BY DALTON LAMB
Chuckey-Doak punched its ticket to the Region 1-2A tournament and earned a spot in the District 1-2A championship game with a hard-fought 8–6 win over South Greene on Thursday night at Lower Afton.
In a postseason matchup that swung with momentum throughout, the Black Knights overcame an early deficit and fended off a late rally from the Rebels, securing both a berth in the regional round and a shot at a district title on Saturday.
“It was a tough one tonight. We didn’t play particularly well, but we did enough to come away with a ‘W’,” said Chuckey-Doak head coach, Jacob Willett. “We didn’t play well, but we got the job done at the end of the day.”
South Greene’s season came to an end, but the Rebels made sure they didn’t go quietly.
The Rebels set the tone early. Charlie Lane led off the game with a single to left, and two pitches later, Brendan Lisenby launched a laser over the left-center fence to give South Greene an early 2–0 lead.
Chuckey-Doak wasted no time answering. Jake Hinkle ripped a triple down the left field line in the bottom of the first and scored on Kyptin Ball’s sacrifice fly. After a hit-by-pitch and a double by Gavin Crum, James Seidel came through with an RBI single to tie the game at 2–2.
In the second inning, the Black Knights took the lead for good. Lynkin Cutshaw led off with a single, and Dom Atchison drew a walk. Hinkle’s RBI single to center put Chuckey-Doak ahead 3–2.
Ball followed with a base hit to load the bases. Although Dom Atchison was cut down at the plate on a fielder’s choice, Gavin Crum added to the lead with a sacrifice fly. After Cooper Seay reached on an infield single to reload the bases, Seidel’s flyout ended the frame with Chuckey-Doak holding a 4–2 advantage.
South Greene kept applying pressure. After Lisenby was robbed of extra bases by a stunning diving catch in centerfield, Colby Brooks and Seth Franklin singled, and Tyler Davis lifted a sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to 4–3.
Chuckey-Doak answered again, capitalizing on defensive miscues. Randall Sauceman reached on an error in center, and Crum brought him home with a single to left. A second error allowed Crum to move into scoring position, and he was promptly driven in by a Ben Palazzo double down the line. Seidel advanced Palazzo to third, and Shane Cook’s RBI single made it 7–3.
South Greene refused to fold. In the fifth Lisenby singled, and after a walk and two stolen bases, Jacob Susong drove in a run with an infield hit.
Then came the sixth. Colten Fillers reached on an error and Lane doubled sharply down the left field line. With two runners in scoring position, Lisenby stepped up once more, delivering a clutch two-run double to the right-center gap, narrowing the margin to 7–6.
With the game hanging in the balance, Chuckey-Doak turned to Jake Hinkle on the mound. After recording two quick outs, he stranded Lisenby on third by inducing a pop up from Davis, preserving the narrow lead.
“We can’t speak enough about how our Seniors stepped up today,” said Willett. “James Seidel, had his first start of the year on the mound and it’s in the district tournament. He did an excellent job of competing in the zone. And then Jake Hinkle came in and threw in his second game of the tournament and competed at a high level,”
Seidel provided insurance in the bottom of the sixth, smashing a solo home run over the left-center wall to give Chuckey-Doak an 8–6 cushion.
Down to their final three outs, the Rebels went in order in the top of the seventh. A popout, a lineout, and a strikeout brought South Greene’s season to a close, and Chuckey-Doak’s celebration began.
“We did enough. Just barely, but we did enough. That’s not good enough going forward and we understand that. So, we have to be better every time out, but I’m super excited about getting to go play for a district championship.” Willett said of his team’s overall performance on Friday night.
Lisenby led South Greene with a home run, a double, and four RBIs in his final game, while Franklin reached base in all four plate appearances. Hinkle starred for Chuckey-Doak, contributing a triple, an RBI single, a save in relief, and a highlight-reel catch in center field.
Chuckey-Doak is scheduled to face the winner of Johnson County and West Greene in the championship game on Saturday. As of press time its is unclear when or if that game will be player. Johnson County Coach Nick Perkins is refusing to play on Saturday as originally scheduled because it is causing him personal inconvenience.
