By DREW GRANTHUM/Sports Writer

CALERA — While the temperatures were dropping close to freezing March 4, the Calera Eagles softball team’s bats were anything but, taking down neighboring Jemison 17-7.

Despite what the final score indicated, the Panthers came out swinging. Jemison jumped out to an early lead when Brooke Lewis turned a single into a run on an error by Calera’s Endia Harris. Jessica Paschal and Destiny Bailey came across to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead to start the game.

Calera tied the game in the bottom of the first. Shelby Clark walked, later scoring on a Charley Clark double to left to get the Eagles on the board. After Katie Eiland reached on a walk, Charley Clark scored on a wild pitch, Eiland scored on a Somer Roberson single to left to bring the score to 3-3 after one.

Jemison tacked on two more in the top of the second when Wendy Spisener and Masan Lucas scored off Lewis fielder’s choice and a Emily Spain single to center, respectively.

The Panthers maintained their 5-3 lead until the bottom of the third, when a single by Eiland turned into a run after a Harris single. After three, the Panthers held on a 5-4 lead.

Down by one, the Eagles’ bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Skyler Laird and Shelby Clark both singled, and Laird scored on a  Charley Clark double to left. Charley Clark, Eiland, Roberson, Harris, Jennifer Townley and Laird (again) scored for a nine-run inning to take a 13-5 lead.

The two squads remained scoreless until the top of the sixth when Jemison’s Speisner and Lucas came across to bring the score to 13-7.

The Eagles answered in the bottom of the sixth, adding four more runs when Emily Sanders, Shelby Clark, Charley Clark and Shelby Wright all came across to give Calera the 17-7 win.

Charley Clark led the way offensively for Calera, going 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, while Sanders and Eiland split time on the mound. Eiland went four innings, giving up five hits, two earned runs and five walks, while striking out five. Sanders went two innings, with an earned run and a strikeout.

The Eagles will take on Chilton County March 13.