District Champs!

The Oran High School baseball team did something yesterday that they hadn't done in four years.  That was, win a district championship.  The Eagles defeated the Bell City Cubs 8-1 in a game played in Oran.  The Cubs had beaten the Eagles the last three years to take the crown on the way to their three-straight class one state titles.

Yesterday, Layne Johnson tossed six innings, allowing only two hits and one run.  He walked three and struck out 15 to pick up the win and improve his personal mark to 7-3.  Clay Sauceda threw the final inning he struck out two and hit a batter.

Johnson got all the offense he would need in the first inning as he was hit by a pitch, moved to second after Todd Priggel walked.  Johnson scored on Drew Reischman's double.  Priggel stopped at third.  They would both cross the plate on Cole Priggel's one-out single.  He advanced to third on an errant pick-off attempt.  Kole Simms would then pick up an RBI with a sacrifice fly.

Oran led 4-0 after one.

Layne Johnson pitches to a
Bell City batter in the 1st inning
of the C1D2 championship game

After two innings pitched, Johnson had allowed only a walk, while striking out five.

The Eagles picked up three more in the second.

Ty Johnson led off with a double, Layne Johnson walked with one down.  Both advanced on Todd Priggel's infield groundout.  Both would then scored on Reischman's two-out single.  Reischman would come home on Clay Sauceda's double.

Bell City picked up their only run in the fourth on a solo home run.

Oran got that run back in the bottom half of the frame on Layne Johnson's one-out single.  He would make it the rest of the way on Reischman's second double of the day.

Coach Joe Bickings said, "I don’t feel like we could have started the game yesterday any better than we did.  We got a quick 1-2-3 inning out of Layne in the top of the 1st and then we got the first two guys on base for Drew and he was able to deliver with an RBI double.  Cole then got those two runs in on a sharp hit ball over the 2nd baseman’s head and was able to advance to 2nd on the throw and then later to 3rd on an error trying to pick him off.  Kole Simms then does a great job in getting a fly ball to the outfield to score Cole on a sac fly.  Got another quick inning out of Layne and were able to put up 3 more runs in the 2nd to make the score 7-0.  I thought Layne did a heck of a job on the mound,  six innings pitched and having 15 strikeouts was no easy task in that heat.  He hit spots and was able to located his curve and change-up.  Clay also did well in his inning pitched."

Reischman was 3 for 3, he drove in four and scored twice.  Cole  Priggel had two RBI.  Ty Johnson had a pair of hits in three at bats.  Layne Johnson scored three times.

Bickings added, "It feels nice to get a district championship for these seniors.  They have finished in 2nd place in this district the last three years to Bell City and they have worked their tails off and have done everything I have asked of them not just this year but the 3 years prior."


The Eagles improved to 14-8 and will host the winner of Class one District one on Monday at time yet to be determined.