By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor 

After not taking the field for over a week, the Calera baseball Eagles were back in action on April 2 with a pair of Saturday games against Holtville and Chilton County. The Eagles lost the first game of the day to Holtville, losing 4-0 before turning around and beating Chilton County by a 3-1 final to move to 15-10 on the year.

 

Game 1. Holtville 4 – Calera 0

The Bulldogs from Holtville scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early 3-0 lead, and added another insurance run in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-0 lead, eventually winning by that margin. Holtville kept the Calera bats cold throughout the game, as Kevin Dowdell, Zach Gaines and David Lawrence each registered a single hit to comprise the entirety of the Calera offense.

Matthew Marfice pitched a complete, six-inning game, throwing 97 pitches and giving up four runs, three of them earned, on seven hits while striking out seven.

 

Game 2. Calera 3 – Chilton County 1

Dowdell, the leadoff hitter for Calera, was walked on four straight pitches to start the second game of the day, and was brought home later in the inning when Smith smacked a single to left field, giving the Eagles an early 1-0 lead. Chilton County tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when a base runner scored on a passed ball, and the 1-1 score held until the seventh inning. In the seventh, Will Glasscock and Marfice both crossed the plate, giving the Eagles a 3-1 advantage, which they held on to in the bottom of the inning, getting the close win.

Jacob Smith went all seven innings for Calera and threw 125 pitches. Smith gave up just one hit all day, and the run scored by Chilton County was not earned. Smith also struck out a ridiculous 16 batters, striking out the side three times in the game. Smith also led Calera from the plate in the game, going 2-for-3 from the plate with an RBI and a walk as well.

Calera advanced to 15-10 on the year after the split.