Chaffee's McKinnie picks up where he left off with Squirrels

After concluding his high school career at Chaffee with a second consecutive Class 2 third-place finish, Levi McKinnie returned on Tuesday, June 11, to make his first pitching appearance of the summer with the Aycorp Fighting Squirrels.

McKinnine entered the game in the third inning and went four frames with two earned runs and six strikeouts, and also had a pinch-hit RBI in the ninth inning in the Squirrels' 6-4 win over Cape Ford and Son's in the first game of a doubleheader at Cape Central High School.

McKinnine shut down the Cape lineup until running into trouble in the sixth inning. Cape scored its first run on an error and then tied the game 3-3 on a two-run single by Connor Poole.

"He was really good and then he really wasn't," Squirrels had coach Mike Minner said. "He and I laughed about that."

Peyton Hodges started the game and threw two no-hit innings before passing the baton to McKinnie. Hodges and McKinnie are two of the Squirrels' top pitchers who enter this summer better than ever, but we'll have to wait until later in the summer to see that in fruition.

"I think both of their velocities are better right now," Minner said. "Their off-speed stuff is probably a lot better and I think they're more mature. Obviously with time comes maturity, and so that's a big thing."

McKinnie finished his senior season at Chaffee with an 8-0 record, a 1.03 ERA, and 97 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched over a team-high 15 games and 12 starts. Hodges recently finished his freshman season at NCAA Division III Kenyon College, where he started in the bullpen but shifted to the rotation and threw a total of 42.1 innings with a 4.04 ERA and 36 strikeouts over 16 appearances.

"They're two guys that worked their tails off," Minner said. "We've been on the same team, we've been on different teams, and I sure as hell like having them on my team better than I do facing them."

The Squirrels took the initial 3-0 lead on an RBI single by Talan McDaniel in the second inning and out-inducing RBIs by Owen Osborne (sac fly) and Wyatt Friley (ground out) in the third inning.

The Squirrels retook control of the game in the ninth inning after Brady Swims drove in a run after reaching on an error. McKinnie drove in a run on a single and McDaniel walked with the bases loaded to cap the three-run rally.

Brady Smith earned the win after three innings in relief, allowing one run and two strikeouts. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored.

Cape shortstop Brayden Meade scored the last run of the first game with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth. He went 2-for-5 with two RBI.

The second game was much less competitive. The Squirrels won 4-0 in a game that went five innings because the first game took two innings longer.

McDaniel and Luke Hester combined to throw five shutout innings with eight strikeouts. As the starter, McDaniel earned the win.

McKinnie and Swims collected two hits in Game 2, while Owen Osborne's only hit resulted in the game's only double. Swims' two-run single in the third inning represented the play of the game for the Squirrels.

The Squirrels will host the Aycorp Media Classic Friday-Sunday, June 14-16, in Charleston, Mo.