Photos by Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Chance Hughes reacts to beating out a bunt for Hayesville's only hit of the game.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Kyle Shaheen stole third base and came home with a go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning during Chance Hughes’ at bat as No. 8 seed Hayesville stunned No. 1 seed Cherryville, 2-1, in the third round of the NCHSAA baseball playoffs last Tuesday, May 13.
Could have happened. Should have happened. Would have happened … if the umpire ruled Shaheen safe when he arrived at the bag a split second before the Cherryville’s third baseman applied the tag with the score tied 1-1.
Unfortunately, that’s not what happened. The umpire called Shaheen out — the third out of the top of the seventh inning.
“It was a gut punch. We had two outs. Anything could happen,” Hayesville Coach Joe Jack Sellers said. “I thought Shaheen was safe. I thought he was across the bag. I asked the umpire how he called him out and he said that he came off the bag and the third baseman tagged him.”
Here’s how Cherryville Coach Scott Heavner saw the play that snuffed out Hayesville’s go-ahead run, “We felt like he was out. He definitely beat the ball there, but I think the (artificial) turf got him. He slid past the bag. It’s unfortunate, but the turf has gotten us a couple times this year, where our runner slipped the base. Not playing on turf all year, its knowing when to start your slide.”
Fifteen minutes later Cherryville was celebrating a 2-1 victory after a one-out walk, an infield error and an RBI pinch-hit single.
What a lousy way to lose.
“I thought we had the advantage at that point,” Sellers stated. “We scrapped all game long.”
No one scrapped more than Hayesville ace Jackson Sellers, who allowed just three earned runs all season.
“He pitched good. He kept us off balance and he hit his spots. He pitched a gem,” Coach Heavner praised.
Indeed. Action Jackson (6-1 win/loss, 0.61 ERA) was practically untouchable after loading the bases with a walk and two singles in the opening inning. Those were the only hits the Hayesville ace surrendered to the mighty Cherryville Ironmen (.311 team batting average).
“He was dialed in. He was focused,” Coach Sellers said. “He started out a little rocky in the first inning. The umpire was squeezing it a little tight.”
Hayesville also received standout performances from center fielder Kendall Boyer, who made two spectacular diving catches on the wet Bermuda grass in center field. Chance Hughes, who legged out Hayesville’s only hit and threw out a would-be base stealer to get Sellers out of the first-inning jam — was also superb.
“Kendall Boyer did really well. He flies around like crazy out there, making the plays. He did the job all year long,” Coach Sellers said. “Chance did really well. You’d never know that he hadn’t caught since middle school.”
Cherryville’s Parker Anderson (8-0 win/loss, 0.81 ERA) displayed mastery over most of the Yellow Jackets.
Hayesville managed just one hit – a gorgeous, fifth-inning bunt single by Hughes that moved Tate Roberts (he walked) to third.
Every Hayesville batter was looking to bunt at that point.
“We decided to start bunting,” Coach Sellers remarked. “Coach Pat McGuire suggested it was time to play small ball. I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ We didn’t bunt a lot during the regular season, but we knew we’d need to bunt against Cherryville so we practiced bunting quite a bit. Their pitcher had a good arm and their catcher had a good arm. We knew we wouldn’t be able to steal like we usually do.”
The small ball strategy worked like a charm.
Roberts scored Hayesville’s lone run, tying the game at 1-1 when Dawson Devane crushed a pitch to the warning track in left field that allowed Tate to tag up and score on the sacrifice.
The Yellow Jackets threatened to break the deadlock when Shaheen opened the sixth with a walk and advanced to second on Roberts sacrifice bunt. The aforementioned controversial play at third occurred when Kendall Boyer hustled to first on a dropped third strike. Boyer was out at first and a one-hop throw to the other corner nabbed Shaheen.
Hayesville’s brain-trust of Sellers, McGuire, John Nicholas and Eli Roberts had plenty of time to confer during a 45-minute rain delay. Who would pitch the seventh inning was the primary topic of conversation.
“We had Jackson at 98 pitches. He only had seven pitches left — the NCHSAA limits pitchers to 105 pitches per game — so we decided to roll the dice and go with a fresh arm. Tate Roberts had been pitching real well,” Coach Sellers recalled.
Roberts proved to be the
right choice when he induced
the first iron man to fly out to
center. After issuing a walk, Roberts was touched for a smoking ground ball to shortstop that might have resulted in a double play if it wasn’t bobbled. Heavner then sent up a pinch hitter who drilled a game-winning single up the middle.
“We didn’t make the play. It’s that simple,” Coach Sellers said. “We failed to get the lead runner and it cost us the game. Same thing happened two years ago in the playoffs against East Randolph.”
The Smoky Mountain Conference champion Yellow Jackets finished the season 14-9.