By HUNTER O. LYLE
ROULETTE, PA – In a clash of two of the top teams in the Allegheny Mountain League, the Otto-Eldred baseball team was unable to claim redemption as they were once again defeated by Port Allegany, 10-4.
For several years, the Gators (11-2, 8-0 AML) have had an iron grip on the AML while the Terrors (6-6, 6-3 AML) have followed closely behind. The two squads faced off for the first time this season in late April with Port taking an early lead that resulted in a 5-1 win on the road.
“I think both games mirrored each other. I thought we pitched okay, but I think we walked a few too many guys,” said Otto-Eldred head coach Lance Baker.
Taking to the plate first, the Terrors started out slow, putting two men on from a walk and Jaden Prince single but were unable to get past second. In response, Port initially mirrored O-E, suffering the first out on their first batter before getting on base with a walk. However, their bats didn’t hesitate to heat up.
After Nicholas Wilfong stole second, Aiden Bliss rattled off a single that pushed in the first run of the day. The Gators would then move their man into scoring position while adding another runner on first before Tyler Fillhart’s sacrifice grounder and Levi Howard’s single would put Port up by three early. They would cash in on one more scoring opportunity, another RBI single, before once again blanking the Terrors in just four batters.
Stepping into the batters’ box at the top of their order, Port would add to their lead in the second. Continuously putting men on base before finding timely hits to drive them across home plate, the Gators’ pulled ahead by seven before taking out No. 3.
Moving into the third and back to their own lead-off hitter, O-E finally managed to settle down and find contact. Landon Francis and Jared Obenrader reached on a single and a walk before Manning Splain’s deep shot into center field put the Terrors on the board. Loading the bases thereafter, they would find back-to-back scores from a walk and Macaibe Splain single, chipping the deficit back down to four.
Jared Obenrader finds contact at the plate during the Terrors’ six-run loss to the Gators on Tuesday. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“We put together pretty good at bats,” said Baker. “Some of our younger guys have adjusted to the pitching at the high school level which is nice.”
While both squads would stunt each other in the next two at-bats, it wouldn’t take long for the Gators’ to rally with just one run in the bottom of the fourth. O-E would have an answer, albeit, just one run off a bases-loaded walk. Despite having the bases loaded once again, the Terrors’ would leave all three stranded as they failed to come away with a clutch dinger.
As their effort on the mound wavered, the Terrors struggled to contain Port’s momentum, giving up two more runs in the fifth as the Gators’ rebuilt a six-run lead. Then, seeing a new face down range, O-E failed to adjust, finishing out the final two frames without a hit, instead going three-and-out in the sixth and leaving two men on second and third in the seventh.
Hunter App fails to beat the play at first during the Terrors’ seventh loss of the season. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“We lost to (Port) 5-1 and 10-4. I think they’re the best this league has to offer and I think they’re one of the top one or two teams District 9 has to offer,” said Baker. “We’re one clutch hit away from being with those guys. We’re just not there yet but we’re approaching that.”
Both Splain brothers ended 1-for-4, with Manning scoring once and driving in another and Macaibe tallying one RBI in the loss. Prince and Wyatt Bledinger both ended 1-for-3 while Hunter App and Ryan Schenfield recorded one RBI.
With just two more games left on their schedule, the Terrors face two AML opponents in the coming four days. First, on Friday, they will travel to Coudersport, the second best team in the league, before taking on Cameron County at home on Saturday. Beyond that, O-E is readying themselves for their ensuing appearance in the District 9 playoffs.
“I think that’s kind of been the moral of our year: we hit the ball pretty well, we load the bases up and then we’re leaving small villages stranded. I think we left 12 guys on base again tonight,” said Baker. “We do a good job of drawing walks, we do a good job of getting guys over but we’ve been lacking the big, clutch hit throughout the year. I told those guys that we’re like three or four clutch hits away from being a three or four loss team instead of a seven loss team right now.”
AT ROULETTE
R H E
Otto-Eldred 003 010 0 4 5 1
Port Allegany 430 042 X 10 15 1
O-E: R. Schenfield (0 SO, 4 BB), Sheeler (4) (1 SO, 1 BB) and Mac. Splain
PA: Howard (3 SO, 2 BB), Hawver (3) (1 SO, 4 BB), Causer (6) (2 SO, 2 BB) and Boyd
