Eagles’ bats connect late for sectional win

HENDERSON — Down by a run in the bottom of the sixth inning, Chester County’s baseball team rallied for six runs to defeat the Ripley Tigers 6-1 Saturday and guaranteeing the Eagles a trip to Murfreesboro for the Class AA state tournament this week as part of Spring Fling.

“That is what postseason baseball is all about,” said Chester County coach Mike Goff. “Our team never gives up. All year long, our losses have been a lot of one-run games. We have had five or six extra-inning games, and we haven't won one yet.

“We made some bad base running decisions that I just knew were going to cost us, but the chemistry and makeup of this team is such that they don't give up.”

With one out in the sixth, Jacob Bryan's single and walks to Harrison Taylor and Cody Compton loaded the bases for the top of the Eagles’ batting order. Nick Armour and Drew Hill drew RBI walks before Malcolm Tipler’s two-RBI single between the first and second basemen. A wild pitch scored another, and Brian Napoli's sacrifice fly to right tallied the final Chester County run.

“Their pitcher was good,” said Tipler, the only player on either team with two hits. “He was mixing up his pitches well. I was just trying to put the ball in play and give us a chance to score some runs.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Baseball - Chester County vs. Ripley

Starter Cody Compton held the Tigers hitless and scoreless until the fifth when Zach Herron singled and moved to third when Tyler Frazier reached on a throwing error. With one out, the bases loaded and the heart of Ripley's lineup due up, Goff brought in his closer Tipler, who gave up a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Sam Williams before ending the damage with a 1-0 Ripley lead.

“I have been the closer all year, and I knew that he was going to put me in even in that situation,” Tipler said. “I knew that I just had to compete for my team. I knew that with the bases loaded that I just had to give our team a chance to get out of the inning.”

Goff explained his strategy for the pitching staff.

“Our game plan was to get four or five innings from our starter, and I knew that Cody could handle three,” Goff said. “I just had to trust that our comeback wins were how we were going to stay on track, and that we would get the runs across that we needed.”

Ripley's Beau Simpson, a Walters State Community College signee with one loss entering the game, scattered four hits, struck out nine and held the Eagles scoreless working around eight baserunners before a fateful sixth provided Chester County (22-10) the difference.

“Mr. Simpson, for Ripley, pitched his butt off,” Goff said. “I was beginning to wonder what we would do because his confidence seemed to get bigger and better as the game went on.

“We have a good hitting team but as you see, many times across many leagues, that good pitching can stop good hitting many times. I tip my hat to him because he pitched a great ballgame.”