Chaffee softball takes first lead in final at-bat, walks off with Class 1 sectional win over Dora

Chaffee's Sydney Walker, left, hugs teammate Carlie Milz after the Red Devils rallied to defeat Dora 8-7 in a Class 1 sectional Wednesday in Chaffee, Missouri.

Andrew J. Whitaker

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- The Chaffee softball team was down but never out.

A drama-filled comeback victory sent Chaffee past Dora with a walkoff winner by junior first baseman Carlie Milz in a Class 1 sectional on Wednesday night at Frisco Park.

The Red Devils trailed from the first inning all the way until Milz's final at-bat gave Chaffee the 8-7 victory.

The thrilling win pushes Chaffee back to the quarterfinals after the Red Devils made it to state in 2015.

Chaffee will host Halfway on Saturday with another final four berth on the line.

Coach Brian Horrell said while Dora may have outplayed his team on Wednesday, every team that goes deep in the playoffs has to win a game it should have lost.

Chaffee's Madeline Hendrix cheers from the dugout during the Class 1 Sectionals game between Chaffee and Dora Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2017 at Frisco Park in Chaffee. Chaffee won 8-7.

Andrew J. Whitaker ~ Southeast Missourian

"I've been in this game for a long time, and I've heard from a lot of coaches that somewhere along the way in the playoffs, where you have to find a way to win six games, you've got to win a game like this," Horrell said. "You have to find a way to win a game you probably shouldn't have, and today we won a game we probably shouldn't have won."

Horrell credited Dora with being able to come out with energy in the first inning, continuing to put pressure on Chaffee throughout the game.

The coach was also happy with how his players responded to falling behind early, showing the ability to keep their heads in the game and eventually make a comeback to tie things up in the sixth inning.

"They scored that first run, and I thought we'd be all right because we're an older team. And I thought we'd handle that and relax while playing from behind," Horrell said. "But as we got deeper and deeper in the game, I don't care how mature you are or relaxed you are, it starts to tighten up a little bit, and it was getting late early. It was good to see them cash in and tie it up, and I think that really helped us and got the momentum going."

Prior to tying the game, Chaffee had an opportunity to put multiple runs on the board in the fifth inning but came up empty after loading the bases with no outs. Dora's shortstop, senior Kryslyn Colvin, made a trio of defensive plays to stop a potential rally by Chaffee. First she caught a hard line drive and almost turned a double play at third. Then, for the second out, Colvin caught the ball off of a deflection from the pitcher's glove to get a force out at home before making a routine play to end the inning.

"I told their coach, 'Every once in a while, you find kids that have got 'it.'' ... When that girl walked on the field, I could see the letters 'I' (and) 'T' above her head," Horrell said. "She's a kid that has 'it.' Our scouting report was talking about how good that shortstop is, and she lived up to it today. She made tremendous plays, both on defense and offense."

After tying the game at 7-all in the sixth inning, pitcher Kylie Wilhite put Dora down in order in the top half of the seventh and never trailed in the count the entire side. Horrell said the momentum of not playing from behind for the first time since the first inning made a difference for Wilhite.

"The key for her in the seventh inning, I thought what really helped her relax, was being able to go out with a tied ball game, instead of thinking we've got three outs left of our season," Horrell said. "I think when we tied it, a big weight jumped off of her shoulders, and she went out there a little rejuvenated and looked to me like the most relaxed she looked all day on the mound. And she got it done."

The top of Chaffee's lineup was due up in the bottom of the seventh. After the first two batters both failed to get on, junior shortstop Sydney Walker come through with a triple to right, setting up the game-winning play by Milz.

With first and second base open, it appeared Dora was going to walk Milz, but the 1-0 pitch came back toward the plate just enough for Milz to capitalize on the mistake, putting the ball in play to second base, where an error allowed Milz to reach first. Walker crossed home plate, and the celebration began.

"I think I saw [Milz] reach way across the plate, and she was just trying to go the other way. And she felt like she was the girl right there to go the other way and make it happen," Horrell said. "Lucky for us, maybe she did swing at a pitch about a foot off the plate, but she put it in play and was able to beat it out."

Wilhite got the win in the pitching circle for the Red Devils, allowing seven runs -- just two earned -- on 12 hits. She had four strikeouts and three walks and also went 3-for-4 with two RBIs at the plate.

Walker, Bailey Wiseman and Shana Burden each added three hits for Chaffee.

Bridgette Swinford drove in two runs, scored twice and hit a home run for the hosts.

Keeli Land took the pitching loss for the Falcons, giving up eight runs -- seven earned -- on 15 hits, with three strikeouts and four walks. Land also went 3-for-4 with a bat in her hands.

Halfway got a walkoff victory of its own Wednesday night, defeating Hermitage 5-4 to set up Saturday's game at Chaffee.

First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

WP -- Kylie Wilhite. LP -- Keeli Land. 2B -- Kryslyn Colvin (D), Land (D) 2, Bailey Wiseman (C). 3B -- Shana Burden (C), Sydney Walker (C). HR -- Bridgette Swinford (C). Multiple hits -- Dora: Desiree Downen 2-5, Colvin 2-5, Land 3-4, Hailey Jones 2-3, Makinna Loftis 2-3; Chaffee: Swinford 2-5, Wiseman 3-5, Walker 3-4, Wilhite 3-4, Burden 3-4.