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While none of the local AHSAA teams made the postseason, Chambers County had both AISA schools, Springwood and Chambers Academy, play in playoff games on Tuesday. The Rebels faced off against Hooper Academy for the first round of the baseball playoffs.

Game 1:

Hooper struck first. A base runner got on by error to start off the game. A single and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases. Another hard-hit ground ball forced another error, scoring two for the Colts. Starting pitcher Johnathan Caulfield stopped the bleeding with two strikeouts and a pop out.

Chambers bounced back quickly. A two-out rally started by a Luke Tarver double shifted the momentum. An Eli Wharton single and a pair of doubles by Colton Fuller and Payton Yerta gave Chambers a 3-2 lead before the final out of the first inning.

Caulfield blanked Hooper in the second. The offense tacked on in the bottom of the second. With two runners on, Landon Hand stole home to score the first run of the inning. Then, Tarver scored on a Hooper error. 

The third would be even more productive. Hooper was plagued by errors in game one and saw the first baserunner on. A walk set up a two-RBI single by Bryce Modling. A double by Hand pushed the Rebels’ lead out to 8-2. Hand would steal home again later in the inning to add another run, facilitated by Tarver’s base running. Tarver scored on an error. 

Hooper tried to mount a comeback in the fourth. An error and three straight walks started the scoring. A double to left field cut the Rebels’ lead in half, 10-5. A hit-by-pitch walked the sixth run home. 

Chambers’ offense continued to roll. Two lead-off walks and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with no outs. Wharton came up big with a double to empty them. A Thrower double later in the inning made it 15-6. A balk brought home the final run of the game to get the Rebels a step closer to the next round.

Game 2:

Game Two of the doubleheader was a more back-and-forth battle. Chambers had to win to avoid a third game to be played on Wednesday. 

Chambers jumped out early. Bryce Modling led off with a long double. Hand then got on base with a single. A groundout brought Modling home and a Whorton double added another run. Two errors by Hooper pushed the score to 3-0. Drew Shepphard knocked a ground out RBI to make it 4-0.

Hooper found their bats in the first inning. Two straight singles set up a monster RBI double. Another Hooper single and an infield error made it 4-3. A single, then tied it up, and a bases-loaded walk gave the Colts the lead. 

Chambers tied it 5-5 in the second by a Bryce Modeling steal. 

Hopper tacked on two runs in the third on a fielder’s choice and an error. 

In the top of the fourth, Chambers once again retook the lead. A single by Hand drove in a run. Then, a bases-loaded walk tied it up 7-7. A passed ball allowed P– Belcher to capture the lead. Hunter Andrews singled to make it a three-run game. 

Chambers would add another run in the fifth inning. 

Another momentum shift came in the bottom of the fifth. A single and back-to-back walks made it bases loaded with no outs for Hooper. A ground out scored the lead-off runner. Another walk and a fielder’s choice made it 11-9. Two straight errors gave Hooper the lead, 11-12. 

With two runs in the seventh, Hopper looked ready to force a game three. But three straight walks kept Chambers in the game. The hero would be Yerta, with a three-RBI line drive double to make it 14-12. 

That would be all she wrote. Chambers will not have to play a third game and move on to the second round of the tournament. They will play Bessemer away; the date and time are to be announced.