By Erik Harris
GARDENDALE – Clay-Chalkville got its postseason run started at Gardendale but was unable to find offense in a two-game sweep Saturday.
The home team won the opener 16-1 in five innings before grinding out a 5-3 decision in the decisive 10-inning finale. Cougars hea
d coach Bubba Roberts ends his second year with the program 13-19 overall.
Clay-Chalkville pitcher Blake Petty
photo by Ron Burkett
“Record-wise, wasn’t as good as last year, but we did make the playoffs,” Roberts said. “Us not making the playoffs last year, we were at least able to get in this year so that’s always a plus.”
Game 1: Gardendale 16, Clay-Chalkville 1
Gardendale (27-9) put the game out of reach early. While running four different arms out to the mound, Clay-Chalkville surrendered runs in each of the first three frames.
Sophomore Blake Petty got the start for Roberts and allowed one run to pass in the bottom of the first when Drew Love grounded an RBI-single into left.
Petty found himself in more trouble in the second, when the Area 11 champions extended the lead to 6-1. Four hits and two errors fueled the scoring outburst, which paled in comparison to Gardendale’s 10-run third inning.
“I was very pleased, because we were attacking it, we had some good at-bats and hit some balls hard,” said Gardendale head coach Pat Keedy.
The rain began to pour when Petty handed the ball to his bullpen. Christian Crawford and Colton Friday combined to struggle through a third frame that saw the Rockets bat all the way through the order.
Right-hander Dayne Edwards later went to the mound for the Cougars and put a stop to the scoring, but the game was already out of range at 16-1.
“It seemed like the first game everything we threw up there over the plate they hit it, and rather or not they hit it hard, it found a hole,” Roberts said.
Clay-Chalkville’s lone run came in the third when Matthew Calvert drove a one-out line drive into left field, but the inning never reached its potential as the visitors left two runners stranded.
Gardendale recorded 12 hits. Right-hander Jacob Hallmark logged five innings of hitless work for the home team. He finished with five strikeouts and three walks.
Game 2: Gardendale 5, Clay-Chalkville 3
Behind a hard-fought effort from Calvert, Clay-Chalkville battled the Area 11 champions for 10 innings, but was unable to match Gardendale’s three-run 10th in the decisive contest.
“Matthew (Calvert) threw great and that was probably his best performance of the year,” Roberts said. “He battled his rear end off and did everything he could to keep us in the mix.”
After a passed ball sent Andy McDuffee across for the go-ahead run, Rockets’ right fielder Zach Cupps pulled a 1-2 breaking ball into the left field grass for a two-run single that put his team ahead 5-2 going into the home-half of the final frame.
The Cougars did manage to plate a run in the 10th off a Wesley Meier groundout, but 5-3 was as close as they would get.
Calvert threw 9 2/3 innings for Clay-Chalkville, allowing two runs, 10 strikeouts and a single walk. Gardendale’s go-ahead, 10th-inning runs came directly after the UAB signee gave way to right-hander Chandler Parker.
“I really trusted my off-speed stuff and my curveball was a little on today and my changeup was on,” Calvert said. “I just got them out in front a little bit.”
With the game knotted at 2-all down the stretch, Calvert worked his way out of multiple jams, stranding go-ahead runners aboard in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
“He (Calvert) threw outstanding,” Keedy said. “He got the fastball away from us, changed speeds good and I’m not sure how many pitches he threw, but it felt like he was out there for about six hours.”
Shortstop Tyler Duke got the Cougars on the board first. He tripled to start the game and found his way home on an Andrew Blount groundout.
A suicide squeeze gave the Rockets their first lead of the game at 2-1 in the fourth, but drew the score even on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch two innings later.
“I’m looking forward to the next level, but I’m going to miss high school days,” Calvert said.
The Rockets will now host Pinson Valley in Round 2 of the Class 6A playoffs. Friday will mark the beginning of the best-of-three series.
