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Spanish Fork • The ninth spot in the batting rotation is typically reserved for the least talented hitter in the lineup, so when Wayne's Landon Chappell evaded an errant pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in a scoreless game, the natural thought was 'Perhaps he should have taken the hit to score the run.'
Turns out Chappell isn't a predictable nine-hole hitter. The junior cranked a two-run single on the ensuing pitch to break the deadlock in the fifth inning. The Badgers eventually tacked on seven more runs to upset top-seeded St. Joseph, 9-0, in the Class 1A quarterfinals at Spanish Fork on Tuesday.
"He's our second leadoff batter," Wayne coach Scott Ellett said of Chappell. "Yeah, he hits in the nine-spot, but you know what? That nine spot is our second leadoff. We have the best nine hitter."
The win eliminated and snapped the Jayhawks' (19-5) 18-game winning streak that started following an 8-0 setback against Wayne (16-4) in mid-August.
"In the state tournament, I don't think you can be underdogs or a favorite," Ellett said. "You just go in and try to control all you can control. You can't control who you play. You got to respect every team in this tournament. We've just tried to focus on what we do and not worry about if we're an underdog."
The Badgers added an extra run in the fifth following Chappell's single with a bait-and-switch on the bases, tricking the catcher into throwing to second on a pickoff attempt as the runner at third trotted home. Four fielding errors paired with run-scoring efforts by Brock Brinkerhoff and Nathan Dendy ballooned the advantage to 9-0 in the seventh inning.
"We're excited for a win," Ellett said. "We get to move on. Single elimination tournament — that's exciting to move onto the next level."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
State baseball
Class 1A quarterfinal scores
Panguitch 12, Pinnacle 0
Tabiona 13, Tintic 4
Piute 11, Intermountain Christian 1
Class 1A semifinals
Friday at Utah Valley University
Wayne (16-4) vs. Panguitch (14-7), noon
Tabiona (11-5) vs. Piute (14-3), 2 p.m.