McKinnie does it all in Chaffee’s win over Crystal City

CHAFFEE - Levi McKinnie stole the show on Monday afternoon at Harmon Field.

McKinnie did a little bit of everything in the Red Devils’ 6-0 win over the Crystal City Hornets.

He got the start for the Red Devils on the mound and struck out the first three batters and what followed was gamesmanship from Chaffee coach Aaron Horrell.

“I told (Levi) after the game on Wednesday that I was going to do some crazy stuff,” Horrell said. “I told my kids that everything I did today I look like an idiot if they don’t execute. We had a game plan and they went out and executed it.”

The “crazy stuff” Horrell had up his sleeve involved putting McKinnie behind the plate at the start of the second inning where he remained until there were two outs in the top of the third.

Horrell had given the ball to Peyton Vaughn in the second and with the Red Devils hanging to a 1-0 lead, the Hornets loaded the bases with two outs.

Horrell would take McKinnie from behind the plate and reenter him at pitcher where McKinnie would throw three-straight strikes to tightrope out of trouble and keep the 1-0 lead intact.

“I didn’t want to do it,” Horrell said. “But, I was thinking I wouldn’t be able to live with myself this summer if I let them hit a bases-clearing double with our guy sitting behind the plate and not him being the one that they have to beat.”

After escaping the jam in the third, Mckinnie would return behind the plate until Horrell gave him the ball again in the top of the seventh to slam the door shut on the Red Devils’ 6-0 win.

McKinnie said he didn’t know what ideas Horrell had coming into Monday’s matchup with Crystal City.

“Him pulling me and then putting me back in for one batter was crazy,” McKinnie said. “But we executed the plan and it worked.”

Chaffee would open the scoring in the bottom of the second when Peyton Vaughn scored Carson Spies on a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.

McKinnie’s big day wasn’t just on the defensive side of the ball. After his brief appearance in the top half of the third, he came to bat with two outs in the bottom of the third and launched a solo home run to left field.

“I was just trying to do something to get the team going again,” McKinnie said. “I went up there just looking for my pitch and executed.”

The score would remain 2-0 until the Red Devils came to bat again in the bottom of the sixth. They would tack on four more runs capped off by Kolbey Estes coming in off the bench with the bases loaded and driving a single to left that cleared the bases following an error.

“It was really special for him,” Horrell said. “He’s had moments this year where he’s been a big factor in our lineup.”

McKinnie finished on the mound throwing 2.1 innings allowing no runs on no hits while striking out six.

Peyton Vaughn lasted 1.2 innings and he allowed 1 hit while striking out two.

Eli Glueck threw a clean inning for the Red Devils and Kade Atkins threw two innings allowing one hit and striking out three.

“Everyone was consistent when they came in,” Horrell said. “Everybody seemed to be on top of their game. It was just an incredible job by all of them.”

Chaffee (20-9) advances to the Class 2 State Quarterfinals where the Red Devils will take on Bernie on Wednesday, May 24.