Elfrink’s walk-off homer, Johnson's gem pushes Oran baseball past Cooter in Class 1 Sectional

Members of the Oran baseball team wait for Denver Elfrink to cross home plate as Cooter catcher Lane Mclevain (right) looks on during a Class 1 Sectional Tuesday at Oran High School in Oran, Mo. (Brent Shipman/Standard Democrat)

ORAN, Mo. – Seniors Denver Elfrink and Layne Johnson had the kind of game Tuesday most players only dream about.

With Oran’s season on the line against Cooter in a Class 1 Sectional, the duo delivered the kind of performance that booked their team its first trip to the quarterfinal since 2013’s championship run.

Johnson pitched out of a late game jam for a complete-game shutout while Elfrink, batting from the bottom of the order, delivered a three-run, walk-off home run in the final home at-bat of his career for a 3-0 win.

Oran’s Layne Johnson delivers a pitch to a Cooter batter during a Class 1 Sectional Tuesday at Oran High School in Oran, Mo. (Brent Shipman/Standard Democrat)

“Honestly the only thing I could think of was ‘holy crap’,” Elfrink said. “First one of those I’ve hit all year. Thank God I had all my teammates behind me or that kind of thing can’t happen.

“It’s definitely a challenge coming against someone who throws curveballs as good their pitcher does. Luckily we had Layne on the mound and he threw a heck of a game.”

Nine-hole hitters aren’t typically known for their power, but Elfrink picked the perfect time to show some muscle.

Cole Priggel led off the bottom of the seventh in a scoreless game with a walk before being bunting into scoring position. Cooter issued an intentional walk hoping for a double play and a fly ball to left field nearly had the Wildcats out of the jam.

Hitless to that point, Elfrink stepped to the plate and quickly went down 0-1 on a swinging strike. A ball evened the count before Elfrink took the next pitch and launched it into deep left field.

A tracking outfielder watched it sail a few feet over the fence, sending the dugout pouring onto the field to celebrate with Elfrink at home plate.

“A nine-hole guy hits the ball, a curveball, on the outside corner,” Cooter head coach David Mathis said. “He reaches out and hits it out of the park. There’s nothing you can do about that. You just tip your cap to him.”

After cruising through the first sixth frames, Johnson’s biggest test came in the top half of the seventh.

A leadoff single from Lane McLevain was followed by a balk to put the potential winning run in scoring position before a sacrifice bunt moved him to third. Oran decided to issue back-to-back intentional walks, loading the bases in a move a that could have drastically backfired.

Instead Johnson, a southpaw, got a soft grounder to the third baseman that led to a force out at home plate. A lineout to the shortstop ended the threat and kept the game scoreless heading into the home half of the seventh.

“Those two kids that were up at the plate we walked are extremely quick kids from what other coaches have said,” Oran head coach Joe Bickings said. “I didn’t want to give them the chance of bunting or getting down the line and us throwing it away. Walking those two got their eight-nine holes up. Layne had been pumping strikes and he was able to get that weak ground ball to third. I was either going to look like a hero or a zero, one of the two. I’m just glad I look like a hero right now.”

Coming into the seventh Johnson had just struck out the side. He finished the game throwing 101 pitches, 73 of which were strikes. He allowed three hits and three walks while striking out nine.

“Me and my catcher Clay (Sauceda) were warming up in the pen and everything felt good,” Johnson said. “I came out and felt like I was throwing harder. Coach Bickings says I still only throw like 60 mph, but I felt like it was harder than that. I felt like my stamina was there.”

With Johnson near his pitch limit, the Eagles (15-9) lucked out in avoiding extra innings and needing to use their No. 2 pitcher Drew Reischman.

Instead they save Reischman to face Eminence (16-3) on the road today at 4:30 p.m., in the quarterfinals with a spot in the final four on the line.

“He got a little bullpen session trying to get loose,” Bickings said. “He’ll be ready. He’s a gamer. We’re going to lean on him and hopefully get the ‘W’.”

Johnson’s counterpart, Dawson Treat, took the hard luck loss, allowing four hits and four walks. He needed 88 pitches, fanning four, and held on to a no-hitter going into the fourth inning.

“That guy was one of the best we’ve faced all year,” Johnson said of Treat.

Other than Elfrink’s blast, neither team collected an extra base hit in the pitcher’s duel. Reischman, Sauceda and Jacob Shoemaker all singled for Oran.

Jacob Watkins, Lane McLevain and Dylan Smelley each singled for the Wildcats.

Though Cooter (16-10) had other opportunities to score, including a runner in second with one out in the fourth, Mathis knows the seventh inning was their best opportunity to seize the game.

It would have been their first quarterfinal appearance since 2014 when they went on to win the state title.

“We loaded them up and did what we were suppose to do,” Mathis said of the seventh inning. “We have to get a base hit or fly ball there and it’s just situational stuff, but you have younger guys at the bottom of the order there. It’s tough for them being in this game.

“They haven’t ever been in this game and our coming out of eighth grade having to play against that caliber of a team. You can’t fault that. They’re young and trying to battle too.”

Cooter 000 000 0 – 0 3 0

Oran 000 000 3 – 3 4 1

WP – Layne Johnson. LP – Dawson Treat.HR – Denver Elfrink (O).