Elfrink throws one-hit gem in Oran's 10-0 baseball victory

~ The only hit the Oran junior yielded in the third-place game came in the sixth inning

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Before his team traveled to the final four, pitcher Dalton Elfrink linked his struggles on the mound at the end of the season to stuff that was happening off the field.

"I've had a little struggle outside of baseball and stuff," Elfrink said before leaving for the final four with his team. "I wasn't trying to let it get to me, but sometimes it's a little harder to hold it back than what you think it is. I'm pretty sure I've fixed that now, so I ain't got nothing to worry about. I've got a clean head on my shoulders, and I'm ready to go."

Elfrink took the mound with a clean head against St. Elizabeth and dominated the Hornets in a 10-0 win in the Class 1 third-place game at Meador Park.

The junior gave up just one hit over seven innings -- a soft liner into right-center with two out in the top of the sixth inning.

Elfrink said the Eagles' loss to Liberal in the state semifinal Wednesday helped him focus on his start.

"I've had a little problems back at home with family and then friends and all sorts of stuff," Elfrink said. "But whenever it came to this, after losing [Wednesday], it made me realize that I only have one more day that I'm playing with all my friends."

He said Thursday's game was about his friends, who also happen to be his teammates.

"I didn't throw for me," he said. "I threw for the seniors and for everybody else because I wanted them to get that third place because I knew we weren't going home with fourth. I couldn't let that happen."

Elfrink struck out eight batters, walked two and hit one.

While it wasn't the first time he shut out a team this season, it was the first time he had done so in a while.

"He's one of those that can come out and shut somebody down, and he did a good job tonight," Oran coach Mitch Wood said. "He did exactly what I thought he could do."

As for Elfrink regaining his mental edge in time to help Oran close its season with an impressive win, Wood only grinned and offered a simple explanation.

"Ah," Wood said with a laugh. "He's a 16-year-old kid. That's about the nicest thing that I can say. Unfortunately, that's part of my job. I've got to rely on them 16-year-old kids."

Elfrink was the right kid to rely on Thursday.

"I'm really happy that I'm playing for coach Wood, coach [Adam] Friga and coach [Larry] Boshell and happy that I'm playing for this team because I wouldn't trade this team for anybody," Elfrink said.

He thought about that and more before taking the mound against St. Elizabeth.

"I just thought about how much I love the game and being on the mound, being in a position that I am playing for third place in the state," Elfrink said. "It really put me on the top, put me over the limit on how I feel like I was respected being put in that position."