ORAN TRUMPS KELLY BLAST WITH GAME-WINNING HR

BENTON -- Kelly High's Brad Kolwyck -- he of the five consecutive home runs last month -- swatted his area-best ninth homer Monday.

But Oran's Dustin Dannenmueller smacked the game winner.

Oran trailed Kelly 4-3 in the sixth inning, but Dannenmueller's three-run shot lifted the Eagles to a 6-5 triumph.

The blast, Dannenmueller's third this season, also pushed Oran into first place in the Scott-Mississippi Conference. The Eagles, who placed second last year in Class 1A, surged to 14-4 and 6-0 in league play. Kelly fell to 14-3 and 5-1.

"Oran's an outstanding team," said Kelly coach Mike Scott, "and I think we're an outstanding team. I think you saw an outstanding game between two outstanding teams."

The Hawks had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the sixth inning, but after a run closed the deficit to 6-5, they left the bases loaded. Oran pitcher Dustin Glastetter then retired the side in order in the seventh, the last two on strikeouts.

"We did a good job of finishing it up," said Oran coach Mitch Wood.

Kelly held a 2-0 lead in the first on Kolwyck's two-run shot to left-center field.

Oran answered with a run-scoring double by Glastetter in the second and Chris Nichols' two-strike, two-RBI single in the third, which moved the Eagles ahead 3-2. With runners on second and third and one out, Nichols had failed on two bunt attempts before swinging away.

But Kelly came back in its half of the third. Kolwyck scored on a Jim Hulshof single that bounded high off home plate and over Glastetter and rolled into center field.

The Hawks then regained the lead, 4-3, in the fifth. Jamie Essner doubled with two out over the outstretched arm of Nichols, the center fielder. Essner scored on John Welter's single, a slow ground ball that took a sharp, bad hop toward third baseman Adam Friga's face.

But Dannenmueller had the answer in the sixth. Garrett Cook reached on a fielder's choice and Ryan Dennis singled before Dannenmueller's two-out homer to straightaway center field.

"It was a curveball," said Dannenmueller, a senior. "It curved out over the middle of the plate and I just tried for a base hit and it just went over for me.

"It was a big conference win for us. We were ready for this game."

Kelly got a run in the sixth as Barry Ziegler reached on a Glastetter error and scored on a wild pitch. But with the bases loaded, Jim Hulshof tapped a grounder to first baseman Billy Loper, who tossed to a racing Glastetter at first to escape the jam.

Glastetter, a right-hander, went all seven innings. He allowed six hits and recorded nine of his 10 strikeouts in the final five innings. Kelly starter Justin Simpher permitted nine hits in six innings.