By Drew Granthum | Shelby County Reporter

While the temperatures were dropping close to freezing March 4, the Calera Eagles softball team’s bats were anything but, taking down neighboring Jemison 17-7.

Despite what the final score indicated, the Panthers came out swinging.

Jemison jumped out to an early lead when Brooke Lewis turned a single into a run on an error by Calera’s Endia Harris. Jessica Paschal and Destiny Bailey came across the plate to give the Panthers a 3-0 lead to start the game.

Calera tied the game in the bottom of the first. Shelby Clark walked, later scoring on a Charley Clark double to left field to get the Eagles on the board.

After Katie Eiland reached on a walk, Charley Clark scored on a wild pitch, and Eiland scored on a Somer Roberson single to left to bring the score to 3-3 after one.

Jemison tacked on two more runs in the top of the second when Wendy Spigener and Morgan Lucas came home off Lewis’ fielder’s choice and an Emily Spain single to center, respectively.

The Panthers maintained their 5-3 lead until the bottom of the third, when a single by Eiland turned into a run after a Harris single. After three, the Panthers held on a 5-4 lead.

Down by one, the Eagles’ bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth. Skyler Laird and Shelby Clark both singled, and Laird scored on a Charley Clark double to left.

Charley Clark, Eiland, Roberson, Harris, Jennifer Townley and Laird also scored for a nine-run inning to take a 13-5 lead.

In the sixth, Jemison’s Spigener and Lucas came across to bring the score to 13-7.

The Eagles answered in the bottom of the sixth, adding four more runs when Emily Sanders, Shelby Clark, Charley Clark and Shelby Wright all came across to give Calera the 17-7 win.

Emily Spain led the Panthers at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI, and Spigener went 1-for-2 with two runs and a walk.

On the mound, Jennifer Paschal went 3 2/3 innings, surrendering eight earned runs on 14 hits, with three walks and three strikeouts.

Calera’s Kennise Bolton went 1 2/3 innings, giving up three earned runs on four hits, with four walks and a strikeout.