Oran baseball team debuts with 14-0 rout of Advance

~ Three Eagle pitchers combine for a one-hitter

ADVANCE, Mo. -- It looks like the Oran baseball team is picking up right where it left off.

The Eagles, coming off consecutive third-place finishes at the past two MSHSAA Class 1 state championships, efficiently handled Advance 14-0 in their season-opener Thursday.

Oran rapped out 11 hits, led by Seth Ressel's three singles and Alex Heuring's four RBIs, while three Eagles pitchers combined to limit the Hornets to just one hit while striking out 16.

"They're very experienced," said Advance coach Bob Moses as his squad fell to 1-1 on the season. "That's what happens when inexperience plays against experience."

Advance left fielder Crey Miles catches a fly ball hit by Oran’s Thomas Trankler during the fourth inning Thursday in Advance, Mo. (Fred Lynch)

Hunter Schlosser [1-0] started on the mound for Oran and was near-perfect for three innings, allowing just two walks while striking out seven. Seth Ressel followed and did Schlosser one better, striking out all six batters he faced.

The key for both Schlosser and Ressel was simple: get ahead in the count by throwing strikes.

"When you get ahead of the batter, you can work with your off-speed pitches," Schlosser said. "You get ahead with a fastball, then you can work in a curve and stuff like that."

Schlosser was cruising along before yielding to Ressel after an error and a walk put runners on first and second with none out in the bottom of the fourth. Ressel worked out of the jam by getting both Ethan Barr and Austin Miller swinging and freezing Crey Miles with a curveball for a called strike three.

"If you get ahead in the count, you can use your off-speed pitches to get them off-balance," Ressel said. "That's when you get the advantage."

It worked as Advance was held hitless until the sixth inning. By then, Oran had built a 9-0 lead.

"We've preached that pitching and defense will win most ball games," Oran coach Mitch Wood said. "We tried to use a lot of kids on the mound. With the weather, we haven't gotten outside a lot, and we've got a doubleheader coming up [Saturday]. I thought our guys did a fantastic job of pitching today."

Oran struck early, scoring twice in the top of the first inning on Heuring's sacrifice fly and Bear Hicks' run-scoring double. In the second, Thomas Trankler drew a one-out walk. Following a strikeout, Ressel lifted a fly ball that Advance center fielder Richie Nixon misplayed for an error. Trankler, running with the pitch, scored easily from first to make it 3-0.

It stayed that way until the fifth, when Oran added two more on Heuring's run-scoring double and a wild pitch that allowed Heuring to scamper home from third.

The early-season contest, coupled with unseasonably cold weather, dictated that both teams use multiple pitchers, and that's where Oran's experience showed. Whereas Schlosser and Ressel were able to work through a couple jams, Advance's relatively inexperienced relievers were no match for Oran's experienced bats. The Eagles put the game away with four runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh, highlighted by Alex Heuring's two-run single.

"We're really young," Moses said, noting the Hornets started four freshmen. "It's good for us to see an experienced ball team. This year is a big learning curve for a lot of our kids. I'm just trying to keep it positive out there. They did learn a lot today."

Brian Whitson [0-1] started on the mound for Advance and absorbed the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits while walking three and striking out two over 3 1/3 innings.

The highlight for Advance came in the top of the sixth when, with the bases loaded and none out, Miles caught Schlosser's liner at shortstop, tagged Jacob Priggle -- who had broken from second on contact -- for the second out, then alertly tossed to Barr at first to double-up Hicks and complete a triple play.

"That was a freshman [Miles] that started that," Moses noted. "They're learning on the job. It's a work-in-progress. I'm very proud of them, and I'm happy with their effort."

Oran 210 024 5 -- 14 11 2

Advance 000 000 0 -- 0 1 2

WP -- Hunter Schlosser (1-0). LP -- Brian Whitson (0-1). 2B -- Kody Moore (O), Alex Heuring (O), Bear Hicks (O), Chance Tenkhoff (O). Multiple hits -- Oran: Seth Ressel 3-5, Moore 2-4. Records: Oran 1-0, Advance 1-1.