--- advertisement ---

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Chipola Wins State Title…. Again!

By DUSTIN KENT
Floridan Sports Editor

Ryan Chaffee struck out 18 Manatee hitters in a complete game shutout Tuesday to lead the Chipola Indians to a 6-0 win in the state title game in Winter Haven.

It’s the second straight state championship for the Indians and coach Jeff Johnson.
The team advances to the NJCAA World Series May 24-31 in Grand Junction, Colo.

“For us to come down here and go undefeated in this tournament two years in a row is an amazing feat,” Johnson said after the game.

The Indians have now won nine straight state tournament games.

“It’s a tribute to the assistant coaches on this team and the players who finally bought in to what we’re trying to get done,” Johnson said. “The kids have done so well together. They just battled their hearts out all week.”

Carlos Moncrief drove in four runs for Chipola, including a three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning to give the Indians a 4-0 lead.

Moises Montero also added a two-run homer for the Indians in a five-run ninth.

Moncrief, who drove in eight runs on 11 hits in the tournament, was named the tourney’s Most Valuable Player, but it was Chaffee who was the Most Valuable Indian Tuesday.

The sophomore right-hander, who also pitched a complete game for a win in the national championship game last season, was masterful against Manatee.

Chaffee, pitching on just two days rest after starting in Saturday’s win over St. Petersburg, gave up only four hits with two walks to go with his staggering strikeout total.

“What a pitching performance from Ryan Chaffee,” his coach said. “He was just a warrior today. For him to come out on two days rest and do that… what else could you ask for out of the guy?”
Chaffee retired the first six batters he faced Tuesday, striking out three of them.

Moncrief’s RBI single in the top of the third inning gave the pitcher all the run support he would need on the day.

Chaffee allowed a pair of base runners in the bottom of the third on infield singles, but worked his way out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.

In the sixth inning, Chaffee faced another jam, with runners on second and third with only one out.

But the sophomore responded with consecutive strikeouts to end the threat.
Chaffee added two more strikeouts in the seventh, then fanned four Manatee batters in the eighth, with one reaching base after a passed ball.

“He was overpowering out there,” Johnson said of Chaffee. “He throws four different pitches from three or four different angles and he was just unhittable today. They had one solid single off of him, but they didn’t really hit anything hard on him all day.

“He wasn’t going to let us lose. That’s what great champions do for you.”

The Indian hitters provided a little insurance in the top of the ninth when Moncrief cranked a two-out pitch off of Manatee reliever Josh Strawn over the left field fence to give Chipola a four-run advantage.

After an Edmond Sparks single off of Manatee’s Michael Mullen, Montero added the second long ball of the inning to give Chaffee a six-run cushion in the bottom of the ninth.
Johnson said he planned to take Chaffee out in favor of reliever Ben Jeffers, but was overruled by his starter.

“We had Ben Jeffers up and I was going to put him in,” the coach said. “I told Ryan, ‘we’ve got a six-run lead, so maybe you should rest,’ but Chaffee said, ‘coach, I’m not coming out. I’m finishing it.’”

Finish it he did, however not without a little drama.

Chaffee K’d the first hitter of the inning, but Taylor Hashman walked and Robert Haney singled before Jonathan Rodriguez reached on a Chipola error to load the bases with one out.

However, Chaffee once again saved himself with strikeouts of Jonathan Griffin and Max Loveland to end the game.

It’s a familiar script for Chaffee, who threw a complete game on short rest to clinch the national championship last season.

He went 2-0 in the state tournament with 28 strikeouts in 14 innings.

“What a competitor he is,” Johnson said of Chaffee. “I talked to him yesterday about how many innings he would be able to go and he said, ‘I can go a complete game, coach.’ He said that. I never expected it to happen, but what a great, great job he did.”

The same could be said for Johnson, who won his second straight state championship after taking eight appearances in the tournament to win his first in 2007.

“After you lose it a lot of times in final game like we did, you get to wondering as a coach if you’re ever going to win it,” the coach said. “Once you win it, I think it’s probably easier the second time.

“But all the credit goes to these guys who have been working hard all season, the coaches doing batting practice with these kids, staying late to throwing with them and the kids believing in us. They finally started trusting us and that’s what it’s about.”

Posted by on 05/14 at 01:07 PM
------------------------

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Submit the word you see below:


News13 News Blog - All Sections

--- ADVERTISEMENT ---

Most recent entries - All Sections

Monthly Archives - All Sections

Syndicate