By SPENCER BATES
OLEAN — Behind a well-balanced approach at the plate, the Olean Oilers were able to efficiently dispatch of the Salamanca Lizards for a 6-3 victory in front of a home crowd.
The Oilers entered the affair on the back of a three-game winless streak that saw them knocked out of second place in the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL). Luckily, a chance to get back to winning ways was presented to them with a matchup against their Allegheny River rivals, the Lizards, who occupied last place in the West Division.
However, it would not be so easy.
While Olean may have entered the game in third place and six points ahead in the standings, it was Salamanca that held a 3-1-1 edge in the season series between the sides.
So while the standings may have painted one picture, the Lizards would have liked their chances to pull out another victory over their rivals and continue their push for postseason baseball.
And they very well may have been able to do so if it weren’t for just a few big-time swings that completely tipped the scales in the Oilers’ favor.
Olean did connect for eight hits on the night, but a two-run homer in the bottom of the second inning from Chase Fischer (1-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI), a solo home run from Owen Smith (2-for-4, 2 runs, RBI) and a two-run ground-rule double from Josh Wilson (2-for-4, 3 RBI) wound up being all the Oilers needed.
“Today was a good day offensively, in terms of balancing things out,” Oilers coach Jackson DeJohn said. “Chase Fisher has been working real hard all summer … we slid him down a little bit (in the order) to take some pressure off the at-bats. So him, specifically, hitting one out is great to see. And Owen Smith … a double and homer tonight for him. That’s a lot of production to get from the bottom of the order.”
Olean’s Cross Yarborough (21) swings at a pitch. (Spencer Bates)
In terms of the Lizards’ perspective, coach Jerico Weitzel acknowledged that it was just a few mistakes that changed the entire game.
“I thought there were some pitches that we made that led to some runs, and Dylan (Kinney) doesn’t usually make those mistakes, that’s why he’s one of the better pitchers in the league,” Weitzel said. “They scored all their runs on a couple swings … that was the difference in the game right there. Credit to them, but yeah, we definitely had some mistakes that we wish we had back.”
And while Olean’s power took center stage, not to be glossed over, according to DeJohn, was the efficiency it got from other at-bats.
In the top of the third, Salamanca managed to cut into the 2-0 deficit it faced with a run from Frank Kula (2-for-5, 2 runs), who received a free base after an overthrow on his triple left the ballpark. But Olean was able to wipe that run away almost immediately in the bottom of the frame thanks to Wilson’s first RBI of the day, a double that scored Thomas Bates (1-for-4, run).
“You just try to spread it out, we don’t want too many guys that are swing-and-miss to be right around each other,” DeJohn said. “Moving some people down (the lineup) has allowed for power at the bottom of the order. Having guys behind them and in front of them that are more bat-to-ball, your power guys can get into the ball when you have guys that are grinding out at-bats. We had a couple innings where we had two-out doubles. Those guys are extending innings in the middle, or upper-middle part of the order to get on for those (power) guys, like Chase and Owen. So (the efficiency) is really awesome to have, it helps you so much.”
Salamanca’s Dylan Kinney (6) delivers a pitch against Olean. Kinney recorded five strikeouts in six innings for the Lizards. (Spencer Bates)
Also working in favor of the hosts was the product it was able to get out of its pitchers. Jake Manendo got the start on the mound for the Oilers, someone DeJohn noted has been struggling with his off-speed pitches and pitch count. But much to his satisfaction, Manendo had little to no problems on the night as he diced through the Lizards batting order, racking up 10 strikeouts and four walks in six innings. Jaxson Ross (5 SO, 2 BB) and Grady Shaw (2 SO, 2 BB) took to the bump in relief, both finding significant success as well.
“(The difference for Manendo) today was being able to jump back in the zone after missing with his breaking ball, not babying it,” DeJohn said. He’s throwing 92, 93(mph) almost. So when he’s landing a breaking ball, that fastball is way harder to hit, and the counts don’t go as long. … So, starting pitching wise, it was huge for him to be able to pop back into the zone with both pitches. … Pretty much the same thing for Jaxson Ross. He struggled in school this year with getting out of the zone and not being able to get back to even when he’s getting behind. He was jumping right back into the zone after a ball (tonight). That was big for him. And then Grady Shaw did exactly what we asked him to, throw the ball over the plate.”
And admittedly, Weitzel noted it was the effectiveness of Olean’s pitchers that really prevented his team from generating a lot of offense. The Lizards connected for seven hits, only one shy of the Oilers’ tally on the night, but five of them came from just two players — Hunter While (3-for-3, RBI, 2 walks) and Kula.
“(Olean) made pitches when they had to,” Weitzel said. “We had guys on during innings, it’s just about cashing in and getting those clutch hits in those clutch moments. We just didn’t quite get them today.”
Salamanca’s Connor Smith (21) connects on a pitch. Smith went 1-for-3 with a run for the Lizards. (Spencer Bates)
The Lizards were able to threaten a rally late, scoring two runs after loading the bases with no outs on the board in the top of the ninth. But ultimately, there were no incredibly significant late dramatics as the Oilers pulled one back in the season series. They will have the chance to tie up the series in their penultimate game of the season, their final matchup against the Lizards left on the calendar.
But in terms of the most pressing fixtures, Olean will hit the road to face the West Division-leading Genesee Rapids on July 11 at 7 p.m. Salamanca will also be on the road on July 11 to take on the Horseheads Hitmen at 5 p.m.
AT OLEAN
Salamanca 001 000 002 R:3 H:7 E:1
Olean 021 000 30X R:6 H:8 E:2
Sala: Kinney (5 SO, 0 BB), Tyler (0 SO, 0 BB), McCall (3 SO, 1 BB) and Lasko
Ole: Manendo (10 SO, 4 BB), Ross (5 SO, 2 BB), Shaw (2 SO 2 BB) and Collins
