Chamblee’s Ava Pellettieri drove in three runs to aid the Lady Bulldogs rally from a 5-2 deficit to a 9-5 victory over the Collins Hill Lady Eagles. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Chamblee Lady Bulldogs scored seven unanswered runs to rally past the Collins Hill Lady Eagles for 9-5 fastpitch softball non-region game at Chamblee on Monday.
A two-out grand slam homer over the center field fence by Collins Hill’s Peyton Powers gave the Eagles (0-4) a 5-2 lead in the top of the second inning.
Chamblee (3-0) began to claw its way back into the game with runs in the bottom of the second and bottom of the fourth. Kate Sarago’s sacrifice fly in the second scored Elena Smith in the second inning and Avery Dauria singled into short right-center field to score Caroline Runsick in the fourth to cut the lead to 5-4 going into the fifth.
After getting out of a two-out, two-on jam in the top of the fifth Gali Nelson came to bat with one out and a runner on second. She lined a hit down the right-field line to score Pellettieri to tie the game at 5-5. Runsick came through two batters later with a single into left to score Nelson to give the Bulldogs a 6-5 lead.
Nelson set the Eagles down in order in the top of the sixth to bring the Bulldogs back to the plate in what would be a three-run inning.
Smith walked to start the inning and Sarago put runners on first and second with a one-out to bring Axelson to the plate. Axelson answered the call with a double to the center-field fence to score Lilah Scher running for Smith. Sarago then caught the fielder’s napping to score another run on the play.
Pellettieri grounded to second base for a fielder’s choice to plate Hannah Sullivan running for Axelson to up the lead to 9-5 with Collins Hill coming to bat in the top of the seventh.
Nelson got outs on a fly ball and ground out against the two first Eagles to bat before giving up a walk to Camryn Williams before getting McKenzie Jones to ground into a fielder’s choice to Pellettieri at shortstop to end the game.
Jones had given the Eagles a 1-0 lead in the first inning with an RBI single to right before the Bulldogs answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs on a single to right by Pellettieri to make it a 2-1 advantage for Chamblee.
Rachel Axelson led the Bulldogs at the plate with a 3-4 performance with a double and RBI. Caroline Runsick was 2-3 with a double and Ava Pellettieri drove in three runs in the game.