By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

FRANKLIN – They’re one win from a title.

The Callaway Cavaliers made easy work of the Heard County Braves on Tuesday, rolling to an 11-1 victory in the opener of a three-game series.

Callaway (18-7 overall) improved to 10-0 in Region 5-AA, while Heard County fell to 9-1 in the region.

The two teams will play a doubleheader at Callaway on Friday, and the host Cavaliers need to win one of the two games to secure the region championship.

Callaway started quickly with eight runs in the top of the first inning of Tuesday’s game, and that was plenty of support for junior right-hander Chandler Lott, who pitched the five-inning complete game.

Callaway head coach Dusty Hubbard said Lott did a fine job of pitching with a big lead.

“Chandler did a really good job handling that,” Hubbard said. “He pitched mostly with his fastball tonight. He pitched with the lead.”

Heard County had some defensive miscues in the first inning, so only one of Callaway’s eight runs was earned.

“We were fortunate, but we did a good job of being able to jump in there and put some pressure on them,” Hubbard said.

Leadoff hitter Drake Wade had two hits and three RBIs, and Kyle Campbell and Lott each had two hits and an RBI.

Dylan Johnson and Slone Raper each had a hit and an RBI, Josh Hanson and Milton Turner each drove in a run, and Ben Griffin had a hit and a walk.

As satisfying as Tuesday’s win was, the Cavaliers still have plenty of work to do.

“We’ve got to enjoy it tonight, and take it with a grain of salt,” Hubbard said. “It’s a three-game series. We’ve got to find a way to get one Friday.”