EXTRA-INNING CHAMPIONS: Bell City baseball team secures first district...

Note: A photo gallery of the championship is available at this link: Championship Photos

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correctly identify Bobby Wright as collecting the game-winning hit. ORAN, Mo. - It took a bit longer than seven innings but the first district baseball championship since 1990 finally materialized for the Bell City Cubs Friday night at Oran High School.

Bell City sophomore Bobby Wright broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning when he hammered a ball between the shortstop and second baseman with the infield playing in with the bases loaded.

Wright's clutch one-out hit secured a 4-3 eight-inning win for top-seeded Bell City against second-seeded Oran in the Class 1, District 2 championship.

"I knew it was going to be a battle with two good baseball teams going at it," Bell City coach Justin Simpher said, after having a cooler of ice water dumped on him following the trophy presentation. "Oran was ready to come out and defend the district title they won last year and our guys were focussed and ready to play all day. They stayed focussed until the last out, kept at it and found a way to get some runs across the plate."

A leadoff walk by Cole Nichols proved to be the spark plug of Bell City's final score. Nate Finney followed the walk with a one-out single that moved Nichols to third base. Oran then elected to intentionally walk Peyton Maddox to load the bases.

"This has been happening to me all year," Wright said. "Peyton is a good hitter so they intentionally walk him and pitch to me when first base is open. They came to me, and this time I knew what to do. I felt good, saw a fastball with two strikes and just put the bat on the ball."

Oran moved its infielders in front of their respective bases as Abner stepped to the plate.

Thomas Trankler came within a strike of retiring Abner before he hammered a pitch that bounced just out of reach of the third baseman and shortstop and into left field.

"It was right on the inner half," Wright said of the 1-2 pitch. "My favorite spot to hit it."

The dramatic finish became possible after Oran rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the top of the seventh inning. Blake Overfield and Ben Heuring collected consecutive hits to start the top of the seventh inning. Overfield scored on Heuring's hit and Heuring advanced to third base when Tanner McVay laid down a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the frame. Trankler followed with a sacrifice fly to center field that tied things up at 3-3.

Oran threatened to move ahead 4-3 in the top of the eighth inning after Jacob Priggel drew a leadoff walk. Bell City catcher Abner erased the threat when he threw out Priggel as he tried to steal second base.

"Right before the pitch my coach looked over to me and said 'he's going,'" Wright said. "So I called a pitch out and Cole Nichols threw a perfect pitch to me."

Bell City fell behind 1-0 in the top of the fourth inning when Priggel drew his second of three walks, took second on a stolen base and scored when cleanup hitter Hunter Schlosser hit an RBI single.

Bell City scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to move ahead 3-1.

Tyler Evans drew a one-out walk and Brandon Abner followed with a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth inning. Evans scored Bell City's first run to tie things up at 1-1 when Jesse Smith hit a bouncer back to the pitcher that was fielded in front of the mound and thrown wide of first base, allowing Evans to score from third.

Nichols followed with a walk before Austin Hicks hit a 2-RBI single to put Bell City on top 3-1.

"The bottom of the lineup did what they have been doing all year," Hicks said. "They took pitches and got on base for us. When you can turn over to the top of your lineup with runners on base usually something big is going to happen and it did in the fifth inning."

Schlosser started the game for Oran. He allowed just two hits and three unearned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work. Trankler relieved Schlosser following the infield error in the bottom of the fifth inning and pitched the rest of the game.

Hicks pitched the first seven innings for Bell City. He allowed three runs, five hits and struck out two.

"I felt good," Hicks said. "I hung a few pitches I probably shouldn't have, but besides that I felt pretty good."

Nichols pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Bell City. He did not allow a hit.

"We had everybody available," Simpher, who has the luxury of having one of the deepest Class 1 pitching staffs in the state, said. "We've got four guys who have been throwing for us all year. They've all done their jobs and done really well. We went with Cole in the eighth inning because he throws a lot of strikes and I wanted to make them earn their runs. He threw strikes and they hit the ball hard, but it was right at somebody."

Bell City improves to 21-3 with the victory.

"This is the first time I've ever won a district championship in a sport," Wright said. ""We've had a lot of doubters and naysayers, but I'm glad we were able to find a way to get this win."

Bell City plays at Gideon in a Class 1 sectional Monday. Gideon beat Naylor 10-0 in the Class 1, District 1 championship Friday. The starting time of the Gideon-Bell City playoff on Monday was not available at press deadline late Friday night.

DUSTIN WARD - dward@dailystatesman.com Pictured is the Bell City Cubs baseball team with its first-place plaque after it beat Oran 4-3 in eight innings in the Class 1, District 2 baseball final Friday.

No. 1 Bell City 4, No. 2 Oran 3

OHS 000 100 20 - 3 5 1

BCS 000 030 01 - 4 5 3

WP - Cole Nichols. LP - Thomas Trankler. Multiple hits - Bell City: Austin Hicks 2-4; Oran: Ben Heuring 2-3.

EXTRA-INNING CHAMPIONS: Bell City baseball team secures first district title since 1990