To say the Chamblee Lady Bulldogs had a strong week is an understatement. They played three games: Miller Grove on Tuesday, Rockdale County on Wednesday, and Clarkston on Thursday. They won all three of these games, and did so in a dominating fashion. The total victory margin across the three games was 30 runs. This extremely successful week extends their winning streak to five straight and brings their record on the season to 7-2.
The first of the three back to back games was here at Chamblee against Miller Grove. Freshman Margaret Axelson was back on the mound for this matchup, and was also leading off in the batting order. The game started out with a scare, as Miller Grove jumped out to a 3-0 lead during the top of the first. But the Lady Bulldogs responded back quickly. They got through their entire batting order in the first inning alone, putting up a whopping six runs. In the second inning, they scored four more to jump out to a 10-3 lead. Miller Grove scored two runs in the top of the third inning, but Chamblee came back and put even more distance between themselves and the opposing Wolverines. They scored four more runs, bringing the score to 14-5. Miller Grove gave on last push in the top of the fourth inning, scoring one run, but it was not enough. After five innings of play, mercy rule was called, and the Bulldogs beat the Wolverines, 14-6. Senior Anna Burke injured her knee in the contest in a collision while running the bases, but the injury was not serious and she would play again the next day.
Up next, the Chamblee Lady Bulldogs were facing the Rockdale County High School Lady Bulldogs. Though they bore the same mascot, the two teams might have been from different planets. Junior Grace Brown pitched for Chamblee against Rockdale and had an excellent game, leading the Bulldogs to another victory. This game started off slower than the game against Miller Grove, with the score remaining 0-0 through the middle of the second. The first run of the game came from the Bulldogs in the bottom of the second. After getting on base thanks to an error by Rockdale’s second base woman, Brown was able to score thanks to a triple by senior Rachel Lovejoy. However, Lovejoy was left on base, as the next three Chamblee batters were struck out by Rockdale. The third inning was also scoreless, with both teams going getting three outs in three at bats. The fourth inning is where the game started to pick up. Rockdale scored one run in the top of the fourth, bringing the score to 1-1, Rockdale. The bottom of the inning started with singles from junior Mary Axelson and Brown, as well as Lovejoy reaching base after being hit by a pitch. Junior Grace Fazzone hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Axelson to score. Then, to close out the fourth, sophomore Brooke George hit a two RBI single, bringing the score to 5-1, Chamblee. In the top of the fifth inning, Rockdale scored one more run, brining the score to 5-2. The game was capped off by what will no doubt be one of the highlights of the season. With two outs and one runner on base, Lovejoy hit a homerun over the fence, bringing the score to 7-2. Out of the park homeruns are rare in high school softball, and it was a great moment for the team. While it was not enough for a mercy rule, the scoreboard remained the same for two more innings, and the Lady Bulldogs went on to win 7-2.
For their final game of the week, the Chamblee girls travelled to Clarkston High School. It was perhaps one of the most brutal displays of strength the Lady Bulldogs will have all year. Junior Mary Axelson pitched a shutout, not allowing a single run. And in just three quick innings, CHS scored 17 runs. It was quite a feat for CCHS. Clarkston was mercy ruled, the Lady Bulldogs got to go home earlier than expected. The final score was Chamblee 17, Clarkston 0.
The Lady Bulldogs will hope to keep their win streak alive, and carry this momentum into their coming games. Next week, the 7-2 Lady Bulldogs will play in three straight away games. On Monday they will face off against, Lakeside. They then will play Southwest DeKalb on Tuesday, and will play at Riverwood on Wednesday.
