Valiant effort by Oran softball falls short as Scott City powers to third straight district title

MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- It was a dream first inning for Oran and certainly not one that dreams are made of for Scott City. But a game is seven innings, and the Rams can swing the bats.

The second-seeded Eagles jumped out 3-0 after one inning, but top-seeded Scott City bounced back to score seven runs in the final five innings, smacking three home runs -- including a sixth-inning solo shot off the bat of Jamie Glastetter for what turned out to be the game-winning run -- in a 7-6 victory to win the Class 1 District 4 softball championship on Wednesday at Woodland High School.

It marks the third straight district title for Scott City.

Scott City's Valerie Bahr connects with the ball for a base hit in the fourth inning against Oran during the Class 1 District 4 championship game Wednesday, May 4, 2016 in Marble Hill, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

Having cut the deficit to just one, 6-5, Oran opened the bottom of the sixth by striking out standout freshman Kaileigh Dirden. With one out and no one on, the Eagles could have walked the powerful bat of Glastetter. Instead, they pitched to her. The junior first baseman slapped a 3-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a 7-5 edge.

"I really thought it was a pop-up, and then my coach was just screaming, 'It's not over! It's not over!' And then he goes, 'Oh, OK. It's over,"' Glastetter said. "I didn't think it was over.

"We just try to hit line drives. Honestly, half of us think we popped up and were out, and some how it finds its way. It just happens."

It just happened on Wednesday, as Bella Bowers also hit a solo home run in the third inning and Dirden added to her prodigious season tally with a two-run homer in the fourth.

"They have some power in that lineup. Dirden, Glastetter, the [Valerie] Bahr girl," Oran coach Jim Eftink said. "It's tough to have your pitcher concentrate a full seven innings on perfect strikes. It's just tough to do that.

"I'm pleased with how the girls played. A little break here or there, you know, we could have come out on top. We made some mental mistakes, but all in all, I thought we played a pretty good game. And they're ready for next year already."

The two teams met 43 days earlier in the first week of the season. Scott City (20-2) won that game but had to battle to pull out the 4-2 victory. The Rams knew they were in for another battle this time, and they got it.

After Oran (10-7) allowed its initial lead to slip away, it found itself looking up at a 5-3 deficit after four innings. It chipped away at that in the top of the sixth, as Mackenzie Graviett got a two-out infield single to put runners on the corners before Brianna Stause launched a double to left-center field to plate both runners and make the score 6-5.

With Oran applying pressure, Glastetter's home run extended the advantage again in the next inning.

"It did cross my mind [to walk her]," Eftink said. "She homered against us in the first game [of the season]. But then I said, 'I've got a pretty good pitcher on the mound, and we've got good defense behind [her]. We're going to challenge her and see what happens.' Yeah, she hit a home run and we paid for it, but we made other mistakes, too. ... There were little things we could have done while batting that could have given us an extra run.

Scott City players celebrate their 7-6 win over Oran during the Class 1 District 4 championship game Wednesday, May 4, 2016 in Marble Hill, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

"You've got to challenge her, and we did the best we could."

The Eagles fought back in their final at-bats, with Tatum May slipping a one-out double inside the third-base line before later scoring on a ground out by Claire Ramsey.

But with a 7-6 score and a runner on second base in the top of the seventh, Dirden induced a ground ball back to the pitcher for an easy out to end the game with the tying run in scoring position.

"First things, first -- you've got to tip your hat to Oran. What a ball club," Scott City coach Lance Amick said. "What a group of girls right there. This is one of those games you hate someone has to lose. We expected this.

"This is a good game if you can win it. Like yesterday, sometimes when it's that easy, it's hard to learn from. This is the type of game you can learn from. You can get complacent at this point, and I think today exposed some things we can get better at. And I think this group of girls will understand it's time to work the next couple of days. These kind of games, if you use them the right way, they benefit you more than a blowout. It's just nerve-wracking in the process."

Dirden earned the win in the pitcher's circle, throwing a complete game and giving up three earned runs on 10 hits with two strikeouts and a walk. She was 2-for-4 in the batter's box, with a two-run home run.

Oran's Sydney Kern safely slides into second base past Scott City's Valerie Bahr in the second inning during the Class 1 District 4 championship game Wednesday, May 4, 2016 in Marble Hill, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

Glastetter was 3-for-3 while Bowers was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

May was handed the pitching loss for Oran, going four innings and allowing five runs -- three earned -- on seven hits with two strikeouts, three walks and three wild pitches. Mackenzie Graviett pitched the final two innings, allowing two runs on three hits with a strikeout, a walk and a wild pitch.

The wild pitches were costly, as two directly allowed runners to score, while a third moved a runner up to score on a two-out single.

Scott City had its own struggles in the top of the first. Leah Cauble reached on a fielder's choice, stole second base and then scored on an infield error that otherwise would have ended the inning. Instead, Ramsey dropped a single into left to plate a run and then scored on a delayed double steal, when indecision on a throw to second provided plenty of time to scamper home for a 3-0 lead.

"It was important for us to come out and get on top. Where we made our mistake was we didn't keep putting it to them," Eftink said. "If you let a team like that hang around, they have so many power bats in that lineup that they can hit a home run at any time, and sometimes they can hit two or three. You get behind, and you can't catch up. It was big for us to get on top of them and exploit them a little bit. Dirden shut us down after that, and we didn't get to her again until the fifth or sixth inning."

Indeed, Dirden allowed just two hits in the next four innings, keeping the Eagles off the board and allowing her team to mount a rally.

Scott City players celebrate their 7-6 win over Oran during the Class 1 District 4 championship game Wednesday, May 4, 2016 in Marble Hill, Missouri.Glenn Landberg

That started with a leadoff homer by Bowers in the bottom of the third. An error, a double by Dirden and a free pass to Glastetter then loaded the bases before a pair of wild pitches allowed two more runs to score.

The game was knotted at 3-all after three innings.

"I thought we did a good job bouncing back, finding a way to compete and finding a way to get back in the ball game," Amick said. "That's all you can ask for at this time of year -- give yourself a chance. It doesn't need to be pretty. It doesn't need to be flashy. Just at the end of the game if you have one more run than them, that's what your goal is."

Oran turned a double play in the bottom of the fourth on a pop-up to the catcher, but Bahr picked up an infield single to put one on for Dirden's home run and Scott City's first lead of the game, 5-3.

The Rams added to that in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a leadoff walk to Britney Parker, who moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single by Bowers.

Despite the Eagles' best efforts, Scott City always stayed one step ahead.

"We knew we had to show them that we were here and we're Scott City -- answer back to those three runs," Glastetter said. "We may not have done it in the first inning, but we sure pulled it through."

The Rams will host Malden in a sectional game Monday.

Oran will eye revenge next year, as it returns the bulk of its squad. Just a pair of seniors -- May and Hannah Scherer -- will graduate.

"I think the thing we learned was that we're just a shade under teams like Scott City and Kennett, but we're not that far from them," Eftink said. "For next year, they already have their sights set on a district title and see how far they can go. The core of the team is coming back, and there's a lot to look forward to. I'm not disappointed in any way the way they played this year."

Oran 300 002 1 -- 6 10 2

Scott City 003 211 x -- 7 10 1

WP -- Kaileigh Dirden. LP -- Tatum May. 2B -- May (O), Claire Ramsey (O), Brianna Stase (O), Dirden (SC). HR -- Isabella Bowers (SC), Dirden (SC), Jamie Glastetter (SC). Multiple hits -- Oran: Sydney Kern 2-4, Jessie Long 2-4, Ramsey 2-4; Scott City: Dirden 2-4, Glastetter 3-3, Bowers 2-3.