calera coach Stephen Floyd. &uot;When we got behind by a few runs there, it made it really hard to come back.&uot;

Starting pitcher Corey Turnbloom lasted less than three innings, walking seven batters in the loss.

Turnbloom led the Eagles at the plate with two hits and two RBIs to go along with one run scored.

Raymond Oldham also went 2-for-3 for Calera and added an RBI.

After an 0-5 start that saw the Eagles drop their first two area games, Calera clawed back to take the Area 8 championship by closing the season with wins in eight of 14 games, including a 4-0 area record during that span