By HUNTER O. LYLE
DANSVILLE, NY – Through the first weeks of the season, the Olean Oilers have shown that the clutch gene is a part of their team’s DNA.
After winning their first two games of the season on last second walk-off wins, that dominant trait has reappeared in their fourth consecutive win of the summer. Witnessing their early lead all but be erased by the Dansville Gliders, a late surge that included a lead-off home run in the ninth inning kept their streak intact, beating Dansville 5-2 in hostile territory.
After producing their most hits of the season in their previous game – 10 hits against the Horseheads Hitmen – the Oilers’ sticks remained red hot as they continuously put a man in scoring possession out of the gates.
Leading off the game, Josh Wilson and Noah Gerrick nabbed singles in the first three Olean sluggers before Chase Fischer gained access to the baseline with a walk. Jake Ambrosio and Matthew Boffalo then cracked their own singles in the second before a dropped pitch moved them down the line. In the third Gerrick’s second single and subsequent showcase of speed put him in scoring position with the Oilers yet to tally an out.
Noah Gerrick puts a ball in play during the Oilers’ win over the Gliders. As one of the key driving forces of the Olean’s fourth straight win, Gerrick ended with three hits in five appearances at the plate. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“It just comes down to our plans we have at the plate. We’re not expanding with two strikes because we’re scared of striking out. So we’re not swinging at terrible pitches and we’re attacking the right ones early,” said Olean Oiler co-manager Jackson DeJohn. “Even when those hits aren’t coming and the offense isn’t rolling, our team is doing a really good job of honestly just being good at playing baseball. They’re playing the game the right way.”
However, Olean was still chasing that elusive last hit, instead leaving seven men on base through three frames. All the while, the Oilers kept Dansville searching for answers. Refusing to allow a man past second base, Olean maintained a no-hitter early on with nine outs in 11 Glider batters.
“This was Jaxson Ross’s third start of really just pounding the zone and establishing, ‘hey, you have to hit my fastball and if you can’t, I’m just going to use that,’” said DeJohn of the team’s ace. “He’s done a really good job of just pounding the zone and not letting hitters get comfy. It’s been really hard for anyone to get a base off him.”
Starting pitcher Jaxon Ross fires a pitch down range during one of his five innings on the mound for the Oilers. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Olean would keep both streaks alive heading into the fourth when they finally found a path to home plate. After suffering the first out in the initial batter, Boffalo found his second hit of the afternoon while Gerrick and Caden Wolfley filled the bases with back-to-back walks. The Oilers’ first run was an anticlimactic one, coming as the result of a controversial baulk. However, one batter later, Gerrick crushed a shot past the Gliders shortstop, driving in a well-earned run.
“(Gerrick and Boffalo) just had really good at-bats. They were getting their pitches and we keep preaching to them to just go up early in the count and if it’s not there, don’t swing,” said Olean Oiler co-manager Jake Meeker. “They go up with that plan and it seems to be working.”
Matthew Boffalo leads off first during Olean’s 5-2 win over the Gliders on Sunday. Boffalo finished 3-for-5, tallying one run scored and another batted in. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
After putting Dansville out in three, Olean would add to their lead in the top of the fifth. Two singles and an error would once again put a man in scoring position, setting the stage for Boffalo to drive in run No. 3. From there, the Oilers would lean on their defense to carry them home.
The Gliders would go out in four in the fifth before Olean’s relief pitcher, Cris Laieta, added to their frustration with three Ks in three batters in the sixth. Although Dansville would end their drought in the seventh with a single from Gage Wheaton, their offense still failed to get off the ground, again leaving two men stranded as their side of the scoreboard remained stuck at zero.
However, breaking through Olean’s defense once was enough to spark some life in Dansville’s dugout. Dispatching the Oilers in three for the first time all game, the Gliders’ then came alive. Through their first four batters, they put two men on base with just as many outs. Riding on their timely momentum, back-to-back singles from Jude Balser and Eli Huebner would drive in a pair of scores, narrowing the deficit to just one before Olean finally found the third out. All of sudden, the Oilers’ lead, which had seemed safely secured until this point, was in danger.
But just when they needed them most, Olean’s bats returned.
Leading off the top of the ninth, Fischer stole back the momentum, crushing a high-flying shot over the left field wall for the team’s first home run of the season. Electrified by Fischer’s feat, the next two Olean sluggers made their way on base with singles before they loaded the bases with a full-count walk. Suffering two outs in the next two at-bats, the Oilers would score once more on a hit batter, widening the margin back to two.
Leading off the top of the ninth, Chase Fischer smashed out of the park, recording the Oiler’s first home run of the season. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Although Dansville started the bottom of the ninth strong, opening with a single, they couldn’t find a way past Olean’ closer Brendan Roche, who fanned the next three consecutive Gliders to seal their fourth win of the season.
Recording a new season-high hits with 12, Olean was led by Gerrick and Boffalo, who both ended 3-for-5 and combined for one run and two RBIs. Ryan Cainzos finished with two hits in four trips to the plate, while Wilson, Fischer and Thomas Bates all ended 1-for-4 with a combined total of four runs and two RBIs.
Up next, Olean will host the Genesee Rapids in their official home opener on Monday, with the first pitch slated for 7 p.m.
“I think we have a lot of confidence going into our home opener tomorrow. We hope to see a good crowd, I know it’s going to be $2 beer night so I hope it’s rowdy,” said Meeker. “These guys are rolling right now and I’m loving watching them play baseball.”
AT DANSVILLE
Olean 000 210 002 R:5 H:12 E:0
Dansville 000 000 020 R:2 H:6 E:1
OL: Ross (2 SO, 3 BB), Laieta (6) (7 SO, 0 BB), Roche (9) (3 SO, 0 BB) and Ambrosio
DN: Claverie (6 SO, 3 BB), Hernandez (4) (2 SO, 0 BB), Butt (5) (1 SO, 1 BB), Warner (9) (2 SO, 1 BB) and Roy
