ORAN'S LATE MOVE FALLS SHORT IN 1A SEMIS 4-3

COLUMBIA -- In Oran's Class 2A semifinal baseball game, there wasn't much difference between a one-run lead and one bad lead.

Oran senior first baseman Billy Loper -- after hitting a dramatic three-run triple to close the Eagles' deficit to 4-3 in the top of the seventh -- was thrown out at the plate on a wild pitch Wednesday as the Marion C. Early Panthers advanced to the Class 1A state championship game.

As the ball skipped past Panther catcher Tylan Holman, Loper failed to get a good secondary lead and hesitated before barreling down the third-base line.

"I was heading back to third," Loper admitted. "And then coach was yelling at me to 'Go, go, go!' By that time the ball was already past and I got a bad jump."

"Those are the small things that you try to teach them during the year," said Oran coach Mitch Wood. "He didn't get a good jump so he didn't score. If we're playing good, smart baseball there at the end then we're tied 4-4 and we take our chances with the rest of the ballgame."

The play was a close one, as pitcher Ryan Letterman received the ball in plenty of time, but didn't apply the tag on Loper in front of the base. Letterman put his glove on top of the plate and Loper slid into it.

"I thought I was safe," Loper said. "It looked like he had his glove behind home plate."

"He was safe," Wood said. "But I've never been beat by an umpire and we didn't get beat by one today."

Loper was injured on the play as one of MEC's players stepped on his ankle. But Loper said he thought he'd be able to play in today's third-place game. Oran (20-6) will face Northwest (of Hughesville) at 2 p.m. In Wednesday's other semifinal, Bevier (13-3) defeated Northwest (17-7) 4-2.

Until Loper's rip to the rightcenter field gap, Oran's offense had been baffled by Letterman.

Oran had runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings. In all, Oran left seven runners on base. Every time Oran would threaten, Letterman would come up with one of his 13 strikeouts.

"They had the big two-out hits, " Wood said. "With men on base, we just weren't putting the ball in play and in high school baseball if you put the ball in play good things will happen.

"Our plan going in was to swing at strikes and for some reason today we let the strikes go by and we swung at his curve away."

With the way Letterman was dominating the game -- the senior right-hander threw a deadly curveball -- Oran appeared not to have a chance to overcome a 4-0 deficit.

But a diving catch by Oran starter Dustin Glastetter which resulted in a double play in the sixth seemed to give the Eagles a spark.

Letterman retired Glastetter and Garrett Cook to open the inning. Leadoff hitter Ryan Dennis then drew a walk, Adam Friga singled to left and Dustin Dannenmueller beat out an infield single to load the bases and set the stage for Loper's triple.

The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second when Josh Woodmansee, a left-handed batter, stroked a homer that bounced off the new University of Missouri football practice facility beyond the right-field fence.

The Panthers plated a run in the fourth and the fifth as Glastetter struggled with his control. Glastetter hit four batters and walked two. He fanned eight and allowed five hits.

Adam Friga, Dannenmueller and Travis Friga each had two hits for Oran. Oran outhit the Panthers 8-5, but three of the Eagles' hits never left the infield.