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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The Callaway Lady Cavaliers hung tough with Heard County on a soggy Tuesday evening, but in the end they came up just short of pulling off a big home win.

Callaway took an early 3-1 lead, but Heard County fought back to tie it before pushing the go-ahead run across in the seventh inning on the way to a 4-3 victory in a Region 5-AA game.

It was, nonetheless, an impressive performance for Callaway against an unbeaten Heard County team.

“I was really proud of them,” Callaway head coach Robyn

McCann said. “They did good, and fought hard. They did awesome.”

Faith Horton delivered a strong performance on the mound for Callaway with the complete game, and she was backed up by a defense that made some outstanding plays.

Center fielder Mya Horton made some highlight plays that ended Heard County threats.

In the top of the second, Heard County had two runners on when Lawton made a running catch on a ball that appeared headed to the fence, and she threw a strike to first base for the inning-ending double play.

Lawton came through with another big-time play in the sixth inning when the game was tied.

Heard County began the inning with back-to-back hits, putting runners on first and third with no outs.

After Horton got a strikeout and a pop-out, Lawton made a running catch while running into the outfield fence, and the game remained tied at 3-3.

Callaway also had a pair of double plays started by shortstop Chaple Butler.

In the top of the first, Butler fielded a grounder and tossed it to second baseman McKenzie Rhodes, who threw a strike to first baseman Tyterria Godwin for the inning-ending double play.

In the top of the seventh after Heard County took the lead, Butler made a nice play on a hard-hit ball, and she stepped on second and made the throw to first for the double play.

On the next play, Rhodes delivered a defensive gem of her own, ranging to her left to field a sharply-hit grounder, and she flipped the ball to first for the third out.

Callaway scored all three of its runs in the bottom of the first inning to build a 3-1 lead.

Butler led off with a walk and Rhodes was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, and Lawton followed with an RBI double to put Callaway on the board.

Lawton later scored on a wild pitch, and Lindsay Cofield, who reached on an infield single, also scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to 3-1.

Heard County scored single runs in the third and fifth innings before taking the lead with a run in the top of the seventh.

Callaway (3-8 overall), which is 1-1 in region play, will host Bremen on Thursday.

“They did great,” McCann said. “Today was a complete turnaround I hope.