Scott City baseball team overcomes its miscues to beat Chaffee

~ Scott City defeated Chaffee 6-4 despite eight fielding errors and a running blunder

Chris Limbaugh's baserunning faux pas proved golden for the Scott City baseball team Thursday.

Limbaugh blasted a two-run triple to right field to even the score in the fifth inning, but he rounded third base too far and would have been dead meat if he tried returning to third base.

"I went off on it pretty good and I saw it was in the gap," Limbaugh said about the hit. "I was just running as hard as I could. I overran third a little bit and couldn't really go back so I just went for it. Got lucky."

Limbaugh quickly decided his best option was heading for home. The throw to Chaffee catcher Cody Payne arrived well before Limbaugh, so Limbaugh thrust himself at the plate and knocked loose the ball to score the go-ahead run.

Scott City's Alex Eichhorn slides into home as Chaffee catcher Cody Payne fails to get a handle on the throw during the sixth inning Thursday in Scott City. Eichhorn was safe and Scott City went on to a 6-4 victory. (Kristin Eberts)

"I just saw he [Payne] was up the line and I just knew I had to get to the plate," Limbaugh said. "I couldn't really run around him. I didn't try to take him out. I just did what I had to do to get to the plate."

Limbaugh's run proved the game-winner, but the host Rams tacked on an insurance run in the sixth to cap their rally and scoot past archrival Chaffee 6-4.

"I saw him slip around third," Scott City pitcher Jamie Scholz said about Limbaugh's go-ahead hit. "I was like, 'No, that's the go-ahead run.' Then I saw him start to get into a rundown and I was like there's no way we're going to score. Then the catcher came up the line and Chris tried to go around him and the ball popped out. I guess it was a big momentum swing for our team."

The Chaffee fans voiced their displeasure with the call, but Red Devils coach Brian Horrell didn't have a problem with the play.

"I just didn't think there was a slide," Horrell said. "I thought their kid made the right play. I thought our catcher was up the line with the ball and he didn't have an opportunity to slide. You've got to try to question it."

Limbaugh's play at the plate never should have decided the game. Chaffee (10-2) wasted numerous golden opportunities to bury the Rams (5-5-1) early in the game but failed to cash in. Chaffee stranded seven runners in scoring position through the first four innings. The Red Devils also hit into a double play and lost a runner at the plate, netting just four runs through the first five innings.

"They had a few defensive miscues and we didn't quite take advantage of it like we should have," Horrell said. "We've got to be able to capitalize and get more runs in those situations. After that, they settled down pretty nice."

Chaffee ended up leaving nine runners on base and hit into two double plays.

"Our kids have been hitting good all year," Payne said. "We just couldn't put it in play at the times we needed to."

To Scholz's credit, he worked out of the jams that he did little to create. The Rams committed eight errors in the game, including six through the first three innings.

"I honest to God sat there in the third inning and you're in the middle of that circus where we've got all those errors and you look up at the board and you're expecting to see 8-0 or 9-0 and it's only 3-0," Scott City coach Lance Amick said. "I've got to find some way to try to bring us up and keep plugging because we're right there."

Scholz ended up going the distance on the mound. Only two of the four runs he allowed were earned.

"I knew when it came down to it, we'd get back in the game and we'd make the plays when it counted," said Scholz, who struck out four. "I just tried to keep throwing strikes and keep us in it so we could rally in the late innings."

Chaffee 021 010 0 -- 4 8 2

Scott City 000 231 x -- 6 7 8

WP -- Jamie Scholz. LP -- Andrew Dooley. 3B -- Chris Limbaugh (SC). 2B -- Jared Walker (C), Alex Davie (C), Brett Dirnberger (SC). Multiple hits -- Chaffee: Cody Payne 2-5, Davie 2-4; Scott City: Alex Eichhorn 2-3. Records -- Chaffee 10-2, Scott City 5-5-1.