Win or go home.

That was the talking point for Tyler Ahring’s Owensville Dutchmen baseball team entering the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 4, District 9 Baseball Tournament Saturday at Sullivan High School’s Sullivan Bank Ball Park.

Falling behind 3-0 after one inning, OHS battled back to tie the game at 4-4 after five innings.

Seeing Salem take a 5-4 lead after six innings, Owensville could not take advantage of a two-out double before seeing their season end at 18-8 after a tough loss to a Salem Tiger team they had defeated 1-0 back in late March.

A walk and two errors in the top of the first inning by Owensville led to three Salem runs putting the Dutchmen in an early hole.

Senior Bryor Bogle led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk before stealing second and third base.

He would however be left stranded there leaving OHS facing a 3-0 deficit after one inning.

Pitching around two walks in the top of the second inning, Bogle kept Salem from adding to their lead.

Another scoring opportunity presented itself in the bottom of the second inning for Ahring’s Dutchmen.

Tyler Heidbrink drew a one-out walk before TC Fisher hit a single up the middle putting two runners on base with one out.

Two ground outs later, both runners were left stranded with Owensville still not on the board.

After a scoreless top of the third inning, OHS laced up their walking shoes in the bottom half of the third.

Bogle, Garret West and Gavin Loague drew consecutive walks to load the bases for Derek Brandt.

In spite of Brandt hitting into a double play, Michael Steinbeck came through with a RBI single to right field scoring West helping Owensville cut Salem’s lead to 3-1 after three innings.

Following a scoreless fourth inning, both teams would score in their halves of the fifth inning.

Salem cashed in four walks for a run and a 4-1 lead moving to the bottom of the fifth inning.

Walks to Brandt, Steinbeck and Heidbrink with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning loaded the bases for Fisher.

On a 1-2 count, Fisher delivered a bases-clearing triple to right field tying the game at 4-4 after five innings.

Salem answered in the top of the sixth with a run on a walk and two errors to reclaim a 5-4 lead.

Down to their last three outs, OHS put together another two-out rally.

Started by a Steinbeck double, Heidbrink walked to put both the tying and game-winning runs on the base paths.

Much to the disappointment of Dutchmen baseball, a ground out ended the game and Owensville’s season in the first round of the MSHSAA Class 4, District 9 Baseball Tournament.