EAGLES CLAIM DISTRICT CROWN

ADVANCE -- In a fine, fine pitching duel, Oran came out ahead to clinch the Missouri Class 1A District 2 baseball tournament championship Friday, defeating top-seeded and host Advance 2-1.

Dustin Dannenmueller struck out the final batter to seal the title for the second-seeded and state second-ranked Oran Eagles (19-5).

With the win, the Eagles play at District 1 winner Bernie Thursday in a sectional game.

"We got a few lucky breaks," said Oran coach Mitch Wood, who won his third straight district title and fifth in six years. "Both pitchers did a great job. We were able to take over there in the end and get the job done. This is great to do this again. We've achieved two of our three goals now, so we aren't done yet."

Things looked bleak for Oran from the get-go as Advance's Daniel Turner parked Dannenmueller's 3-2 pitch over the right field fence to lead off the game for the Hornets' only run. It was Turner's first-ever high school home run.

Dannenmueller (8-2) settled down from there, allowing some stellar defense behind him to take care of business, while striking out five for the complete-game victory. He walked only one of the 24 batters faced.

"I knew the defense would be there behind me," said Dannenmueller. "After I gave up that leadoff home run, I just got in a groove. I found my mark and my curve ball started working. There in the end, though, I was in a zone. I felt like I couldn't throw anymore, so I just gutted it out. I couldn't have done it without the team, though."

Hornets' ace Garrett Broshuis struck out eight in his tenure, but allowed the two earned runs on five hits and walked three including the go ahead run in the fifth to suffer the loss.

A key moment in the game during the top of the seventh came from Broshuis, who swung at a 3-0 pitch to ground out to Adam Friga for the inning's first out. Next, Turner also grounded out to A. Friga, then Adam Rainey was the final victim via strikeout.Before that, Advance (16-6) kept the game in reach and the fans on the edge of their seats in the bottom of the sixth.Oran was threatening, so Travis Friga tried a suicide squeeze to score Billy Loper and move Philip Seyer to third. However, he bunted into a 1-4-2 double play to end the inning and give the Hornets one final shot at a rally.

"We knew after it was 1-to-1 that who could get ahead first would win it," said Advance coach Chuck Powers. "Garrett Broshuis was ready to go and he did a great job and the team got him out of a jam in the sixth to give us another shot, but Dannenmueller is a good pitcher too and he took care of business."

Down 1-0, Oran tied the game in the bottom of the second when No. 9 hitter Garrett Cook roped a two-out single to center field to score Chris Nichols, who had doubled off the center field fence.

The Eagles took the lead in the fifth when A. Friga doubled to right field, which scored Dustin Glastetter from first base.

Cleanup man Loper went 2-for-3, while Nichols was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored. A. Friga was 1-for-3 with an RBI.