Eagles Win Nail-Biter Over Hornets

Trankler pitches a 3 hit shutout
courtesy semoball

The Oran High School baseball team came into today's district semi-final contest against the Advance Hornets as prohibitive favorites. Oran had a record of 14-6, Advance was only 6-15.  Oran had defeated Advance 8-1 less than three weeks ago.  But apparently no one told the Hornets, as the Eagles had all they could handle in a 1-0 win to advance into tomorrow's championship game against the number one seed Bell City Cubs at 4:30 pm.

These two teams had met in last year's district championship game that was won by the Eagles 1-0 in eight innings.

This year looked much the same as neither team could tally a run through the first five and a half innings.  Finally in the bottom of the sixth, Tanner McVay worked the count full before drawing a lead-off walk.  Thomas Trankler was able

Tanner McVay scores the winning
run.  Courtesy semoball

to lay down a sacrifice bunt to move McVay to second.  Then, Preston Hahn took three straight pitches out of the zone and then took two more that were called strikes.  After fouling off the next pitch, he laced a line-drive single into center field that allowed McVay to slide safely across home plate for the only run of the day.

Trankler pitched the complete game shut out to improve to 5-3.  He allowed only three hits while striking out 15.  He walked one and hit one.

Trankler and Hahn were named Bank of Advance co-stars of the game.

Oran will look to claim their fifth straight district championship tomorrow.