Chapman uses timely hitting to knock off Chapin in district opener

Almost nothing went right for Chapin on Friday night.

Chapin pitcher Tyler White gave up three runs in the first inning and Chapman made the most of some timely hitting to keep ahead of the Eagles and hand them a 6-4 loss in the opening round of the Class 3A District IV Tournament.

Chapin (23-3) hosts South Pointe in a losers bracket matchup Monday. Chapman (14-8) travels to play Wren, a 6-5 winner over South Pointe, on Friday.

“We got off to a rough first inning, but they outplayed us,” Chapin coach Scott McLeod said. “They got the big hits and made the big plays. When we did hit one, it was right at them.”

White gave up six runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings, striking out four, but walking three and hitting two batters.

White got the game started with issuing a walk to leadoff batter Person Timmons and then hitting Cotton Bailey and Tim Beach to load the bases.

Payton Keadle grounded out, enabling Timmons to score the first run. Kane Fisher lined a two-run single to give Chapman a 3-0 lead.

The Eagles also found some early offense against Chapman pitcher Josh Bledsoe.

Colin Santiago and Robert King got on board with singles. With runners on the corners, Chapin pulled a successful double steal—Santiago slid into home safely as King made it to second to cut Chapman’s lead to 3-1.

White then singled to put runners at first and third for Evan Estridge, who clobbered a long drive off the right-field wall. Estridge’s hit would have likely scored both runners, but the plate umpire ruled the catcher interfered with the play.

“Crazy stuff happened,” McLeod said. “We hit one off the fence, but the umpire ruled catcher’s interference. That cost us a couple of runs.”

The umpire’s rule – which awards the hitter a base but keeps runners from advancing unless forced – loaded the bases for Jordan O’Cain, who reached base on an infield error that also scored King.

White got through the second and third innings unscathed, but Chapman tagged him in the fourth for three runs on three hits to go up 6-2.

Chapin got two runs back in the bottom of the fifth, when King singled and later scored when Estridge reached on an error. Estridge then scored on O’Cain’s one-out sacrifice fly.

The Eagles closed the game out without a rally, but they look forward to righting the ship Monday night against South Pointe.

“They outplayed us and we’re down, but we’re not out,” McLeod said. “We’ve got the (pitching) arms, and we’ve won 17 straight this year, played five ballgames in five days in one tournament. It’s just a matter of executing, they did tonight and we didn’t. But if we execute, we’ll be fine, and if we don’t, we shouldn’t be here.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 10:29 PM with the headline "Chapman uses timely hitting to knock off Chapin in district opener."