ECBL: Chapin's eighth-inning, walk-off single caps wild affair

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 9, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Home runs were in abundance and turned Wayne Country Day's baseball field into a launching pad on a breezy, summer-like Monday afternoon.

While the yard-clearing shots created plenty of excitement during the Eastern Carolina Baseball League affair, it took an extra inning to determine a dramatic outcome.

Ethan Chapin delivered a bases-loaded, two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift WCDS past North Lenoir Green, 11-10.

The center field flag flapped in the wind toward right field throughout the game. Hayden Amodeo and John Strickland combined for three home runs for the Chargers. North Lenoir also mashed three round-trippers.

"The wind was blowing out like crazy," WCDS head coach Michael Taylor.

But the long-distance shots didn't matter.

The eighth inning counted the most.

Tied at 10-10, the Chargers' Jack Talton drew a one-out walk and eventually took third base on Amodeo's single. Amodeo raced to second on the throw as the NL Black defense tried to gun down Talton at third.

The Hawks' coaching staff intentionally walked Boone Moody to get the force out at any bag. Mitch Turnage popped out to the second baseman and Chapin followed with his game-winning knock -- a seeing-eye grounder that bounced between third base and shortstop.

Chapin (three RBI) ended the day with three hits along with Amodeo and Strickland. Mitch Turnage (RBI) and Moody contributed two hits apiece. Nick Neal doubled.

WCDS finished with 16 hits.

"John crushed them ... towering shots that I knew were gone as soon as they left the bat," Taylor said of Strickland's first- and third-inning home runs.

"He hit the ball so well tonight after he had been struggling at the plate. So I tried to give him some confidence by moving him down in the lineup."

Strickland overcame a shaky first inning on the bump and departed after the fifth. He surrendered eight runs (five earned) on six hits and four walks, but he sat down seven NL Black batters on strikeouts.

Chapin worked the final three innings in relief and earned the win. He yielded two earned runs on five hits and two walks, and struck out three.

"I like coaching these guys," said Taylor, whose team has smacked nine home runs in ECBL play. "There no egos on this team. Every person steps up each night. It's nice. This has been a fun group to coach.

"They're gelling well together."