Chaffee rides clutch hitting past Oran 5-3

~ Terhune smacked a double to drive in the go-ahead runs

CHAFFEE, Mo. -- Chaffee junior Andrew Terhune wasn't picky when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded Friday.

"I hit anything that looks like a strike," he said.

Terhune lifted a bases-clearing double to right field to give the Red Devils the lead, which they wouldn't relinquish in their 5-3 victory over Oran.

"It was nice to see us finally get a big hit because three different hitters had a chance early with a guy on second to get him in and we didn't come through," Chaffee coach Brian Horrell said. "Then we were able to get that big three-run double by Andrew Terhune. Then a couple innings we got rallies going with two outs and nobody on and picked up a run here and there, so that was nice to see."

Oran catcher Alex Heuring lunges for the ball as Chaffee base runner Alex Davie scores during the third inning Friday in Chaffee, Mo. (KRISTIN EBERTS)

Oran jumped ahead 1-0 on a run-scoring double by Gabe Kielhofner in the top of the third. Chaffee used patience at the plate to start its rally in the bottom half of the inning. The Red Devils used a Jared Walker double and three walks to set the table for Terhune.

"It was pretty big because three runners got in," Terhune said. "It got my confidence up because I'd struck out."

But Oran refused to go quietly. Adam Schaefer doubled home Nolan Urhahn to plate a run in the fourth, but Chaffee responded with a run of its own in the bottom half on Walker's two-out single to center field to make it 5-2. It was his second hit of the game off Oran starter Kody Moore.

"He's a good pitcher and everything," Walker, a freshman, said of Moore, also a freshman. "I've played baseball with him before so I knew how he threw. It was kind of an advantage. It helped me quite a lot."

Urhahn pulled the Eagles within two when he singled home Kielhofner in the fifth, but Chaffee starter Andrew Dooley held the Eagles over the final two innings.

Chaffee's Andrew Dooley pitches during the fourth inning of a game in Chaffee, Mo., on Friday, May 7, 2010. Chaffee won 5-3. (KRISTIN EBERTS)

"He threw eight innings last Friday night and he didn't feel real sharp Wednesday and was a little sore on Thursday," Horrell said of Dooley. "Early in the game, he was feeling a little tight. His mechanics were a little off. But going out for the sixth inning, boy I really felt good. He said, 'Coach, I feel great now. I finally found it.' I was glad to see he was at his best at the end of the game."

Dooley finished with seven strikeouts and four walks, while Moore recorded nine punchouts with three walks in a losing effort.

The Red Devils improved to 11-7 with the win, while Oran dropped to 13-7. Chaffee hoped the win helped it earn a better seed in Saturday's Class 1 District 2 seeding meeting.

"It's nice to get a chance to beat them because of their program's history," Horrell said. "Historically they've made a lot of trips to the final four. Hopefully it will give our kids some confidence."

Oran 001 110 0 -- 3 6 2

Chaffee 004 100 x -- 5 7 1

WP -- Andrew Dooley. LP -- Kody Moore. 2B -- Gabe Kielhofner (O), Adam Schaefer (O), Trevor Cannon (C), Andrew Terhune (C), Jared Walker (C), Alex Crowe (C). Multiple hits -- Oran: Kielhofner 3-4; Chaffee: Walker 2-3. Records -- Oran 13-7, Chaffee 11-7.