Moore powers Oran baseball team past Scott City

Kody Moore was fired up about getting his first start of the season on the mound.

"I was excited. I like to pitch," said Moore, a sophomore on the Oran High School baseball team.

Moore's excitement translated into an impressive all-around performance Wednesday as the Eagles remained undefeated with a 13-8 win at Scott City.

The Eagles, ranked fourth in the Class 1 state poll, are 5-0. The Rams fell to 2-4-1.

"Overall I think we played a good six innings," Moore said after Scott City scored five seventh-inning runs following Moore's departure from the mound. "Everybody did their job."

Scott City's Chris Limbaugh is congratulated by teammates at home plate after hitting a home run against Oran during the seventh inning Wednesday. (Fred Lynch)

Moore was among Oran's top hurlers as a freshman last year but has been eased into pitching action so far this season, throwing only a few innings of relief.

Moore looked to be in midseason form Wednesday. He allowed just two hits and an unearned run through four innings as Oran built a 10-1 lead. Scott City finally got to him some in the fifth with two runs on four hits.

Moore rebounded with a scoreless sixth inning. After the Eagles went ahead 13-3, Oran coach Mitch Wood figured Moore had had enough.

"He was already up around 80 pitches or so and we didn't want to push him," Wood said. "He pitched a wonderful game. He did exactly what we wanted him to do. The kid's a bulldog and he's just a sophomore."

Moore allowed seven hits and two earned runs. He struck out five and walked one.

Oran starting pitcher Kody Moore delivers a pitch to a Scott City batter Wednesday.

"I knew they were a good hitting team," Moore said. "I had a little trouble locating my fastball, leaving it up."

Moore not only helped beat the Rams with his arm, he also did plenty of damage at the plate. He continued his hot start to the season that featured two home runs in the first four games.

Moore came close to hitting a couple out of Scott City's park but had to settle for two long doubles. He finished 3 for 5 with four RBIs.

"I felt good. I'm seeing the ball pretty good," Moore said.

Most of the Eagles saw the ball well Wednesday. Oran banged out 13 hits, including six doubles. Very few of the hits were cheap.

"They hit the ball around," said Scott City assistant Jim May, who conducted a postgame interview after coach Lance Amick hurriedly left to attend a night class at Southeast Missouri State.

Blake Carlyle had a double among his two hits and delivered three RBIs. Nolan Urhahn also had two hits and scored three runs.

Tyler Heuring and freshman Seth Ressel added two RBIs apiece for the Eagles.

Much of Oran's damage came against Scott City senior ace Jamie Scholz, who is headed to Three Rivers Community College to play baseball.

Scholz struck out nine in 4 2/3 innings but was charged with nine runs on eight hits.

"He's a good looking pitcher," Wood said. "We hit the ball. We've been hitting well all year."

Scott City had 10 hits, but three of those -- two home runs and a double -- came during the five-run seventh inning off Oran reliever Dalton Elfrink, who walked three.

"He had been pitching real well for us," Wood said about Elfrink, who recently shut out Leopold.

Scholz had the big blow of the final inning, a three-run homer. Chris Limbaugh added a solo shot but it was much too little too late for the Rams.

"We couldn't come up with clutch hits until the last inning," May said.

Heath Pobst also homered for the Rams, a solo shot in their two-run fifth inning that cut the deficit to 10-3.

The Rams got on the board first with an unearned run in the opening inning. Scholz had an RBI single.

It was pretty much all Oran after that until Scott City's late flurry.

Oran went ahead for good with a three-run second inning featuring a two-RBI double by Carlyle and an RBI single by Moore.

The Eagles put Scott City in a big hole by knocking out Scholz during a seven-run fifth inning. Oran had five hits in the frame, including three doubles.

Ressel provided a two-run pinch-hit double, and Moore capped the explosion with a bases-loaded double that plated all three runners.

"They're a good ballclub," May said.

And one with state title aspirations, according to Moore.

"We're very confident," Moore said. "We're shooting for the big prize."

Oran 030 071 2 -- 13 13 3

Scott City 100 020 5 -- 8 10 1

WP -- Kody Moore. LP -- Jamie Scholz. HR -- Scholz (SC), Chris Limbaugh (SC), Heath Pobst (SC). 2B -- Moore (O) 2, Blake Carlyle (O), Zach Chasteen (O), Dalton Elfrink (O), Seth Ressel (O), Brett Dirnberger (SC), Landon Robert (SC). Multiple hits -- Oran: Moore 3-5, Carlyle 2-3, Nolan Urhahn 2-4. Scott City: Scholz 2-4, Limbaugh 2-4, Dirnberger 2-4. Records -- Oran 5-0, Scott City 2-4-1.