WARDSVILLE, Mo. - The Blair Oaks baseball team got a rare second chance at first place in the Tri-County Conference.
Colton Hoelscher and the Falcons didn't squander the opportunity Monday night at the Falcon Athletic Complex.
Hoelscher threw a complete-game two-hitter, leading Blair Oaks past first-place Hallsville - ranked No. 6 in Class 3 - for a 4-1 victory.
"Colton was unbelievable today, and that sets the tone for everything," Blair Oaks coach Mike DeMilia said. "We got him a lead and they put a couple of rallies together, but they couldn't get that real big hit they needed."
Blair Oaks improved to 3-1 in conference play with Monday's win, handing Hallsville its first Tri-County loss of the season.
Four teams currently have one loss in Tri-County play, with Southern Boone and Hallsville each holding 5-1 records and California at 2-1. Blair Oaks needed a win Monday to keep its chances alive to have a share of the conference title.
"It was kind of a do-or-die," DeMilia said. "If we lose that game, then (the conference race) is over with (for us).
"It was a must-win, but we didn't really handle it that way. We just wanted to come out and play a good game."
The Falcons never trailed in the game, holding a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Parker Bax reached on an infield single and Nolan Hair went from first to third base on the hit-and-run. Hair then scored on a wild pitch to put Blair Oaks ahead.
"That was a great hustle play," DeMilia said. "As a team, we're trying to out-hustle the other team, and we did that tonight."
Blair Oaks added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning with three consecutive two-out hits.
Kamron Morriss and Bax each singled, and Bax stole second base to put two runners in scoring position. Then, after falling behind 0-2 in the count, Ian Nolph lined a single back up the middle to score both runners, extending the Falcons' lead to 3-0.
"Ian has been that way all year," DeMilia said. "He found a way to get a hit."
That would be more than enough help for Hoelscher, who only allowed six of the 25 batters he faced to reach base.
Hoelscher escaped a potential scoring opportunity in the top of the third, picking off a baserunner that was attempting to steal third base.
Hallsville scored its lone run in the fourth on a two-out RBI double by Cooper Crane. The Indians had a rally in the making with the top of the order batting in the sixth, but Hoelscher overcame a leadoff error to get another scoreless frame.
"Colton doesn't have overpowering stuff, so he works on having finesse," DeMilia said. "He locates, mixes up his pitches. When you can throw three pitches for strikes, which he can, a team can never get comfortable in the box."
Hoelscher needed just 88 pitches to get through seven innings, finishing with two walks and five strikeouts.
Blair Oaks added an insurance run in the fifth, when Bax hit an RBI double to left-center. That scored Bryce Kempker to give the Falcons a 4-1 advantage.
Bax led the Blair Oaks hitting attack, going 3-for-3 with a pair of singles in his first two at-bats.
"He had a decent game against Fatima, and then tonight he put together a bunch of good at-bats," DeMilia said of his junior cleanup hitter. "He's a guy we need to produce for us."
Morriss also had a multi-hit game for the Falcons, finishing 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
Blair Oaks (8-13) is done with conference play for the week, but the Falcons' next game will have implications on next month's Class 4 District 9 tournament. Blair Oaks hosts district foe Helias (11-5) today, with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m.
DeMilia said his team is playing better as of late than its record might indicate.
"The record is what it is. I don't care what our record is, we can't change that," he said. "But I feel like we're playing our best ball. We played well last week and ever since the Columbia Tournament, the guys have played with a lot more confidence."
In Monday JV's game, Blair Oaks lost 4-1 to Hallsville, dropping its record to 3-6.
Cole Jungmeyer took the loss on the mound for the Falcons, striking out six batters in four innings.