Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Callaway baseball team swept a doubleheader on Thursday to put it just one region win away from capturing the Cavaliers’ first region title since 2017. The Cavaliers are rounding into a team that is tough to beat as they have now won 11 straight games. A win against Haralson County on Tuesday will give Callaway the region crown with two region games against Haralson County on the schedule after that.

The Cavaliers dominated the first game en route to a 10-5 victory over the Blue Devils. 

Callaway took the lead in the top of the first inning when Tucker Starling grounded out to score Andrew Locke. 

The Blue Devils struck back in the bottom of the first inning as they scored two runs to take a 2-1 lead heading into the second inning. 

The Cavaliers’ bats exploded in the top of the second inning as they scored six runs to retake the lead. Justin Moore scored on a wild pitch to get the scoring started in the second inning before Brantin Swanson hit an RBI single to retake the lead for Callaway. Tucker Starling hit a two-RBI single later in the inning to give the Cavaliers a 5-2 lead. Callaway added another two runs on a double by CJ Stephens. 

The Cavaliers added another two runs in the top of the third when Bryce Hubbard reached on an error to score Houston Wilson and Jacob Karvelas. 

Hubbard hit a RBI double in the top of the fifth to give the Cavaliers a commanding 10-2 lead. 

The Blue Devils added three consolation runs over the final three innings but never threatened to get back in the game. 

Starling got the start on the mound for the Cavaliers and did not have his best outing, but still put in a solid day’s work to limit the Blue Devils at the plate. In five and 2/3rds innings of work Starling allowed eight hits, three earned runs with four strikeouts. Moore came in to relieve Starling and was his usual dominant self on the mound as he pitched one and 1/3rd innings and allowed no hits on two strikeouts.

Swanson was a menace from the plate as he went three for four with one run scored and an RBI. Avery Hewell was the only other Cavalier to have a multi-hit game as he went two for four with a run scored. Starling led the Cavaliers with three RBIs in the game. 

The second game was more of a pitcher’s duel as Callaway escaped with a 2-0 victory.

The only runs in the game came when Blake Shepard hit a two-RBI single in the top of the third inning. 

Bryce Hubbard put on a clinic on the mound as he pitched a seven-inning complete game and only allowed two hits with five strikeouts.

Hits were hard to comeby for the Cavaliers with Starling having the only multi-hit game going two for three from the plate. Sheppard and Moore got the Cavaliers other two hits as they could only muster four in the game, but it was enough to give them the win. 

The Cavaliers are now 15-3 and a perfect 9-0 in region play. Callaway finished second in the region to Bremen last season but gave Bremen their sole region loss of the season as the Cavaliers went 1-2 versus the Blue Devils last year. This year was a different story as the Cavaliers swept the Blue Devils in their three matchups, all coming this week. Callaway’s next game is at Haralson County on April 5.