By Ross Johnson

Sports Writer

Callaway was on the wrong end of a near-perfect game in Tuesday’s Region 5-AA home showdown against Pike County.

Pike pitcher Justin Guy allowed just one hit and the Cavaliers only managed two base runners the entire game in a 6-0 loss to the Pirates.

The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Cavaliers (6-2), who fell to 3-2 in Region 5-AA.

Heard County and Pike (10-1) lead the region with 6-0 records.

Pike is ranked No. 2 in Class AA.

From the start of the game to the end, it was all Guy’s day.

The junior totaled 12 strikeouts, including the remaining two batters in the seventh inning with Callaway’s Dominique Smedley on second base.

Smedley had the Cavaliers’only hit if the day in the seventh and managed to steal second, but Callaway faced a steep deficit and the Cavs weren’t able to generate a rally.

The only other baserunner for the Cavaliers was Caleb Shelnut, who was walked in the first inning.

“(Guy) did a great job,” Callaway head coach Dusty Hubbard said. “He was ahead of the count most of the day and we couldn’t get anything going.”

Guy also did damage at the plate in the sixth inning, hitting a solo home run to put the Pirates ahead 3-0.

The Pirates finishing things off with three runs in the top of the seventh.

Pike scored its second run in the fifth a wild pitch from Tanner Thompson, who started and took the loss.

Neither team got close to getting on the scoreboard until the fourth inning, when Pike’s Kody Adams shot a homer over center field as the inning’s leadoff batter.

Despite the runs, Callaway’s pitching was solid, according to Hubbard.

Thompson allowed two runs in 4 2/3 innings, but got himself out of several jams early on that could have made the score look much worse.

Following Adams’ homer in the fourth, Thompson faced the bases loaded with just one out. He got away with no further damage by getting two short flyouts.

“I told the kids, ‘Don’t feel like we didn’t play well because we didn’t hit anything,’ ” Hubbard said. “We played hard, we just didn’t get anything going at the plate.”

While the final score seemed one-sided, the Cavaliers were only trailing 2-0 in the fifth inning, when Thompson was replaced on the mound by Taylor Kenerley.

Hubbard said the Cavaliers still “had a chance to win it” late in the game, which could be promising.

The Cavaliers are a young squad - only four seniors are on the roster - and Hubbard is confident the loss will help his team learn how to win in the future.

“We just have to keep playing. That’s the only thing we can do at this time of year,” Hubbard said. “It was their pitcher that cost us the game, not our hitters. As the season goes along hopefully we’ll get better on offense.”

Callaway visits Northside in Columbus today.