Warhawks Win 3, Snap Coastal South's 10 Game Win Streak
Decatur, AL — Calhoun softball welcomed a red-hot Coastal Alabama South squad to town for a four-game ACCC series on Friday and Saturday, as the Coyotes entered riding a 10-game winning streak and an 8-0 mark in conference play. The Warhawks answered the challenge, taking three of four games and snapping Coastal's streak with back-to-back wins on Friday before earning a split on Saturday.
Game 1 – Calhoun 7, Coastal Alabama South 5
The series opened with immediate fireworks as the Warhawks slipped on the game plan, allowing Coastal's Sydni Carpenter, the conference leader in home runs, to see 2 strikes before launching a home run on the third pitch of the series give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead. Coastal extended the advantage to 4-0 before Calhoun responded in the bottom of the second, plating four runs to even the score.
From that point on, the Warhawks never waivered in their approach to the ACCC's home run leader, refusing to give her another hittable pitch and intentionally walking her in every remaining plate appearance of the weekend. Calhoun added two more runs in the third to take a 6-4 lead, and both teams scored once in the sixth to finalize a 7-5 decision.
Morgan Lane led the offense, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, while Kaylee Williams earned the win in the circle and Addi Wilson closed the door for the save.
Game 2 – Calhoun 9, Coastal Alabama South 1 (5 innings)
With the wind blowing in from center field and Carpenter neutralized in the lineup, Calhoun executed a disciplined game plan to control the second game. Coastal managed a run in the first inning, but the Warhawks steadily pulled away with two runs in the second, two more in the third, and a five-run fourth inning to secure the run-rule victory.
Calhoun's approach emphasized keeping the Coyotes' offense off balance, forcing them into unfavorable contact while capitalizing offensively with timely hitting. Missey French led the charge, going 3-for-3 with three RBI, while five additional Warhawks contributed RBI in a balanced attack that featured four doubles and a triple. Addi Wilson picked up the win in the circle.
Game 3 – Coastal Alabama South 8, Calhoun 0 (5 innings)
Playing as the visiting team on Saturday, Calhoun struggled to generate offense in game three. The Warhawks recorded just three hits, with Kenley Holcombe accounting for two of them in a 2-for-2 effort.
Coastal capitalized, scoring three runs in the second inning, two in the fourth, and three more in the fifth to secure the run-rule victory. Emellie Hamilton took the loss in the circle.
Game 4 – Calhoun 17, Coastal Alabama South 9
Calhoun bounced back in a big way in the series finale, erupting for six runs in the first inning to set the tone. After Coastal answered with a run in the bottom half, the Warhawks continued to pour it on with three runs in the second and five more in the third to build a commanding 14-2 lead.
Calhoun added another run in the fourth to stretch the margin to 15-2, but Coastal mounted a push with five runs in the inning to keep things interesting. The Warhawks responded by turning back to Addi Wilson in the circle to regain control, and both teams added two runs in the fifth to close out a 17-9 victory.
The offense was explosive throughout, led by Tessa Jacobs' 4-for-4, five RBI performance. Madison Allen went 2-for-3 with four RBI, while Emily Burgreen added a 3-for-4 outing with four RBI of her own. Wilson earned the win to secure the series.
Calhoun head coach Denton Bowling credited his team's discipline and buy-in against one of the league's top teams. "It's a really good team we faced this weekend, coming in undefeated in conference, so I'm proud of how our girls competed," Bowling said. "After the mis-step on the first batter of the series, we locked into the game plan and stuck with it. This group has really bought in and been coachable, and that's what it takes to come away with big wins like this."
Calhoun (21-17, 6-6) will travel to Southern Union on Thursday, April 2 for a conference doubleheader.