Horrell, Chaffee rewrite history in quarterfinal win at Bernie

On an afternoon of emotional ups and downs, Chaffee baseball used a four-run fourth inning and some heads-up baserunning to take down the Mules, 5-3, in Bernie to advance the Red Devils into their first state semifinal since 1992.

As junior Kade Atkins struck out the final batter of the game, the Red Devils charged the mound in jubilee to celebrate Atkins securing the save to finalize Chaffee’s trip to Ozark, Mo. for the state final four.

However, in the dugout, head coach Aaron Horrell embraced long-time Chaffee coach and father Brian Horrell as the two celebrated three decades worth of work within the program.

Chaffee coach Aaron Horrell (left) embraces father and assistant coach Brian Horrell (right) after a May 24, 2023 matchup between Chaffee and Bernie at Bernie High School in Bernie, Mo. Chaffee defeated Bernie, 5-3, to advance to a Class 2 semifinal game.Cole Lee ~ Southeast Missourian

“Selfishly, I'm so happy,” Horrell said. “My dad's put 33 years into this program and to get to go, I know it means the world to him. It means the world to me, but it means the world to us because of these kids and the work that they have to put in and what we demand of them. To see all their hard work and dedication that we put upon them, to get the results, to have this it validates what you do a little bit.

“Hopefully, it makes what we ask of them worth it. When they have to answer the bell, everything we ask of them, hopefully, this puts it into perspective and it makes it all worth it.”

After Red Devil standout Levi McKinnie’s 112-pitch outing ended in a two-run single to cut the deficit to two for Bernie, Horrell called upon Atkins with one out in the top of the sixth and runners on first and second.

Atkins stepped up to the challenge, forcing the first two batters he faced into a fly-out and a pop-out to end the inning and strand two on base. While McKinnie earned the win on the mound for the Red Devils, after hitting his pitch count, Atkins recorded a critical save that etched the Chaffee squad into history.

“I was feeling great – my arm has felt good all week,” Atkins said. “I was just ready to go. I knew I had a defense behind me to make some plays. I’ve had faith in them since the first game of the year, so it felt good to get to save and take us to the final four.”

Bernie's Reece Justice (center) follows through his pitch during a May 24, 2023 matchup between Chaffee and Bernie at Bernie High School in Bernie, Mo. Chaffee defeated Bernie, 5-3, to advance to a Class 2 semifinal game.Cole Lee ~ Southeast Missourian

While the season runs into the state championships for the Red Devils, the season comes to a close for the Bernie Mules that caught fire entering the playoffs and pushed their hot streak all the way into a state quarterfinal game at home.

Riding high on an eight-game winning streak, Bernie’s offense hit eight times against the Red Devils and put the tying run on base in the sixth, but couldn’t come up with the play to take advantage and advance to the final four.

Both communities showed up in strong numbers, with a loud atmosphere for a small park on the campus of Bernie High School packed for the Class 2 quarterfinal game.

“Our community here in Bernie is special,” Bernie coach Marcus Massey said. “I mean, they buy into our kids and they support our kids. You can't thank them enough. They show up, they support us and they care. They're a big part of the reason that we're in the position we're in and even being here today.”

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and the score knotted at one-all, freshman Leyton Hanback drove a double into left fielder to score Atkins and McKinnie to build a two-run lead. An error by the Bernie infield saw courtesy runner Zaven Leible turn third and score, while Spies stole three bases on wild pitches after reaching on the error to score the fourth run of the inning.

The two-out rally sealed the game for Chaffee, generating all of the offense that the Red Devils needed to put out the Mules and advance to the state semifinal stage.

Chaffee's Zaven Leible (left) high-fives teammate Eli Glueck (right) during a May 24, 2023 matchup between Chaffee and Bernie at Bernie High School in Bernie, Mo. Chaffee defeated Bernie, 5-3, to advance to a Class 2 semifinal game.Cole Lee ~ Southeast Missourian

“Hanback had a big day,” Horrell said. “He had two hits, he came up and hit a double down the line and they kind of have a miscue. McKinnie hustled his tail off from first and scored on the ball hit to left. Those two runs were huge and then we came and continued to pile it on.”

With the win, Chaffee advances into the state semifinal and will play Salisbury on Monday at 4 p.m. in Ozark, Mo. The trip across the southern border of the state takes roughly four hours by car.

While the Red Devils will play on Tuesday regardless of the result, whether in the first-place game or the third-place game, Horrell knows that his club has the potential to finish on top of the bracket even among the state’s elite.

“Anybody that’s still left is pretty darn good,” Horrell said. “It's gonna be a tall task, but when our kids show up and we play, we make routine plays and we throw strikes, we're good enough to play with anybody. When we hurt ourselves, we're capable of losing to anybody.

“If we come out and play quality baseball, we'll have a chance. If we don't, it'll be a two-day trip and hopefully, we’ll still enjoy it no matter the outcome, because this is a pretty special moment.”