Charleston wins Babe Ruth state crown No. 7

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- With their seventh Missouri Senior Babe Ruth state title on the line Wednesday, the defending champion Charleston Fighting Squirrels brought the pain.

And who better to bring it than Cody Payne?

The Chaffee native, who got the nod earlier in the day from coach Michael Minner, was lights-out on the mound against Boonville, coming one pitch away from throwing a no-hitter.

As Payne dealt, his offense spotted him a three-run lead and the Squirrels held on for a 3-1 win that gave them their seventh state championship in eight years.

"At about 11:30 this morning, I got the text asking me if I was good to go," Payne said. "I gave him a thumbs up. The two innings I pitched this weekend was more like bullpen work. I was a little worn out those days from catching the whole game before I took the mound, but my arm felt really good today coming into it."

Payne never gave Boonville a chance to start a rally over the first six innings. Boonville had just three base runners -- never more than one in an inning -- on two walks and an error.

His only trouble came with two outs in the top of the seventh and one strike from the no-hitter. Payne walked Boonville hitter Trevor Huta on a 3-2 count, and Jady Reece doubled to center field to score Huta and bring the tying run to the plate.

"I don't think the pressure what's got to me," said Payne, who was aware of the no-hitter. "I got behind to the guy 1-0, so I was trying to get ahead with a strike to even the count. I ended up leaving it over the plate too much and he made me pay for it."

Payne secured the win when he induced a grounder to shortstop Tim Fox, who fired to first baseman Matt Ulrich for the out.

"Cody was tremendous today," Minner said. "He was the difference in the game. Boonville was probably the best-hitting team here, and they showed it all week. They were excellent offensively, and for Cody to step in and only give up one hit with two outs in the seventh, what a remarkable performance. He's a great kid."

The offense gave him early run support with a three-run rally in the bottom of the third using small ball to attack Boonville's defense.

Colton Hampton led off the inning with a single up the middle, and three of Charleston's next four batters bunted. The first two bunts resulted in fielding errors to load the bases with nobody out.

Leadoff hitter Brad Potts then lined a two-run single up the middle.

"Whenever we get on with no outs, Minner likes to bunt and just see what happens," Potts said. "It was happening. I had to settle down and take a deep breathe. He just threw me that good pitch and I winged on it."

Tim Fox followed Potts with a bunt for a base hit to reload the bases.

After a Boonville pitching change, Luke Haines hit a into a double play that scored a run to make it 3-0.

"We hit into a double play when they made that change," Minner said. "At that point the way Cody was throwing, we'll trade the double play to get an insurance run. Three runs was all Cody needed."

Boonville had forced the if-necessary championship game with a 9-3 win over Charleston on Tuesday.

"Last night we didn't play very well," Fox said. "We came back out here today and coach told us 'It's just another game. Don't be nervous about it.' We went out and had a team lunch today. We just kind of settled the nerves and had fun."

Boonville 000 000 0 -- 1

Charleston 003 000 x -- 3

WP – Cody Payne. LP – Chase Snapp. Multiple hitters: (C) Brad Potts 2-3. 2B – Jady Reece.