Naylor's bats come alive, down Oran for softball district title

ORAN, Mo. -- The Naylor softball team did not collect a hit during the first two innings of Friday's Class 1 District 1 championship game against Oran.

"I think whenever some of us don't hit, we all don't seem to get in a groove and hit," Naylor pitcher Ericka Engelman said. "But when one hits, we all hit."

No. 8 hitter Kayla Johnson led off the bottom of the third inning with a hit for Naylor, and it proceeded to bat around in the inning. Naylor scored five runs on five hits on its way to a 9-1 victory over the host school.

Naylor recorded multiple hits in each inning the rest of the game against Oran pitcher Morgan Todt, who did not play during the final week of the regular season.

"She's got an injury and this is her second game back," Oran coach Wade Sanders said. "She sprained some ligaments, her ACL. She's got a little taken off of her ball, but I always ask her just to throw it over the plate and let us back her up defensively."

Oran's Anna Jones gets a hit against Naylor during the seventh inning Friday. (Kristin Eberts)

Oran committed two errors in the game, but the Naylor offense mostly earned its runs with 15 hits.

"I don't really feel too disappointed about how we played because I know we played good," Oran third baseman Addie Kielhofner said. "We did good."

Kielhofner walked to lead off the game and later scored on Taylor Nenninger's RBI single to give Oran a 1-0 lead, which it held until the third inning.

"That was so exciting," Kielhofner said about earning the early lead. "We were all pumped. It was like a feeling like no other. I just came in from running the bases, and I was just telling everybody, 'Guys, it feels awesome to just run.'

"We were all pumped. We just had a great atmosphere going in the dugout. It was an awesome feeling."

Oran baserunner Addie Kielhofner beats the throw to Naylor's Kendall Rodgers during the fifth inning Friday.

But Engelman, who finished a home run shy of the cycle at the plate, did not surrender another run in the circle.

"I got a little nervous," Engelman said about the first inning. "But I knew that if our team stayed up, stayed more positive, that we could do anything. That's what we did."

Oran had five hits in the game but not more than one in any inning.

"We haven't seen a pitcher with her speed for a while, probably since the Notre Dame game," Sanders said. "We can practice off a machine, but it's not the same. We just had a little difficult time catching up with her."

Kielhofner said Engelman was one of the best pitchers Oran faced this season.

Oran's Baily Carlyle bunts during the fourth inning Friday. Oran lost to Naylor 9-1 in the Class 1 District 1 championship game.

"She could move the ball pretty good," Kielhofner said. "Her outside pitches probably killed most of us. She was good. She was quick."

Oran finished a winning season with an 11-10 record.

"It's a disappointing end, but I think it was a great season," Sanders said. "We played some really good teams, especially larger schools -- Class 3, 4 schools -- and we beat some and we lost to some."

Even a few minutes after his team's season ended, Sanders already had his sights set on next fall.

"We're extremely young," Sanders said. "We start five sophomores and two freshmen. We only have one junior and one senior. I'm just anxious to see what next year holds with this young team, especially the next two years. There's a lot of potential here."

Oran 100 000 0 -- 1 5 2

Naylor 005 004 X -- 9 15 2

WP -- Ericka Engelman. LP -- Morgan Todt. 3B -- Anna Jones (O), Engelman (N). 2B -- Engelman (N), Mary Elder (N). Multiple hits -- Naylor: Engelman 3-4, Andrea Sullivan 4-4, Elder 2-3, Kayla Johnson 2-3, Taylor Day 2-2. Records -- Oran 11-10.