Chaffee escapes vs. Jackson in extras at Senior Babe Ruth state tourney

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Chaffee Senior Babe Ruth player Connor Scott has experience with close shaves.

Scott, a recent graduate of East Prairie High School where he was the starting quarterback on the football team and a standout on the baseball team, is sporting a red mohawk these days. It matches his Chaffee apparel.

On Friday night, Scott was involved in another close shave against Jackson in a winners bracket semifinal against Jackson at the Senior Babe Ruth state tournament, and he again came through in flying colors.

Scott pitched out of jams -- not of his own creation -- in both his innings of relief to help send the game into extra innings, then belted a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning to help Chaffee win 12-2.

Scott's blast was one of nine hits by the Squids in a 10-run inning that never would of happened without two big plays in the seventh inning.

It also might not of happened if Scott had not changed his mind about playing summer baseball after playing the past few seasons for the Charleston Squirrels, who the Squids played in Saturday's winners bracket final.

"Actually right after school ball, I had it set in my mind that I wasn't going to play," said Scott, who plans to attend Southeast Missouri State on an academic scholarship in the fall and may try to walk-on with the Redhawks baseball team. "I was just going to work going into college. And a few of the players here were texting me and coach started texting me. And I guess after leaving high school ball, it made me want to keep playing. I had to come and play."

Scott's quick allegiance to red has been a boost for the Squids, who also feature Chaffee natives Cody Payne and Trevor Cannon with red mohawks.

"We've got some good team spirit, and that's what saved this game -- staying strong and playing good in those tough situations," said Scott, who pitched 1 2/3 hitless innings. "We just came out mentally tough, and that's all you can do in a close game like that."

Chaffee first pushed across the tying run with one out in the seventh inning when Daniel Dooley knocked the ball out of the Jackson catcher's glove on a play at the plate. Dooley had doubled with one out, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Payne's grounder to third base to tie the game 2-2.

Chaffee then cut down the potential winning run at the plate with one out in the bottom of the inning.

Chaffee left fielder Josh Overbey made the latter play after Chaffee coach Aaron Horrell positioned Overbey around second base with the game hanging in the balance. Jackson's Shawn Hadler had advanced all the way to third on two throwing errors after his sharp grounder to second base was botched royally with one out.

Overbey, who played shortstop for Bell City during the high school season, was in the perfect spot when Jackson leadoff batter Derek Landewee smashed a one-hop shot past Scott. Overbey threw home to Payne, who made a diving tag on Hadler.

"It was close," Payne said. "I know I had him because he tried to go around me. Getting to him was the tough part."

Payne then threw out Landewee at second on a steal attempt to send the game into extra innings.

"That was probably the most exciting thing I've ever been a part of in coaching," said Horrell, in his first year as the Squids' coach. "That was awesome. I was shaking from the fifth inning on. Every play was so important. Every out and every pitch. It was awesome."

Chaffee cleanup hitter Blake Keasler of Bernie opened the top of the eighth with a double to deep center off Jackson starter Alex Beussink, and Nolan Urhahn of Oran reached on a bunt single to put runners at first and third.

Beussink then fell behind Scott, who had not hit a home run this year in high school or summer ball. Scott sent a 3-1 pitch over the left-center field fence.

"I was just looking for a pitch to get out in the green," Scott said. "I didn't know it was gone until I got to second base. I just thought I hit a deep fly ball. I didn't know it went out."

Chaffee chased Beussink with two more hits, then banged out five hits off two Jackson relievers, who also hit two batters and walked another, to turn the game into a rout.

"The final score was not indicative of the ballgame," Jackson coach Paul Sander said. "The game just got away from us. I told our kids, even though we kind of imploded in the eighth inning, it wasn't a defensive implosion. They just hit the ball. They earned their runs in the eighth inning. Our pitcher just ran out of gas. He couldn't get them out anymore and our relievers just couldn't get it done."

Jackson took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Tyler Morris and an RBI sacrifice bunt by Hadler.

Chaffee cut the deficit to 2-1 in the fourth inning but struggled against Beussink, who yielded just six hits through the first seven innings. He struck out five, walked three and also was helped by three double plays.

"I'm so proud of our kids for battling and staying in the game," Horrell said. "It would of been so easy to roll over when we weren't hitting the ball."

A roll-over moment could have occurred in the sixth when Jackson center fielder Clay Roth made a diving catch in left-center field and jumped to his feet to double off a runner at second base to end the inning. The play, which came with runners at first and second, preserved a 2-1 Jackson lead at the time.

"I thought I had the gap," Overbey said. "I was celebrating going down the line. I was pumping my fist. The kid made a great play."

"That was one of the top five plays I've seen made by an outfielder as a coach, and I've coached for a long time," Sander said. "Especially in a tremendously clutch situation like that."

Every spot in the Chaffee lineup had a hit. The Squids finished with 15 hits.

Keasler went 3 for 4, while Payne, Urhahn, Scott, Overbey and Dooley all had two hits apiece.

Chaffee starter Andrew Dooley pitched 5 1/3 innings and allowed seven hits. He struck out five.