Scott City softball guts out dramatic victory over rival Oran for another district championship
ADVANCE, Mo. -- Scott City softball had already overcome two deficits and led by four runs entering the final inning.
A district championship wasn't going to come easy, though. Oran quickly whittled that advantage down to two and had the tying run on second base with no outs.
With the game hanging in the balance, Scott City pitcher Kaileigh Dirden showcased what her coach, Lance Amick, called "mental toughness," and struck out the next three batters to seal the second-seeded Rams' 11-9 victory over No. 1 Oran in the Class 1 District 4 championship game Saturday at the Advance City Park.
A contest that began under dreary clouds Wednesday and then was suspended after two innings until Saturday due to rain and wet field conditions ended under sunshine and a bright sky Saturday.
Scott City, which has won four straight district titles, advances to the sectional and will face Malden at 4 p.m. Monday.
The mental toughness wasn't limited to the seventh inning, Amick said. Scott City had to overcome a three-run and then a two-run disadvantage to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season and avenge a 10-0 loss back on March 20th.
In that regular-season defeat, the mental fortitude the Rams had in the final was nowhere to be found. Oran scored three runs in the first inning, and Scott City never struck back. In the championship, Oran again tallied three runs in the bottom of the first. This time, the Rams scored five runs next time up, setting the tone.
"Oran punched us in the mouth a few times this game, and we answered," Amick said. "The second game of the year we didn't. We kind of hid in the corner and felt sorry for ourselves."
Scott City (14-3) entered the Saturday morning re-start up 5-3 heading into the third inning and with Oran starter Samantha Welter back on the mound.
After a 1-2-3 inning, the Eagles (17-1) scored two in the bottom of the third to tie the game at 5-all. Another two runs in the fourth gave Oran a 7-5 lead.
That stood until the sixth, when the Rams pushed five runs across.
Scott City scored 10 of its 11 runs in two innings, the second and the sixth. Entering the championship, Oran hadn't given up more than three runs in a game this season.
"You look at how many walks we had in those two innings, and that's the tale of the game," Oran coach Jim Eftink said. "I'm not singling out our pitcher. She's thrown good all year. She's thrown a lot of shutouts all year. But, you know, today she didn't have her control."
Scott City had six hits to Oran's 12, but the Rams exercised patience. They drew 11 drew walks, including four apiece in the second and sixth. Oran had one free pass.
"We want to hit the ball," Scott City first baseman Jamie Glastetter said. "One through nine, we are power hitters. We want to hit the ball, and it's very tough when we do draw walks. But if that's best for the team, then ultimately that's what we have to do."
Britne Parker exemplified the patient approach. She drew a walk all five times up.
In the sixth, four walks with a single sandwiched in between brought home two runs to tie the game at seven. A single by right fielder Tori Buckner then gave Amick's team an 8-7 lead. Senior Ginny Mott followed with a two-RBI double over the left fielder's head.
Scott City tacked on one more run in the seventh and took an 11-7 lead into the bottom of the frame.
Oran rattled off four straight hits, including an RBI double by Welter to cut the Rams' lead to 11-9. But Welter, the tying run, never moved beyond second.
"I can't say enough about Kaileigh there at the end," Amick said. "Second and third, tying runner on second, nobody out, and I think she finished with three strikeouts there. That's mental toughness. Things are going around you that are not good, finding the self-discipline and toughness to grab the ball and re-focus."
Dirden didn't pitch in the regular-season meeting between the two teams and surrendered double-digit hits and nine runs (eight earned) in the district championship. But when she needed to make pitches, she did.
"I was nervous, but I knew our team, our defense, would be behind Kaileigh if anything happened," Buckner said. "We finished it out."
For the second straight year, Oran's season ended with a loss in the district championship to Scott City. The Eagles will return much of the team, including Welter, second baseman Leah Cauble, shortstop Kaylee Payne and third baseman Jessie Long. Payne, Cauble and Long had eight of Oran's 12 hits.
But Oran will have to wait until next spring for another shot at a district championship.
Scott City turns its attention to Monday's matchup with Malden (21-2). Last season, the Rams fell to Malden 12-5 in the sectional.
After the win Saturday, Amick simply wanted to savor the district title and a hard-fought win over Oran.
"It's one of those games you hate somebody had to lose it," Amick said. "But at the end of the day, I'm glad that we were the one who had a few more runs at the end."
Scott City | 050 | 001 | 1 | -- | 11 | 6 | 2 |
Oran | 302 | 200 | 2 | -- | 9 | 12 | 3 |
WP -- Kaileigh Dirden. LP -- Samantha Welter. 2B -- Kaileigh Dirden (SC), Ginny Mott (SC), Leah Cauble (O), Welter (O). 3B -- Kaylee Payne 3 (O). HR -- Madison Thompson (SC). Multiple hits -- Oran: Payne 3-4, Cauble 2-3, Jessie Long 3-3.