by Tracy McCue, Sumner Newscow — In one of the strangest nights of baseball in memory, Oxford would beat Moscow 14-6 in the first round of the Class 2-1A State Tournament in Great Bend. The Wildcats now advance to play Medicine Lodge in the semifinals at noon.

How weird of game was it? State baseball officials almost considered taking runs already scored off the scoreboard. And that eventually led to Oxford actually trying to get an out… on offense! If this doesn’t make any sense, just stay with us here.

Oxford would clinch victory before the bewitching midnight hour – 11:45 p.m. to be exact – when freshma Cal Shimkus struck his last batter out swinging.

As far as the scorebook was concerned this game was easy to explain. Oxford outhit Moscow 15-7 and scored eight runs off eight hits in the top of sixth to break open what was a tight ballgame.

But what the scorebook doesn’t tell you is how we got there. Mother nature came to visit in that sixth inning and created an absurd situation.

Moscow had taken a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning.

And Oxford came to the plate with storms looming. After the first out, Callen Shimkus started Oxford’s explosive inning with a single to center. Neil Terry and Dalton Silhan got on and the bases were loaded. Dakota Mitchell then blooped one to centerfield and brought Ca. Shimkus home. Oxford then scored on a bases loaded walk to reclaim the lead at 5-4.

Then the winds howled, lightning struck and the rain started to spit. Officials suspended the game due to storms. The tarp went on.

But then a controversy developed. While Great Bend was getting pounded with rain later in the evening, tournament officials decided in order to speed the tournament up, they would call the game after five complete innings, thus giving Moscow a 4-3 victory since the sixth inning was far from over.

“I wasn’t going to have any part of it,” said Kyle Green, Oxford head baseball coach. “The kids have worked too hard to get to this point for them to take runs off the board and lose this way.”

Another scenario was to start over the sixth inning when they reconvened the next day as if the two runs before the storm never happened.

It was a strange argument between the two teams at the motel — so much so that Kansas State High School Activities Association baseball director Jeremy Holiday was called up from Pratt to decide the matter.

He ruled if Oxford could get the game in Thursday, then they could continue where they left off.

Well, fate would have it that the rain stopped and both baseball teams got back on the field and resumed play shortly after 11 p.m.

Oxford continued where it left off with a hitting explosion, hitting four singles followed by four more runs and the Wildcats were leading 11-4. But here was the crazy scenario. They now needed to get the sixth inning completed so they could get it in the books before the rain hit again. If not the game would revert back to the fifth and Moscow would win.

So it ended up an Oxford runner deliberately walked home to get himself out so the Wildcats could end the inning quickly.

Then Oxford needed to get Moscow out quickly on the defensive end. Reliever Callen Shimkus came in for Camren Clements on the mound and would get three quick strikeouts thus getting the sixth inning in the books and give the Cats victory if the game was called.

It didn’t matter, Oxford would cruise on to victory in the seventh. The rain never came back until after the game was over.

The crazy ending most certainly made people forget what a gem this game was at the beginning.

Oxford, which hadn’t won a state tournament game since 2005, opened with two hits off two errors and got Grant Smith home in the top of the first.

The Wildcats led 1-0 for 4 1/2 innings before Moscow made its move with a four-hitter in the fourth and scored two runs. But Oxford got itself out of the jam with a Clements strikeout and a centerfield catch, and left Moscow stranded with the bases loaded.

Then in the top of the fifth with runners on second and third, senior Oggie Shimkus singled to center field and two runners came home making it 3-2 Cats.

But Moscow responded with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to lead 4-3 thanks in part to a Wildcat error.

Oxford 14 Moscow 6

Oxford — 100 028 3— 14 15 3

Moscow — 000 220 2—  6  7   3

WP — Clements. LP — Stucky.

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