By HUNTER O. LYLE
ALLEGANY, NY – Entering their final day of the regular season, the Olean softball team had a lot up in the air.
A win would mean entering the playoffs fresh off of six straight victories, another notch to their side of the rivalry with Allegany-Limestone and a one-third share of the Chautauqua Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division I league title. And as to be expected, a game with so much riding on it was no walk in the park.
Staring down at the only team to beat them through the last month of play, the Huskies nonetheless checked all three boxes, leaning on a late-game hot streak to beat the Gators 8-5, earn redemption and a share of the title.
“In the first game (we played) they beat us by quite a few runs, but we knew we had the ability to beat them and today we came in with confidence and showed it,” said Olean head coach Ryan Nawrot. “I’m very proud of each one of those players on that bench. They all stepped up and did exactly what they needed to do to get that win. It was a huge win and a great ending to the regular season.”
A-L also came into Friday afternoon with added emphasis on winning. Before the first pitch, the Gators took time to honor their lone senior, Kailey Truman. As a four year player, Truman has led the charge from the circle, tallying 128 strikeouts through 87 innings during her senior season.
“Over the years she’s developed very well. She’s overall done a great job,” said Allegany-Limestone head coach Kaelyn Arnold. “I’m going to miss her for sure next year. She’s been a big part of who we are.”
However, Olean quickly put Truman to work. After suffering their initial out with their initial batter, the Huskies sat back, using patience as a weapon as they calibrated the batter’s box. Allison Anastasia reached the baseline with a walk, before Ava Finch kicked off the afternoon’s action with a full-count RBI-single past first. Despite seeing two more consecutive full-counts, Truman then closed out the inning, tallying a pair of strikeouts through the next three at-bats.
The Gators’ response didn’t have to wait long. Leading off was Riley Sudbrook, who drilled a hard hit through the infield for a single, ultimately making it to third on an overthrow and subsequent sacrifice bunt from Peyton Truman. One batter later, Sudbrook stole home to put A-L on the board before Summer Rhow rattled off an RBI-triple to left field. The Gators improved their newfound lead to two immediately after with a RBI-single from Kendall Truman, but would go cold for the next two frames.
Meanwhile, the Huskies began chipping away. Although they also came away empty handed through the second, Olean trimmed the deficit back down to one with a RBI-single from Ava Finch in the top of the third before taking a 4-3 lead through the fourth with RBIs from Tiana Maine and Brielle Pancio.
“We showed a tremendous amount of patience and I think (our batters) heard a lot of their teammates cheering behind them and that gave them a lot of confidence,” said Nawrot. “Having that patience, waiting for their pitch, they all just did great jobs at the plate today.”
Although the Gators countered immediately after, with Peyton Truman and Annie Hemphill bringing in runners with a triple and a single, Olean had another rebuttal of their own.
Through their first four batters, the Huskies managed to load the bases in the top of the fifth with a pair of walks and an Anna Bates single. Seeing a full-diamond for the first time all afternoon, they seized the opportunity, albeit, with equal parts luck and skill.
Stepping up to the plate for the first time, Mallory Carter rifled a shot into the outfield. Although it landed in the glove of Kennedy Honeck, it gave Finch enough time to cross the final distance between third and home. As the Gators attempted to cut off the other Huskies, an overthrow to third saw two more runners come across the plate, giving Olean a 7-5 lead.
This time the Gators had no gas left in the tank. After being dispatched in four in the bottom of the same frame, the quickest stint in the batters’ box of the afternoon, they gave up another run in the sixth before being retired in seven through the final two innings. Suffering their third loss of the season, they also conceded a three-way tie of the CCAA Div. I title, splitting the honor with Olean and Fredonia.
“We feel pretty good (looking ahead.) We’ve got some things to learn from this game, but we’re not going to dwell on it,” said Arnold. “I think we’re still going to do very well in the playoff and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens.”
The Huskies were led by Ari Finch, who ended with two hits in three trips to the plate and scored twice. Maine also had two hits in the win, scoring once and batting another run in while Ava Finch had two RBIs and one run scored during her 1-for-2 afternoon. For the Gators, Rhow finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored, followed by Sudbrook’s 1-for-4, two-run day in the batters’ box.
While A-L has one more game left to play on the schedule – Saturday night contest against Ellicottville – the Huskies’ sole focus now is preparing for the playoffs. Sitting at 10-4 overall and entering the Class A2 bracket on a high note, the Huskies are confident about what lies ahead.
“This is a monumental confidence booster for us. I think they knew they had it, but it was just a matter of putting it all together, and that’s what today was,” said Nawrot. “That’s what today was, the culmination of our season. They all brought their bats, brought confidence and stayed positive. That was huge and that’s going to bring a lot of momentum for us heading into playoffs next week.”
AT ALLEGANY
Olean 101 231 0 R:8 H:7 E:3
Allegany-Limestone 300 200 0 R:5 H:5 E:2
Olean: Maine (4 SO, 7 BB) and Bates
Allegany-Limestone: K. Truman (4 SO, 7 BB) and P. Truman
