Oran holds off Sikeston’s upset bid, wins 6-5 in a nail-biting finish

ORAN, Mo. — In a battle of a Class 1 powerhouse versus a Class 5 underdog, Oran emerged victorious 6-5 over Sikeston in a thrilling game on Thursday, May 4 at Oran High School.

The Bulldogs (5-15) hoped to turn their season around before the postseason, but the Class 1, No. 2 ranked Eagles (12-4) weren’t about to let the turnaround start at their expense.

“It was a good win for us playing a bigger school and some better competition,” said Oran coach Joe Bickings. “The biggest thing I liked was when they scored four runs in the second inning, we responded well with five [runs] in the bottom of the inning. The guys showing that heart, grit and determination were big for us.”

Sikeston's Trace Sullivan tags out Oran's Carson Kern at Oran High School on Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

Oran took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Kole Burger led off with a single, setting the stage for Parker Bryant’s timely hit to bring him home. The Eagles’ quick start put the pressure on Sikeston from the outset.

“It feels like we have struggled to get leadoff runners on base,” Bickings said. “[Burger] did an excellent job of staying on the pitch and driving to the right side. What’s not going to show up on the stats sheet is that Kolten Payne executed a hit and run very well to get Burger to second base.”

In the top of the second inning, Sikeston mounted a comeback with an explosive offensive display, scoring four runs to take the lead after a series of well-executed pays.

Oran's Carson Kern runs after a hit during a 6-5 win over Sikeston at Oran High School on Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Dennis Marshall/Standard-Democrat)

“Early on, we had some good at-bats,” said Sikeston coach Wyatt Pratt. “We were disciplined at the plate, didn’t chase a lot, and got some good pitches to hit.”

Those runs came after Colt Parker scored on a bases-loaded walk and Joseph Heckemeyer doubled to score Rush Ault, Keane Atkins and Conner Wallace.

Oran responded to Sikeston’s counterattack by scoring five runs in the bottom of the second inning, thereby reclaiming the lead with a score of 6-4.

“We hit some balls that carried a lot further than what they thought,” Bickings said. “We stayed up the middle and drove the baseball. That’s what we’ve been working on as of late, so it was good to us execute that.”

The Eagles’ second-inning runs came after a double by Burger scored Nolan Loper, a double by Kolten Payne scored Burger, a double by Bryant scored Payne, a double by Nic Massey scored Bryant and Luke Peterson scored on a ground out.

The Bulldogs managed to trim to lead to 6-5 when Heckemeyer singled to score Wallace in the top of the fourth inning, but unfortunately, their comeback effort came to a halt at that point.

Carson Kern started the game and earned the win after four innings. He allowed two earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and two walked batters.

“I wouldn’t say [Kern] had his best stuff today, but he was able to battle,” Bickings said.

Gabe Dirnberger earned the save after pitching the final three innings and allowing no earned runs on one hit with three strikeouts and four walks.

“[Dirnberger] been a kid we bring off the bench,” Bickings said. “He’s our designated hitter. So, he’s someone that we can get warmed up pretty quickly. His opportunities have been a little bit limited, but he’s thrown it well and done an excellent job when he’s come out of the bullpen.”

Phillip Johnson took the loss. He pitched 1.2 innings and allowed five earned runs on seven hits with three walked batters.

Noah Pruitt threw the final 4.1 innings for Sikeston, not allowing any earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk.

“Our pitching continues to be good,” Pratt said. “The starters we have rolled out for about three weeks straight have done a great job and given us a chance to win games. We also had some good bullpen appearances. The pitching has been good and the defense behind them has tightened up. It’s been nice to see.”

A concerning statistic looms large as the Bulldogs reach the 20-game mark, the team has left a staggering 138 runners stranded on base. To put this number into perspective, it amounts to almost seven potential runs per game that could have been capitalized on.

This Inability to convert opportunities into tangible results has undoubtedly been a thorn in the side of the team and one that they will need to work hard to remedy if they want to secure more victories on the diamond.

Sikeston will host East Carter (12-14) on Tuesday, May 8, and conclude its regular season at North County (8-6) on Thursday, May 10.

Oran plays at Kelly (18-6) on Friday, May 5 with the Scott-Mississippi Conference Title on the line.

“Both teams have good records, good pitching, good defense and hitting,” Bickings said. “We’re going to see what we’re made out of, and hopefully come out with a win.”

The Eagles will travel to Bell City (6-10) on Monday, May 8, and play its regular-season finale at Woodland (13-8) on Tuesday, May 9.

__ORAN 6, SIKESTON 5__

Sikeston 040 100 0 — 5 5 1

Oran 150 000 x — 6 12 1

W—Carson Kern. S—Gabe Dirnberger. L—Phillip Johnson. 2B—Oran: Kolten Payne, Nic Massey, Parker Bryant, Nolan Loper, Kole Burger; Sikeston: Noah Pruitt (2).