Oran baseball team rides Trankler's arm past Advance

ORAN, Mo. -- The Advance baseball team has seen enough of Thomas Trankler. Or maybe just Oran altogether.

The Oran senior was a nightmare for the Hornets in two games this season while his team got the best of its rival.

Trankler struck out 15 in a complete-game effort as second-seeded Oran squeezed out a 1-0 victory over No. 3 Advance during the semifinals of the Class 1 District 2 tournament Tuesday at Oran High School.

Oran's Preston Hahn hit the game-winning single to score Tanner McVay and break up the pitcher's duel in the bottom of the sixth inning.

"I've played baseball with a couple of those guys for a long time," Trankler said about facing Advance. "It's about being familiar with them."

In his two games against Advance this season, Trankler has struck out a total of 24 batters in 14 innings. He beat Advance 8-1 on May 1 with nine strikeouts and went 3 for 4 with four RBIs. On Tuesday he had one hit and a crucial sacrifice bunt that led to Oran's winning run.

"He's really been our horse all year. He's a competitor," Oran coach Joe Bickings said about Trankler. "It's almost like he's a bulldog out there. He doesn't let things bother him."

And it's not just Trankler who's had Advance's number either.

Tuesday's defensive battle was a repeat of last year's championship with Oran (15-6) winning 1-0 in eight innings. It's the 10th-straight time Oran has beaten Advance and the third time in the last four seasons they've ended the Hornets' season.

"It's like deja vu," Advance head coach Chris Asmus said. "One hit beats us today, and it did last year too. It was another pitcher's duel. That's exactly what it was like last year.

Asmus knows all too well about Oran's dominating district ways.

"Their tradition is strong," said Asmus, who graduated from Oran in 2007. "It's never easy facing a team like that in the playoffs. It's tough to knock them off the throne."

Advance (6-16) had its ace on the mound as well. Dawson Mayo struck out eight and limited Oran's offense to two hits until the fateful sixth inning.

"When Dawson or really any of our three pitchers are on the mound I feel like we can compete with anybody in this district," Asmus said. "Dawson is going to throw strikes for us."

Mayo kept Oran under wraps until he gave up a leadoff walk to McVay to start the sixth. Trankler bunted McVay over to second then Hahn cranked a 2-2 fastball up the middle, sending McVay into a mad scurry to the plate. The No. 9 hitter easily beat the throw with a slide into the plate.

Oran, ranked No. 3 in the latest Missouri Baseball Coaches Association Class 1 state poll, will play for its fifth consecutive district championship at 4:30 p.m. today against top-seeded and fourth-ranked team in Class 1 Bell City (20-3). The two had a game scheduled for May 11 during the regular season but it was canceled due to rain.

"This is a big game," Bickings said. "Bell City has done well this year but I think we're ready. We'll just have to control what we can and play our best."

Advance 000 000 0 -- 0 3 0

Oran 000 001 x -- 1 4 1

WP -- Thomas Trankler. LP -- Dawson Mayo. Multiple hitters -- Oran: Hunter Schlosser 2-2.

Bell City 10, SCC 0

Cole Nichols got on base all of his three times at bat and drove in three runs to lead top-seeded Bell City in the six-inning semifinal rout of fourth-seeded Scott County Central in the other semifinal.

Peyton Maddox went the distance on the mound and also doubled for the Cubs (20-3). He had seven strikeouts and walked two.

Jordan Griggs sustained the loss. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs (six earned) on six hits. He struck out four and walked six to pace Scott County Central, which ended its season at 10-10.

"If you would have told me we'd finish with double-digit wins this year I would have told you you were crazy," SCC coach Matt Limbaugh said. "I'm so proud of this team and the way they worked in the offseason to get better and I'm proud of these seniors. They've come a long way since their freshman year."

Scott Co. 000 000 0 -- 0 4 2

Bell City 100 423 x -- 10 10 0

WP -- Peyton Maddox. LP -- Jordan Griggs. 2B -- Peyton Maddox (BC). Multiple hits -- Bell City: Cole Nichols 3-3, Peyton Maddox 2-3, Bobby Wright 2-3, Brandon Abner 2-3.