Brady Swims' early blast propels Squirrels to dominant World Series-opening win

Aycorp's Owen Osborne celebrates after a home run during a Friday, August 9, 2024 Babe Ruth World Series game between the Aycorp Fighting Squirrels and the Australia Drop Bears at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Aycorp defeated Australia, 6-0.

Cole Lee ~ clee@semoball.com

In a seven-inning game, sometimes it comes down to one swing, and Brady Swims made it count in the Squirrels’ World Series opener.

Still cast in the shadow of a winless performance in last season’s tournament, the Aycorp Fighting Squirrels of Charleston used a huge first inning to put out Australia in a 6-0 win.

Leading that first inning, Swims came up to the plate with runners on first and second early and blasted a three-run shot over the scoreboard in left field, jolting the home crowd alive on Friday night.

Paired with a shutout six innings from recent Chaffee grad Levi McKinnie, it was an all-star opener from Charleston as the Squirrels never let the Drop Bears crawl back in a shutout performance.

“It was a team effort,” Squirrels coach Michael Minner said. “I thought our guys were locked in, I thought everybody was really, really good tonight.”

The mastermind behind bringing the World Series to Cape Girardeau, Minner’s postgame largely revolved around the home atmosphere that the Nuts brought to Capaha Field.

Packed to the brim after the Opening Ceremony, with all 17 teams represented on a picturesque Friday night event, Charleston gave the crowd a show.

For that, the crowd gave back, and Minner gave props back to the hometown faithful that helped push the Squirrels to a tournament-opening victory after going 0-4 in last year’s tourney.

“We had a hell of a crowd,” Minner said. “It was just an electric atmosphere. We hope people are going to continue to come out, and we hope we continue to play good baseball.”

Swims comes up to bat. Jeers, jokes and snickers from the home dugout along the third-base line. “Get down! Get down!” The club is terrified of this kid’s bat.

The recent New Madrid County Central graduate has a reputation in the clubhouse, and it’s resulted in the entire Squirrels dugout hiding behind the railing and taking cover whenever he steps in.

Swims has learned to embrace it, because he knows it’s because he has a rocket bat, and Charleston’s come to fear it.

“Well, a couple of times I’ve pulled one into the dugout and about killed some people,” Swims laughed. “Everyone sits down so I don't kill somebody.”

As the dugout recollects, two Squirrels have been rocked by a Swims foul ball this season, so it comes with good reason.

But when Swims sent the ball into the dark, chilly Cape skyline, those teammates went from hunched over and squatted to jumping up and down, some up on the bench to cheer him around the basepath.

For the Squirrels, after all the pain of last year, it was the perfect way to kick off their opening game in a loaded 2024 field.

Charleston’s MVP for the game wasn’t Swims, though, but instead the talented arm of McKinnie, who diced up the Aussies en route to a huge opening win.

Throwing six scoreless, McKinnie hit his pitch limit at 102 after the sixth inning, picked up by the dugout with handshakes and hugs as Bennett Logan closed out the night with a scoreless seventh to secure Levi the win.

Australia, of course, got the short end of the stick as while the Drop Bears topped out around 80 on the mound, McKinnie was topping out at 89 all night as the Jefferson County commit racked up the punchouts.

At the end of his night, McKinnie’s line was certainly one for the books: 2 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts – and the win, of course.

Just his second of the year, the 2024 graduate entered a highly skilled Charleston rotation that Minner likes to use both as starters and relievers, so it’s been an interesting summer for a guy who normally always opened up for Chaffee.

But after Friday night’s trouncing win, Minner was all smiles as he spoke about bringing the kid on for his revenge tour through the Babe Ruth World Series.

“Levi's a dawg,” Minner said. “He – man, he gets it. He wants to compete. He's an absolute warrior, and there's nobody I'd rather have on the mound.”

Charleston’s liable to play seven games in seven days over the next week if it wants to compete for a championship.

As anyone who’s been around baseball will tell you, that sets up some serious concern for the rotation and the management of your arms, and that was a focal point for Minner after McKinnie’s tournament debut.

“Hopefully we'll get him some rest now,” Minner said. “Win a couple more games and turn it back over to him in a game where if you lose, you’re going home.”

Eyes turn forward to Saturday night in another late-night game against the Virginian representatives in Manassas, a veteran in this tournament.

On August 15, 2023, Manassas matched up with Charleston and held the Nuts scoreless in a 4-0 victory in pool play to extend the Squirrels’ dreadful start to the 2023 classic.

This year, it’ll be 2023 East Prairie graduate Peyton Hodges on the bump looking to push the Squirrels out to a great start in what should be a thrilling Pool A matchup.

It’s a Saturday night rematch, and Charleston’s jumping ahead of the opportunity to make good on last year’s defeat with a potential 2-0 start looming.

“This will be their first game, so I'm sure we'll get their dude on the mound,” Minner said. “These teams are here because they had a really good regional, and we’ll see a good arm again tomorrow night.

“We're expecting a top-notch game and, obviously, we're hoping for a big crowd.”