Details matter to Chaffee BB, even in easy Ws

BELL CITY – In his second season at the helm of guiding the Chaffee High School baseball program, Aaron Horrell led his alma mater to its best finish (third place in the MSHSAA Class 2 State Finals) in over three decades. So, Horrell is not a guy who fails to see details, even in the latest of the Red Devils’ many routs that they have put on opposing teams this spring.

“That is the way that we try and preach playing the game,” Horrell said. “No matter what the score is, you’re always trying to get better for the next game, the Districts, the playoffs, or whatever it may be.”

That was the case on Wednesday, as Class 2 No. 3-ranked Chaffee beat Bell City 12-1 at Bell City.

The Red Devils (10-1), who have enjoyed blowouts in seven of their 11 games, thus far this spring, never relented against the Cubs (4-3).

Chaffee took a 1-0 lead in its initial at-bat and added six more runs in the second inning and four more in the third.

“We try to worry about one pitch at a time and trying to do everything right,” Horrell said. “We’re always trying to play that way because we tell (the players) that we can’t get to the playoffs and flip a switch and then say that we’re going to play the game the right way.”

Against Bell City, Horrell explained that he was studying how his players managed their at-bats against different pitch counts, and later in the game, he offered instruction to a Red Devil freshman on the nuance of proper baserunning.

“This is a long journey,” Horrell said of the regular season. “Basically, to me, you have a lot of exhibition games to get your team to where you want to be.”

The Red Devils managed to crank out 10 hits against three different Cub throwers, led by senior Kade Atkins, who had two hits to go with his two runs scored and an RBI.

Senior Levi McKinnie drew a pair of walks in the win while Eli Glueck (one hit, one run, two RBI, two walks), senior Carson Spies (one hit, one run, two RBI, one walk), sophomore Leyton Hanback (one hit, two RBI), junior Connor Berry (one hit, one RBI), sophomore Kolbey Estes (two hits, one run, one walk), senior Peyton Vaughn (one hit, one run), and junior Kamden Little (one hit, three runs, one RBI, two walks) also contributed.

Spies, Gleuck, Atkins, Estes, and Hanback each connected for doubles while Berry added a stolen base.

Gleuck threw all five innings and allowed just three Cub hits, one earned run, and one walk, and struck out five batters.

Bell City junior Dawson Loomes had a hit in the loss, as did sophomore Landon Stewart and sophomore Aydin Malone, who also scored a run and had an RBI when he connected for a late-inning home run.

Cub sophomore Kale Richardson drew a walk in the loss.

Loomes worked a couple of innings in the start and walked four and struck out two.

Sophomore Juan Hernandez relieved Loomes and gave up one hit in two innings, allowed two earned runs, and walked four.

Junior Baylor Eftink closed the game for Bell City, which has dropped three straight after a 4-0 start to the spring. Eftink pitched one inning and allowed just one hit and walked none.

Bell City will host Puxico (1-3) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

Chaffee will host Caruthersville (6-3) today at 4:30 p.m.