Wilson’s walk-off single steals Game One; Gerrick wins Game Two on walk-off wild pitch
By HUNTER O. LYLE
ALLEGANY, NY – Taking to the diamond for their first home games of the season, the Olean Oilers came up with back-to-back clutch wins, sealing their first pair of victories with two 3-2 wins over the Syracuse Salt Cats.
Entering the double-header, the Oilers lacked game-time experience. Compared to the Salt Cats, who had already played five games – winning four — Olean had seen just nine innings through the first week and a half as rainy weather led to the postponement of three games. Forced to get themselves ready themselves in the lab, the Oilers walked the line of balancing rest with reps.
“With a lot of cancellations and what not, having all these practices in summer baseball is not something you really expect so you want to make sure you’re not killing them out there. Too many reps and we get into games and their arms are sore, their legs are sore,” said Olean Oiler co-manager Jaxson DeJohn. “It’s more about just getting good reps for them. Get their hands moving, get their feet moving, make sure guys are getting ground balls and reads in the outfield, and then a lot of swinging. A good mix of feel-good BP and some situational stuff.”
Facing the Eastern Conference-leading Salt Cats, Olean hung tough early on, dispatching them in six batters through the first two frames. However, despite finding a pair of singles in the first, Olean’s bats struggled to find contact and their embargo around the diamond would only hold on for so long.
Olean outfielder Brian Fleming snags a high-arching Syracuse hit during the Oilers’ double-header on Wednesday. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
In the top of the third, Syracuse finally broke through. Leading off the frame, Mike Mayhugh and Julian Abreu opened the game with a pair of singles followed by a third from Gavin Fallgren and although it came with an out at second, the Salt Cats had put a man in scoring position. Getting back to the top of the order, Danny Rogers found a fourth consecutive single of the inning, driving in the first run of the game.
Retiring the Oilers in four – Josh Wilson earned the lone hit of the frame with a single – Syracuse added to their lead in just two batters. Reaching on a walk, Andrew Heppner made his way to third on an errant throw to first. A sacrifice-grounder one batter later put the Salt Cats up 2-0.
Through the next few frames, the action settled into a lull. With neither team reaching past their fourth man in the lineup, the scoreboard remained unchanged and the pressure remained on the Oilers. Heading into the final inning, Olean’s unwavering defense dispensed the Salt Cats in three before they stepped to the plate for one final shot at a comeback.
Rising to the occasion, their bats found contact early and often. Brian Fleming gave the Oilers life with a full-count shot to the centerfield wall, putting him on second. Up next, Ryan Cainzos cranked another shot into the outfield, driving in Olean’s first run to cut the lead to just one. A full-count walk put Noah Gerrick on first before a passed ball moved the men into scoring position. Then Syracuse gambled, intentionally walking Alex Myers to fill the diamond in an attempt to get the would-be-win-sealing out at any base. But then Wilson stepped to the plate. Despite finding an 1-and-2 count, he kept swinging, fouling off consecutive balls as he awaited his perfect pitch.
“You saw it in his first two at-bats. He gets down two strikes and he keeps fouling pitches off. Being in that spot during his last at-bat, it didn’t bother him,” said co-manager Jake Meeker. “He’s had experience. He’s fine hitting two strikes. He’s still looking to put balls in play.”
With the game on his shoulders, Wilson’s patience paid off. Cranking a shot just over the Salt Cat’s shortstop, Cainzos and Gerrick rounded home for the game-winning scores, cementing a late-game comeback.
Josh Wilson takes a swing during the first game of a double-header against Syracuse. Through four trips to the plate in game one, Wilson ended with three hits, including a game-winning RBI-single. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
“That’s just a veteran guy. That’s a guy that’s comfortable in that spot. That’s a moment that’s not too big for him,” said DeJohn. “He’s also going into that at-bat not trying to do too much. Would a grand slam there be awesome? Yeah, but if that’s what he’s trying to do going up there, it’s going to open up a lot of holes. That’s an old, experienced, veteran player just playing his own game.”
Wilson’s game-winning hit came as his third of the day through four appearances at the plate. Ryan Cainzos went 1-for-1 with one RBI and one score while Matthew Boffalo (1-for-2) and Brian Fleming (1-for-3) combined for a pair of hits and two runs.
In the second game of the day, it would be Olean’s turn to take the lead early, led off by none other than Wilson.
After taking down the Salt Cats in their first four sluggers, Wilson, again facing two strikes, cracked a single before making it to second on a Syracuse error. A wild pitch would move him to third while also counting as ball four for Caden Wolfley. With two men on base, Cainzos stepped into the batter’s box and came away with a sac-grounder that brought Wilson across home plate.
Olean’s first lead of the day would only last three batters as the Salt Cats turned a double play with the bases loaded to send the Oilers back to the dugout before hitting a lead-off home run at the top of the second. However, in the bottom of the same inning, Olean was able to respond with an RBI-single from Wolfley.
“Through all three games we’ve played, I think we’ve had really good at-bats. We’re not giving things away, we’re not scared up at the plate.,” said DeJohn. “All in all, all the at bats are really good. These guys are good baseball players taking good at bats. It’s bound to take that turn.”
Caden Wolfley hits an RBI-single during the second game of the Oilers’ double-header against the Salt Cats. Wolfley ended 1-for-2 as Olean improved to 2-1 on the season. | Photo by Hunter O. Lyle
Then the Oilers relied on their defense, holding the Salt Cats scoreless and unable to get past second base over the next two frames. Olean’s bats remained hot, loading the bases in both the third and fourth, but timely hits escaped them, instead leaving six runners stranded before suffering three outs in four batters in the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, Syracuse finally brought the game back to even. After four empty frames, the Salt Cats put a man on first with a walk before ultimately moving him to third on an overthrow and passed ball. Facing two outs, a hard-hit single that broke into the outfield and drove in the game-tying run.
Although the momentum had changed quickly and despite going three-and-out in the bottom of the sixth, Olean refused to panic. Trusting their defense, the Oilers would cut off the bleeding with three outs in four batters, relieving the do-or-die pressure that had landed on their shoulders.
“I just thought we played great baseball. We asked our pitchers to get us a double play, they gave us a ground ball, and executed pitches,” said Meeker. “The big thing for us is that we don’t want to get behind in counts, starting guys off 1-0, 2-0. That’s when we started to see a little damage done. But, other than that, our defense is unbelievable.”
Then, either with luck or skill or a combination of both, the Oilers’ offense found some cracks in Syracuse’s armor. Gerrick led off with patience, earning a trip to first via a walk. Thomas Bates followed with a bunt which was eventually overthrown by the Salt Cats, giving the Oilers real estate on second and third with no outs. However, two batters later, Syracuse had tallied back-to-back outs and now looked ready to force extra innings.
But, one costly error would tip the scales. Having an opponent just 90 feet away from home, eager for the chance to score, the Salt Cat’s closer threw a wild pitch that soared over their catcher’s head. As the ball clanged against the backstop, Gerrick took off from third, quickly closing the gap behind home plate and giving the Oilers another walk-off victory.
Fleming and Brodie Collins led Olean with two hits each during their four respective trips to the plate. Gerrick (1-for-2), Wolfley (1-for-2) and Alex Myers (1-for-3) all contributed hits and combined for one run and one RBI.
Olean now has one day off before starting a stretch of four games in as many days on Friday. First they will travel to Horseheads to play the Steamers, then traveling close to home to Salamanca on Saturday followed by meetings with Dansville and Genesee on Sunday and Monday.
“We just have gritty guys. They don’t like to lose. Jackson and I don’t like to lose,” said Meeker. “It’s just guys going up there and getting it done. I really am super proud of them tonight.”
GAME ONE – Oilers 3, Salt Cats 2
AT ALLEGANY
R H E
Syracuse 001 100 0 2 4 0
Olean 000 000 3 3 6 1
SR: Vosters (8 SO, 1 BB), Alten (7) (0 SO, 0 BB), Cappello (7) (1 SO, 0 BB) and Fallgren
OL: Ross (5 SO, 1 BB), Roche (6) (1 SO, 0 BB) and Ambrosio
GAME TWO – Oilers 3, Salt Cats 2
AT ALLEGANY
R H E
Syracuse 010 001 0 2 6 2
Olean 110 000 1 3 8 1
SR: Klementowski (1 SO, 3 BB), Giblin (2) (1 SO, 4 BB), Weisenberg (4) (0 SO, 0 BB), Fisher (6) (3 SO, 1 BB) and Grant
OL: Manendo (4 SO, 2 BB), Laieta (6) (3 SO, 1 BB) and Collins
