Jack Witthaus
Prep Baseball Report Writer 

O’FALLON, MO—Up until the fifth inning, the Class One State Championship belonged to Santa Fe, which lead by four runs. 

However, the Oran bats came alive in the bottom of the frame, sending 12 men to the plate and driving home eight runs on five hits, three walks and a hit by pitch en route to the Eagles’ 8-4 State championship win.

After 12 State tournament appearances, Oran captured its first ever title, fittingly on head coach Mitchell Wood’s final game. It was Wood’s 10th State appearance. 

“You couldn’t ask for anything more,” Wood said. “I don’t want it to be about me. The kids did a great job. I give them all the credit.” 

In the fifth, Oran starter Kody Moore helped his own cause, going two for two in the inning, driving in two runs and scoring once. Moore pitched 6.2 innings, striking out three on four runs 

Oran pitcher Seth Ressel, who pitched a complete game yesterday, recorded the final out of the championship after Moore allowed two runners to reach base. 

“I definitely wanted to finish it … and get that last out,” Moore said. “But it’s the State championship. You gotta do what you gotta do.” 

Moore landed himself into trouble in the first and second innings. The Chiefs started the game hot, loading the bases with the first three hitters. Moore, though, held tough, letting go one run, a Cody Wodrich ground out to second. 

“He just kept battling,” Wood said. “He’s a battler.” 

Up 1-0, Santa Fe continued to pressure Oran in the top of the second. Catcher Chad Tieman singled up the middle to score Grant Boland. Tieman finished the day three for four with a run scored and an RBI. 

The Chiefs then loaded the bases for first baseman Andrew Curry, who had gone 15 for his last 17. Curry delivered a triple to deep left, scoring two runs to push the Santa Fe lead to 4-0. 

Curry finished the day with a two for four performance at the dish. 

Moore, though, dug in after the second, at one point retiring eight consecutive batters. 

His counterpart, hard-throwing Santa Fe starter Keaton Graf, gave up five runs, four earned, after taking a no-hitter into the fifth inning before getting lifted. Graf was hitting 88-89 mph on the radar gun. 

Moore was responsible for breaking up Graf’s no-no. 

“(The hit) was awesome,” Moore said. “I didn’t know he had a no-hitter at that point until after the game. We were hitting the ball fairly decent. We were just hitting it right at him.” 

Moore said he was happy with today’s result for his team as well as his coach. 

“There’s no better way to send him out,” Moore said. “You could only send him out on top because he’s one of the greatest coaches to ever coach … We wanted it for him as much as he did.”