Oran cuts down Saxony

~ Defense decided game between two teams that met in last year's Class 1 playoffs.

Oran's defense threw out two runners at the plate, two attempting to steal second and came up with a diving catch in right field in the top of the seventh to help preserve a 4-3 home win Thursday over Saxony Lutheran.

Both runners were gunned down in the fourth inning with the score tied 3-3. On both plays the outfielders were able to get the ball to the cutoff man, who then relayed home to catcher Caleb Seyer. Seyer was able to block the plate on each occasion.

"If you don't throw those two guys out at the plate you might not win the game," Oran junior Kody Campbell said. "We played well defensively, that's important. If we play well defensively, that's one key to our success and how far we go."

Sophomore right fielder Jayden Pobst continued Oran's defensive day with a potential game-saving catch in the seventh. Pobst, who had trouble with a fly ball earlier in the game which resulted in a double, snared a ball hit by Max Wieser that was headed for the corner.

Saxony Lutheran's Kory Mueller made contact during Thursday's game.

Garrett Fritsche came up two batters later and launched a two-out double off the fence. Oran starter Alex Chasteen induced a grounder off the bat of Chris Roth to end the game.

"Basically, the play of the game right there," Oran shortstop Tyler Beardslee said of Pobst's catch. "If that gets down, you got the guy following with a double and we're going to extra innings."

While the Eagles were making plays on defense, their offense could not get much going. Oran took advantage of two errors and seven walks to score its four runs.

Beardslee drove home the winning run for the Eagles, dropping down a suicide squeeze to score Chase Seyer in the fifth. Seyer led off the inning with a hard grounder to second that shot by the second baseman and went all the way to the fence, allowing Seyer to reach second. Seyer moved to third on a wild pitch and scored when Beardslee put his bat on a low, outside pitch.

"You've got to execute," Beardslee said. "It's the small things that win the game. Coach said to get the squeeze down, so you've got to do it."

Neither starter was in command Thursday. Chasteen opened the game by walking the first three batters. Saxony Lutheran took a 2-0 lead after one inning without getting a hit.

Chasteen walked four and hit two batters. The junior right-hander settled down to keep the deficit manageable until the Eagles could get their offense going.

Thanks to two walks and a hit in both the second and third innings, the Eagles had the score tied 3-3 by the end of the third. Oran finished with five hits, and Saxony Lutheran had six.

"He didn't come out with his best stuff, but he settled down and did a good job for us," Campbell said of Chasteen. "He got some ground balls, which gave the team some work."

Saxony Lutheran starter Peter Winningham's ultimate downfall was his control. Winningham walked three in the second, as Oran scored a run on an error in the outfield and another when Winningham walked No. 9 hitter Cody Dirnberger with the bases loaded.

Two more walks in the third led to an RBI single by Beardslee. Winningham was able to battle his way through all six innings, though, striking out two.

"Our pitcher's a senior, he's been through the wars before," Saxony coach Paul Sander said. "I thought he did really well. He kept things close, kept us in the game."

Fritsche and Dustin Roth had two hits apiece for the Crusaders. Ben Courtois, Bret Steffens and Roth each had an RBI.

Saxony Lutheran, which fell to Oran in the Class 1 quarterfinals last year, dropped its second straight one-run game after falling to Fredericktown 6-5 on Tuesday. The Crusaders will face Shawnee (Ill.) on Monday.

"Unfortunately, we've played well so far this season but we've lost two or three one-run games to Class 3 opponents," Sander said. "We have to find a way to get over the hump. Instead of losing these one-run games to good teams, we have to find a way to win those games."

Oran won for the second straight time after dropping three straight over the weekend. The Eagles, ranked No. 3 in Class 1, play at Kelly on Tuesday.

"It's always good to win," Campbell said. "We're not really happy with the way we played. We made some mental mistakes we have to take care of, but it's always good to get a win."

Oran 4, Saxony Lutheran 3

Saxony 210 000 0 -- 3 6 2

Oran 021 010 X -- 4 5 0

WP - Alex Chasteen, 0-0. LP - Peter Winningham. 2B - Garrett Fritsche (S), Kody Campbell (O). Multiple hits - Saxony, Roth 2-3; Fritsche 2-3; Oran, Campbell 2-3. Records - Saxony 6-5, Oran 13-4.