Title eludes Eagles' claws

Oran outhits Sparta 11-3 in Class 1 championship game but falls 5-2.

By Rus Baer ~ Southeast Missourian

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- It's been well documented what Oran senior Ryne Wood thinks about third place.

Simply -- and definitely more delicately -- put, he doesn't care much for it.

Second place doesn't appear to rank any better.

Making his second appearance in the Class 1 final four at Taylor Stadium, Wood and his Eagles teammates again finished a win short of their state championship goal.

Last year, it was a third-place finish that "sucked," Wood said. On Thursday, a 5-2 loss to Sparta in the Class 1 title game didn't feel much better.

"Second place sucks, too," Wood said.

Wood's teammates seemed to share in their teammate's sentiment. During the medals presentation, the Eagles reluctantly accepted their runner-up trophy, then quickly placed it on the ground in front of them.

"We've got to be proud that we're there, no doubt about that, but second place will feel a lot better later on," Ryne's father and Oran coach Mitch Wood said. "Right now, it's definitely not a good feeling.

"We were dead-set on No. 1, and I hope they are disappointed a little bit. But at the same time, later on down the road, I hope they'll see this as something positive."

One big inning was all second-ranked Sparta (21-1) needed to leapfrog Oran (22-3) as the No. 1 team in Class 1.

After hurling two perfect innings to start the game, Oran starter Tyler Nelson (5-2) lost his control to spark a four-run Sparta rally. Nelson opened the inning with a four-pitch walk, hit the next batter on the fifth pitch of the inning and issued another walk on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases.

Ryne Wood came on in relief and allowed an RBI single up the middle by Colby Keeth and hit Kyle Smith make the score 2-0. Jacob Finney pushed the lead to 4-0 with a two-run single before Trey Graviett was called on for the first of three relief stints. The left-handed senior got out of a jam with a strikeout and a 6-4-3 double play.

Graviett, who hurled a complete-game victory in Oran's semifinal Wednesday, shuffled back-and-forth from his left-field position to the pitcher's mound during every Sparta threat. Graviett pitched out of jams in the third and sixth innings, but the Trojans did add a run in the fifth when Jones slapped an RBI single off Graviett. The hit scored No. 9 batter Ty Lowery, who Nelson walked to open the inning.

Singles by Matt Seyer and Tyler Nelson to open the top of the fourth led to Oran's only two runs. Patrick Friga and Nathan Seyer followed with one-out singles, but Friga was thrown out trying to advance to third on the throw home after Seyer's hit, and Wood flied out to end the inning.

Oran out-hit Sparta 11-3 but stranded 10 runners in the game.

"That's kind of tough to take," Mitch Wood said. "You should be able to give up three hits and beat a team."

Graviett was 4-for-4, and Matt Seyer and Nelson each added two hits.

Chase Stallcup (7-0) went the distance to lead Sparta to its first baseball championship in its first state appearance. The junior right-hander fanned seven with three walks.

"Stallcup is really good with runners on base," Sparta coach Shawn Poyser said. "I thought he pitched almost a flawless game. The key was not to give up any unearned runs, and we didn't."