By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

They’re chasing perfection again.

A year ago, the Callaway Cavaliers won the Region 5-AA championship with a 12-0 record.

With Friday’s doubleheader sweep of Temple, Callaway is off to a 3-0 start in region play this season.

Callaway won’t play next week, and it will continue its pursuit of a second straight region title on March 27 at Lamar County.

“Hopefully we can keep it up,” said Kyle Campbell, Callaway’s senior catcher and third baseman. “We were first in the region last year, and Lord willing we can do it again.”

In the first game, the Cavaliers did all their scoring in one inning..

Callaway was down 1-0 until it broke through for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

That was plenty of support for right-handed pitcher Wesley Marchman, who threw six dominant innings to get the win.

Jabari Smith finished things off with a scoreless seventh inning.

Trent Sheppard got things started in the fifth with a walk, and after Marchman reached on an error, Chandler Lott was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Braelin Mitchell then lined the ball to center field for an RBI single, and the game was tied 1-1.

Next up was Campbell, and he had an interesting at-bat.

When the count was 3-2, Temple made a pitching change, and Campbell fouled off a few pitches before walking to drive in another run and give the Cavaliers the lead.

“He had a really good at-bat, and it kind of sparked us,” Hubbard said. “That put us up 2-1, and we scored four more after that.”

Smith reached on a fielder’s choice to drive in another run, and Brooks Bledsoe laid down a bunt for a single to push the lead to 4-1.

After another pitching change, Bryce Kurian legged out an infield hit, and two runs scored when Sheppard reached on an error.

In the second game, Dawson Wright got the start, and he pitched into the fifth inning before Austin Barber finished things off.

It was Wright’s longest outing of the season.

“He’s been in relief all year,” Hubbard said. “He hasn’t been above 48 pitches yet. I knew he was probably getting close to his limit. We’re going to have to continue to stretch him out, and we knew that. We don’t want to go from 35 to 60, and I think he threw 60, and that’s about where he needs to be right now.”

The Cavaliers scored one run in the first inning, three more in the second and two in the third.

Lott led off the first inning with a double before scoring on a Mitchell base hit.

In the second inning, Bledsoe, Wright and Kurian reached on consecutive base hits, and Sheppard had a two-run single.

In the third inning, Campbell and Smith got things started with consecutive singles.

Wright had a sacrifice fly, and Kurian knocked in a run with a base hit.