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The Chambers Academy softball team took third place in the AISA AA Region 1 tournament on Thursday. The Rebels came back after a loss to no. 1 ranked Hooper earlier in the afternoon to beat Macon East for a spot on the podium.

Game 1: Chambers 4, Hooper 8

Hooper’s big first inning propelled them to a 3-0 lead. Two lead-off walks got runners into scoring position. A single brought home the first run and a Chamber’s error brought home the second. Finally, another single quickly made it 3-0. Chambers’ defense staunched the bleeding with a double play to end the half inning. 

The Rebels got one back in the bottom of the first. They loaded the bases after two walks and a single by Blakely Allen. Olivia Daughtry tagged up to put the score at 3-1. 

Hooper loaded the bases in the second but only managed to get a run out of it with a sac-fly. 

The Colts effectively put the game away in the fourth inning. With runners on second and third, a ground out brought home both runners, aided by an infield error (6-1). 

A home run in the fifth inning extended Hooper’s lead to 7-1.  Then a single and a double scored the Colts’ final run, 8-1. 

Chambers tried to make a last-ditch effort in the final frame, but would fall short. A lead-off single by Amber Hinkle was followed by two outs. Then, back-to-back singles by Payton Earl and Allie Paschal added a run on. Then a monster double by Gabby Coleman would end the run 8-4. 

Despite the loss, Chambers had a good day at the plate. Seven of the nine players in the lineup notched a hit. Coleman led the team in RBIs with two, followed by Paschal and Hinkle with one apiece. 

The loss meant they played Macon East for a chance at third place in the region tournament. 

Game 2: Chambers 11, Macon East 9

Macon East jumped out to an early lead. In the bottom of the first inning, a runner on second scored off of a Chamber’s error. 

The Knights added another run in the second courtesy of a line drive single to make it 2-0. 

The lead wouldn’t last long, as Chambers tied it up in the third inning. An error followed by three straight singles got the Rebels their first run of the game. A sac-fly quickly made it 2-2. 

In the fourth, another error and single gave Chambers the lead for the first time in the game. 

The consistency was there, as the Rebels kept chipping away in the fifth inning. To sound like a broken record, an error then single put Chambers up 4-2 in the inning. 

A lead-off single by Hinkle got a runner on base. Back-to-back doubles by Earl and Paschal pushed the lead out to 6-2. 

Macon East came barreling back in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. A double and a single started the comeback. Then, an error allowed the Knights to load the bases. A triple became an inside-the-park home run due to a Chamber’s error. 

Once again, the Rebels pulled ahead. Ansley Carter was placed on second per extra-inning rules. An error allowed Samantha Lovelace to reach first and Carter to score. Hinkle singled to make it 8-6. Another single by Earl brought Hinkle home after M–Stanford moved her over with a sacrifice bunt. Then, a home run bomb by Paschal would put the game out of reach for Macon East, 11-6. 

The Knights would get a few consolation runs in the bottom of the inning, but it was not enough. Chambers takes third place in the AISA AA regional tournament. 

Hitters had a fun second game. Earl led the team, going 4-5. Paschal was close behind with three hits, but led the team in RBIs with four. Earl and Coleman each had two RBI days. 

Earl also got the win on the mound, going 6.1 innings and giving up six hits for six runs.