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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

PELHAM – A windy night at Pelham High School led to runs galore when the Pelham Panthers and Calera Eagles squared off, but it was the Panthers who made the most of their opportunities to take the county battle.

Pelham defeated Calera 15-10 on Wednesday, March 5 to move to 7-2 on the 2025 season.

The Eagles struck first though thanks to a big first inning. After the first two batters of the game reached off an error and a walk, the next two batters got out on back-to-back pitches to put them in a hole.

However, three straight walks led to back-to-back runs before an error on AJ Johnson’s fly ball to the outfield plated three more runs and gave Calera a 5-0 lead.

Ryan Funderburk and Mason Six walked to start Pelham’s time at the plate, and Andrew Petrock took full advantage with a three-run home run to left field to slash the deficit.

That wasn’t it as a walk and a Sam Tolbert single led to a pair of runs scoring during Braden Lee’s at-bat, tying the game up at 5-5 after an inning of play.

Pelham got out of the top of the second with two walks and nothing to show for it, and Jett Hopwood got the offense going again with a lead-off triple off a 3-2 count. He would come home two batters later off a balk to give the Panthers the 6-5 lead.

Six would then come home during Petrock’s at-bat before Petrock scored off a wild pitch. A fielder’s choice play off a liner from Ryan Hurd made the lead 9-5 after two innings.

Calera would cut the deficit to 9-6 in the top of the third after singles by Russell and AJ Johnson and a Kegan Johnson walk let Chase Herring bring home a run off a sacrifice fly.

Pelham kept the offense rolling in the bottom of the third as JP Anderson’s lead-off double turned into an RBI single by Hopwood to restore the four-run lead. Funderburk then reached off an error before Six hit an RBI single, and Funderburk would then steal home during a pickoff attempt to take the lead to 12-6.

The Eagles got on the board once again in the top of the fifth, bringing home DJ White with a Camden Russell RBI triple after White reached earlier in the inning off an error.

Tolbert singled to kick off the Panthers’ half of the fourth inning, and he quickly made his way to third off a stolen base and a wild pitch. Hurd’s ground out then drove Tolbert home to make it a 13-7 ball game.

Hopwood’s single and Funderburk’s walk looked to have Pelham in business with two on and nobody out in the bottom of the fifth. However, the Eagles recovered after a wild pitch to get Hopwood out at home, and a ground out dropped the Panthers to two outs.

Funderburk advanced to third during that play though, and Petrock took advantage with an RBI single to increase the lead to 14-7.

After getting around a pair of walks following Petrock’s at bat, Calera went right to work in the top of the sixth. Mac Graham doubled on the first pitch of the inning before Dalton Ash drew a four-pitch walk, and before long, both players got into scoring position off a wild pitch.

Jaiden Brown hit into a sacrifice fly to bring Graham home, and an error on an infield fly ball scored Ash from third to cut it to 14-9.

AJ Johnson then singled and Parker Breeding walked to load up the bases, and Kegan Johnson got a bases-loaded walk on a full count to draw within four.

However, after Lee got hit by a pitch and Anderson singled in the bottom of the sixth, Funderburk hit an RBI single to put Pelham up 15-10.

While the runner behind Funderburk got out at home, the Panthers put the game away shortly after as they worked around a pair of lead-off base runners in the seventh to turn a double play and then get the final out at second.

Petrock finished 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs, including his three-run home run. Tolbert finished 3-for-3 with a walk and a run, Hopwood was 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and Anderson went 2-for-4 with a run. Funderburk had three runs off a 1-for-3 day with two walks and an RBI, and Hurd had two RBI off sacrifice plays.

As for Calera, Russell was 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs and two RBI, Brown had two RBI and two runs and AJ Johnson finished 2-for-4.

Pelham will look to improve on its 8-2 record when it hosts Pell City on Thursday, March 6 at 7 p.m. The Eagles dropped to 6-7 and will hit the road to face the Thompson Warriors on Thursday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m. in a rematch of Friday’s matchup in the Perfect Game High School Showdown.