Cam Nunley walk-off double leads Helena to area sweep of Calera

Published 10:34 am Thursday, April 6, 2023

By Alec Etheredge

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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

Tied 2-2 with two outs and a runner on first, Cam Nunley stepped to the plate for the Helena Huskies hoping to play hero on Wednesday night, April 5 in front of the home crowd.

Taking on the Calera Eagles in an area matchup, the Huskies were looking to close out an area sweep and lock up a playoff spot this season, and Nunley had the opportunity to make it happen.

On the first pitch he saw, he did just that. Nunley drove the ball deep to right field and it got down for a double that allowed Jarret Scott to score all the way from first for a 3-2 walk-off victory.

It was part of a thrilling back-and-forth battle between the two county foes.

Calera struck first in the top of the first and held that same lead going into the bottom of the fifth.

Helena, however, responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, finally finding some success offensively to take a one-run lead.

But the Eagles quickly answered back with a run in the top of the sixth to even the score at 2-2.

That lead held up until the bottom of the seventh when Nunley stepped up with the clutch walk-off hit to pick up the win.

Scott led Helena in the win with a 2-for-4 game featuring two RBIs, while Nunley finished with the lone hit and RBI. Bennett Plowden and Ty Stricklin had the only other hits with one apiece for the Huskies.

Hayden Berry picked up the complete-game win, striking out seven and giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks.

Calera was led by Logan Carson with two hits and an RBI, while Preston Stokes added one hit and an RBI. Tyde Harrison went the distance for the Eagles, striking out eight and giving up three runs on five hits and one walk.

The first game of the series was no less thrilling and featured the same sort of back-and-forth battle, just with slightly more offensive action.

Calera took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one and led 3-2 after two and 4-3 after four.

From there, however, Helena settled in defensively in the field, while the offense closed out the game with six more runs between the final two innings to pick up a 9-5 victory.

Ryan Pearson was big in the winning effort, pitching three scoreless innings and striking out four while giving up just one hit in his time to keep Calera from coming back and allowing the Huskies to pull away.

Willmon got the start on the mound, striking out seven and giving up two earned runs on four hits and three walks and five total runs.

At the plate, Scott again led the way with two hits and two RBIs, while Braydon Kendrick finished with two RBIs on one hit. Mason Johnson and Berry each added an RBI on one hit, while Nunley finished with two hits and an RBI.

Calera was led by Berry with two hits and an RBI in the loss.

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