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Carson Spies hits, pitches Chaffee to a 9-1 record
The Chaffee Red Devils are on fire.
Having lost only one game this season — to an equally as impressive Kelly Hawks — the Red Devils have racked off seven straight victories including two straight against Advance (4-1) and Bell City (7-3) at Capaha Field on Thursday.
"It's a great experience for the kids to be here where the college team plays and the catfish and everybody else that gets to use the facility," Chaffee head coach Aaron Horrell said. "I know our kids love it. It's a bit bigger field than what we're used to."
Carson Spies had a big night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with five RBIs against the Cubs.
“I went out with a new bat,” Spies said. “I went out with a lot more confidence. I kept telling myself, 'I'm gonna hit, I'm gonna hit,' and so when you go on with confidence, you tend to do better.”
Spies also had a solid start in his third outing on the mound, throwing four innings allowing one run on three hits with five strikeouts. Kade Atkins pitched the remaining three innings, giving up two runs on a hit with two walks with five strikeouts.
"I think my curveball was working a lot better," Spies said.
Spies has always been a good hitter for the Red Devils, but the pitching has been a new development in his game.
"He was really good," Horrell said. "He was four innings, and there was one run, but I saw he was 67 percent strikes. And so for us, that was a big deal because his last outing, he only threw 25 strikes and 56 pitches, so to see him be around the plate and command his own was really nice to see."
Chaffee improved their record to 9-1 and is well ahead of the pack in Class 2 District 3. The two teams closest to the Red Devils are Meadow Heights and St. Vincent, who are both 4-2 on the season.
"The biggest thing we're trying to do is develop an identity when Levi McKinnie is not pitching," Horrell said. "Everybody knows he's a really good arm, but we've got six other guys that we have a lot of faith in, and we just want to be in really tough ballgames because come district time, come playoff time, we're going to have to have more than just one guy step up to win a game."
The loss dropped Bell City to 4-4 with a matchup against Kelly coming up on Monday. The only team the Cubs are realistically chasing in Class 1 District 2 is 5-2 Oran.
"[Bell City's] young, but they're very good," Horrell said. "They're very fundamental, they're gonna beat some people this year, so this was a big win for us."
Chaffee travels to Perryview on Monday for a doubleheader with the Pirates and St. Vincent.