By HUNTER O. LYLE
OLEAN, NY – Momentum is an elusive thing. It ebbs and flows and can leave as quickly as it arrives. For the Olean softball team, in their first taste of Section VI playoff action, they saw it come and watched it go.
Despite a heroic home run in the bottom of the seventh, the Huskies were unable to capture the momentum for a second time, ultimately seeing their season come to an end in the Class A2 quarterfinals with a 7-6, eight-inning loss to Lake Shore.
“It’s upsetting. I’m upset that we couldn’t pull out the W. We were right there,” said Olean head coach Ryan Nawrot. “These girls didn’t give up at all. They wanted to keep fighting and fighting and fighting and send out that season.”
Arriving to the postseason with their best seeding in three years, the No. 3 Huskies came out with their defense ready to protect their home turf. Behind freshman Tiana Maine’s arm and a web of active defenders in tow, Olean quickly sent the Eagles back to their dugout before making the most of their first trip to the plate.
Although they tallied two outs in their first three batters, the Huskies saw Allison Anastasia gain real estate on base as she cracked a double to left field. Capitalizing on a Lake Shore error shortly after, Anastasia found a way across home plate to put Olean on the scoreboard. While that would be the lone action of the inning, their staunch defense returned unabated, leaving an Eagle stranded on third in the top of the second before retiring them in three in the top of the third.
“We just had to stay positive. We had to stay positive and let Tiana know that they were behind her and that they were going to back her up,” said Nawrot on the Huskies’ defense. “She did her job and I think we backed her up very well. Overall, I’m very impressed with how they played.”
Seeing the game be brought back to even in the fourth with a solo home run from Lake Shore’s lead off, Olean’s bats finally came alive. Again finding two quick outs, the Huskies remained undeterred. With Alaina Hirliman sitting on third, an overthrow on a pick-off attempt gave her a window to score Olean’s second run of the day while a walk and subsequent double from Maine put two more baserunners in scoring position. One batter later, Alyx Henzel rattled off her first hit of the day, a line drive past third that put Olean up 4-1.
Once again, Lake Shore had a response, this one being immediate. With the first two Eagles drilling a double and single, a bunt from their third batter and an error at first cut the deficit down to three. One walk later and the Huskies were staring down a full diamond with no outs.
Despite Maine cutting down the next Eagle up with her fourth strikeout of the day, a subsequent walk narrowed their lead to just two. Then, Lake Shore completed the comeback, crushing a triple to right field to bring three runners around home plate and give the Eagles their first lead of the night. Although they shut off the valve with a double play immediately after, Olean’s momentum had slipped, leaving them empty handed through the next two frames.
Entering the do-or-die seventh, the scoreboard remained unchanged and Olean’s desperation was palpable. Leaving four Huskies stranded through the previous two frames, opportunities had come and gone and an air of deflation lingered in the dugout. However, Hirliman was ready to change that.
With one out and one Huskie on first, Hirliman, who had found two hits in two trips to the plate, refused to let her perfect streak be broken. Seeing a 2-and-1-count, she cocked back and rifled a shot above the outfield and beyond the centerfield wall. In an instant, Olean had tied the game and revived their spirits.
But momentum is an elusive thing.
Despite keeping two runners on base with singles from Amelia Jones and Mallory Carter, Olean was unable to seal a victory with a walk-off clutch hit and entering the eighth inning, they found a split bag with two quick outs and two Eagle baserunners.
With their season hanging in the balance, the Huskies broke down, allowing a go-ahead Lake Shore score from a line drive past third. Returning to the plate one ground out later, Olean’s well was empty. Three Huskies up, three Huskies down and the season was over.
Hirliman ended with a team-best three hits in three trips to the plate, scoring twice and batting two more in with her seventh frame homer. Anastasia ended 2-for-5 with one run while Henzel came away with a pair of RBIs during her 1-for-4 day in the batters’ box.
“How we progressed throughout the season was absolutely amazing. Every team that we lost to in our league, we turned around and beat,” said Nawrot, whose team finished tied for first in the CCAA Division I standings. “On top of that, we have a freshman pitcher that earned her 100th strikeout today. For a freshman to have that in her first season is absolutely incredible. But we’re going to miss our seniors.”
AT OLEAN
Lake Shore 000 150 0 1 R:7 H:8 E:2
Olean 100 300 2 0 R:6 H:10 E:2
Lake Shore: Kubisty (3 SO, 4 BB) and Lodestro
Olean: Maine (6 SO, 5 BB) and Bates
