Squirrel Magic: Fighting Squirrels' stunning comeback ices out Manassas late

Call it what you want. Michael Minner called it “Squirrel Magic,” as the Aycorp Fighting Squirrels rallied from one down in the final frame to win 3-1 and avenge a year-old loss against Manassas on Saturday night.

Under the Capaha Field lights, the Squirrels stuttered early, going the first six innings without scoring against the Virginian side and starting pitcher Chase Allen.

But when they needed it most, Levi McKinnie got on, scored on a wild pitch and Owen Osborne sent an RBI triple to left field to take the lead after just coming back from the death.

The stunning finish that saw Aycorp go from down-and-out to 2-0 left the crowd starstruck, and that magic is one of many reasons that those Squirrels believe they’re set for big things this time around in the World Series.

“Last year we had a rough four games,” pitcher Peyton Hodges said. “But our goal is to win this year, and we know we’re ready.”

Maybe swept under the rug by the ridiculous finish, Hodges saved one of his best games for Manassas on Saturday as he dealt up and down the lineup to keep the Squirrels kicking.

The 18-year-old Kenyon College pitcher struck out nine batters in the victory, finishing without ushering a walk while allowing just six hits and one earned run back in the first.

Needing a big performance on the mound to take the win against a fierce opponent, Minner hyped up Hodges for the moment and he delivered in full.

“Peyton Hodges was absolutely phenomenal,” Minner said. “I mean, he just pitched his tail off for seven innings. Just – what a competitor.

“I couldn't take the ball from him. It was his game.”

Part of last year’s squad that got bounced in four games in the 2023 Babe Ruth World Series, Hodges returned from his freshman year at Kenyon to run it back with the Nuts this year.

The guys in the dugout just call him “P,” for obvious reasons, and with the high stakes of the situation, Manassas came out firing early, with Riley Trainer ripping an RBI double off the wall, just a few feet from a first-inning homer.

Coming out against a team that has a history of success against the Squirrels, it’d have been easy for any pitcher to hang their head about that result, but Hodges stayed resilient.

“P” became “Ice P,” recording 19 consecutive outs without allowing another run and finishing his night with just that one run allowed, pushing the Squirrels to a defining win early in this tournament cycle.

“It's a tough way to start, obviously, almost giving up a home run in the first inning,” Hodges said.

“I always had faith that once we scored, I was gonna win the ballgame.”

With Bennett Logan standing on second base, with no outs to spare, Osborne needed to make the “magic” happen himself to pull Aycorp ahead in the matchup.

He didn’t disappoint, ripping what should have been a single into left field before the ball shot up and over the left fielder’s head and back to the wall courtesy of the infamous Capaha outfield turf.

Osborne’s been the guy for the job all summer long, now batting .457 for the Squirrels with an OPS above the heralded thousand mark at 1.040, more than 200 points clear of second place.

He answered the bell when the Nuts needed him most, and that’s been a common theme for Aycorp as it heads into a perfect start through two games.

“Couldn't happen to a better kid, you know? Just a phenomenal young man,” Minner said. “When the pressure is on, that's the guy I want in there.

“We knew that something good was going to happen when he came to the plate, and he made it happen.”

The Squirrels will finish pool play on Monday and Tuesday after taking a bye on Sunday, halfway through their 2024 group schedule with a perfect record at 2-0.

Atop Pool A, both Altoona of Pennsylvania and the Aycorp Squirrels remain undefeated while the rest of the pool has yet to win a game.

The Squirrels and Altoona will meet at 7 p.m. on Monday at Capaha Field, with Altoona playing a Sunday game against Manassas to determine whether it’ll enter 3-0 or 2-1.

Lastly, the Squirrels will close out their pool play with a Tuesday game as the visiting team against Team Netherlands at 7 p.m. on Capaha Field.