Chaffee flags down Oran 3-1 in semis

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Chaffee second baseman Jared Walker was in unfamiliar territory as he tracked back and to his right, transitioning smoothly from the dirt infield to the outfield grass.

Walker hadn't started a game at the position all season, but with his team's victory floating through the air above him, he reached up and across his body and made an improbable catch before tumbling to the ground, losing his hat in the process.

"I knew if it was hit there I would have to give it my all to win it for the team," Walker said.

When he returned to his feet, he grabbed the baseball from his glove and lifted it high above his head to celebrate his team's 3-1 victory over Oran in the Class 1 District 2 semifinals on its home field.

"I thought for sure it was down," Chaffee coach Brian Horrell said. "I thought we were looking at a tie game. I'm not trying to sell us short, but I didn't think the kid had that kind of range."

Chaffee's Alex Crowe celebrates after scoring the first run against Oran on Tuesday during the first inning of their Class 1 District 2 tournament game in Chaffee, Mo. Chaffee won 3-1 to reach today's championship game. (LAURA SIMON)

With the bases loaded full of Oran players, Horrell already was thinking of the bottom half of the inning.

"I thought it was going to be 3-3," he said. "I was wanting to make sure we understood we still got to bat, we got to get the ball back in and we've got to stop the bleeding because I thought we were going to have to bat in the bottom of the seventh. I was wanting to make sure that they didn't think we'd lost the ballgame."

Walker has started at third base all season, but was moved to second base after a quick practice Monday night in an effort to improve Chaffee's infield defense.

"The kid he went in to replace was his cousin and he's the only senior we've got," Horrell said, talking about Josh Hendrix, who eventually pinch-hit in the sixth inning. "But even though he's one senior, he's our leadership. He's our heart and soul of the team.

"He didn't pout in the dugout. He kept his teammates up. He come in, he got the bunt down [and] he did everything we asked."

Oran's Dylan Dannenmueller, left, and Kody Moore trap Chaffee's Jason Cicardi in a rundown during the fifth inning Tuesday in Chaffee, Mo. (LAURA SIMON)

Andrew Dooley pitched the complete game for Chaffee.

"He's our horse, he's our ace," said Horrell, who paid his pitcher a visit in the seventh inning. "He said he was fine, so I said just take a deep breath and it's your ballgame. Go get them. He walked one after I left, and it was going to be his game to win or lose."

Oran put at least one runner on base in all but the first inning, but scored just once. The Eagles stranded 10 runners.

"He's a good pitcher, take nothing away from him," Oran's Kody Moore said of Dooley. "But we hit the ball today. We hit it right at them, but we should've won that game."

It looked as though Oran would score in the fourth inning as well. But center fielder Daniel Dooley, the brother of pitcher Andrew, made a headlong dive to his left to take a hit and at least one RBI away from Alex Heuring.

"I just hustled after it and tried to catch it standing up," Daniel Dooley said, "but then I knew I had to dive."

Chaffee scored all three of its runs in the first two innings, two of which came on wild pitches.

Oran starter Dalton Elfrink, a sophomore, did not record an out before being replaced by freshman Moore with the bases loaded.

"I'm throwing freshmen and this time a year that's what I was afraid of four weeks ago when we had those three kids go down," Oran coach Mitch Wood said. "I put all these freshmen in and I was wondering how they were going to make it when it comes this time, and they've done well.

"Usually we don't ask them to learn this early. Usually they're watching some other kids play."

Oran finished the season at 16-9 while Chaffee will face No. 1 seed Bernie in the district title game at 4 p.m. today.

"I don't remember the last time I've played for anything really, really important and I've never pitched in a championship game or anything," said Daniel Dooley, one of three options Horrell could use to start against the Mules. "I'm pretty ready though, not really nervous.

"Probably will be tomorrow."

Oran 010 000 0 -- 1 5 2

Chaffee 210 000 x -- 3 4 3

WP -- Andrew Dooley. LP -- Dalton Elfrink. Multiple hits -- Oran: Blake Carlyle 2-4. Records -- Oran 16-9.