By SPENCER BATES
OLEAN — The bats of the Olean Oilers remained red-hot as they tallied double-digit runs for a third consecutive game, defeating the Niagara Americans 10-2 in the process.
The streak of highly effective offense began back on June 9, when the Oilers scored 11 runs in what was a high-scoring loss to the Jamestown Tarp Skunks — who scored 15 in that fixture. On June 12, they headed north of the border and defeated the Niagara Ironbacks 18-5. The following day, they put that firepower on display in front of a home crowd and, as a result, pushed their record on the season positive.
However, it was the Americans who put the scorekeeper to work first, scoring on a controversial play in which a runner was called safe after it was determined the first baseman’s foot was off the bag when he caught the ball.
But instead of bogging down the team, the play added fuel to Olean’s fire. In the bottom of that same inning, the hosts put up six runs to break the game open. They tacked on four more over the next three innings, which was all the scoring the team managed on the night, but it was more than enough to get the job done.
“When we walked into Niagara Falls yesterday, we were just swinging the bats,” Olean head coach Mike Threehouse said of his team’s hot streak. “After the game I told them, ‘if we keep swinging, we’re gonna be fine.’ Because we got some decent hitters in this team. I changed up the lineup a little bit, even after yesterday’s game, just to get some guys opportunities and we just kept swinging.”
Leading the Olean offense was Armanis Romero, who finished 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI and a walk. Darek Staudt (1-for-4, 2 RBI) and Aidan Willard (1-for-4, triple, run, 2 RBI) also stood out in the win.
But not only was the Oilers offense potent, it was resilient. More than half of their runs on the night, six specifically, were scored with two outs on the board. Threehouse noted that his team is developing a knack for the big moments, connecting on pitches with outs on the board and deep in counts. They have also been opportunistic, taking advantage of mistakes in order to run up scores.
“As a coach, you see the little things,” Threehouse said. “We’re still leaving a few runners on base, but when we get big opportunities, we have a tendency to come through with some big hits. So, if we come through with those hits more often than not, we’re gonna score some runs, we’re gonna win some games. So, we had some big hits in key times and took advantage of a couple miscues, and we put up a six spot, and that hurts right away. … The whole goal for us is to take a lead, then we’re pretty good.”
Olean flirted with a mercy rule victory from the fifth inning on, but ultimately the offense dried up. But according to Threehouse, he was unconcerned with getting the win via mercy. He was more concerned with the drop off in aggression he saw at the plate.
“I really don’t worry about mercy rules, but I do worry about good at-bats,” Threehouse said. “I think we started taking a few too many pitches. They were throwing some curveballs at us, and we were taking pitches at the end of the game. Once again, we got to swing the bats. We swing the bat and good things happen.”
Olean’s Armanis Romero (2) makes a throw to first. Romero went 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI for the Oilers in their win over the Americans.
But for as good as the bats were, the lopsided win required more than just a strong offense. The Oilers’ pitching staff also had a solid night, with starter Jake Manendo going 5.0 innings and striking out four in the process. Mark Holm (3 Ks) and Bryson Huwar (4 Ks) combined to give Olean 11 strikeouts in the win.
“It’s his second great outing,” Threehouse said of Manendo. “He’s been pitching the ball well. I know he got behind a couple of batters, but then he started rolling. He had a really good outing. If our pitching staff gives us quality innings over the first five or six innings, we’re gonna win a lot of games.”
The win also featured a stellar defensive effort behind the pitchers. Allowing just four hits, Olean kept the noise on the basepaths to a minimum.
“Thomas Bates made a big play in the first inning with a backhand and being a townie, he knew exactly how that ball was gonna work,” Threehouse joked. “We had a lot of rain, I think that helped. Even when I was hitting pre-game infield, the ball was staying down pretty well. And, to be honest with you, water is what makes a field. If we have a lot more water on this field, you wouldn’t see that ‘Bradner Bounce.’ So, that’s kind of my goal as a coach moving forward: to make sure we get a lot of water on this field.”
The win moved Olean to 6-5 on the season with its next game set for June 14 at 5 p.m. on the road against the Geneva Red Wings.
AT OLEAN
Niagara 010 001 000 R:2 H:4 E:4
Olean 062 020 00X R:10 H:9 E:2
Nia: Favata (1 SO, 3 BB), Slattery (2 SO, 1 BB), Ganschow (3 SO, 1 BB), Stickler (1 SO, 0 BB) and Snusz
OL: Manendo (4 SO, 4 BB), Holm (3 SO, 2 BB), Huwar (4 SO, 1 BB) and Radice
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