Baseball beaten by Bell City

The Oran High School baseball team traveled to Bell City yesterday and took it on the chin 5-4.

The Eagles took an early lead in the second on "K"-Kole Simms leadoff double.  He went to third on Dawson Menz's sac bunt and scored on Conner Kern's infield ground ball.

Oran got two more in the third.  Ty Johnson walked with one out and after starting pitcher Kaden Hargrove lined out to the fence in left, Simms elevated his fly ball and got it over for a two-run dinger.

The Cubs tied it in the fifth with four walks, a hit batter and a single. Hargrove made it through one out in the inning before being replaced by Johnson.

The Eagles regained the lead briefly in the sixth,  Hargrove was hit by a pitch and Simms walked.  A sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a force out at third, but Dane Shands came through with a two-out single to plate one, 4-3 Oran.

Johnson struck out the first two he saw in the sixth but then allowed three consecutive walks, a single and another walk to allow two runs.

In the top of the seventh, the Eagles had the top of the lineup but they went down without a whimper

Hargrove went the first four and one-third innings.  He was charged with three runs, all earned on three hits, six walks and one strikeout.  Johnson (4-3) went the final one and two-thirds and took the loss for the Eagles who fell to 8-8.  He gave up two runs, both earned on two hits.  He walked four and struck out four.

At the plate, Simm's had the only multiple hit day for Oran with his double and home run.  He drove in two.  Shands and Kern each had the other hits.  Both also drove in run apiece.

Coach Joe Bickings said, "Tough game to lose because I felt like we gave them too many opportunities.  We walked 10 batters and hit 2 more.  In a close game, you have a recipe for disaster on your hands if you give out that many free passes.  We also need to find a way to get on base early in the inning and hopefully have some big innings.  We are struggling right now to hit the baseball and hit it with some authority.  We have one more game before districts to figure some things out.   "

Oran will close out the regular season tomorrow at 4:30 when they host Charleston.  It will be Senior Day.