By SPENCER BATES
JAMESTOWN — A new chapter in the history of the Olean Oilers is officially here.
On May 29, Olean got its tenure in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) underway with its first game, away from home against the Jamestown Tarp Skunks.
And while its start to life in its new league was not as storybook as Olean would have hoped, falling 13-3 to Jamestown in seven innings, just taking these initial steps is massive for the franchise, as its first-year head coach Mike Threehouse said.
“Playing in this stadium, one of the best stadiums in the league, made the ambiance very nice. It felt like a good baseball game,” Threehouse said. “Obviously, the score didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to, but there’s some good talent out there, and it was good to watch. As a coach, that’s what you want to go up against. As a player, that’s what you want to face. So, I think it was a great day in the sense that it was our first day finding out what this league’s about. We just gotta take some steps forward.”
Things looked promising for Olean right away as it loaded the bases in the top of the first inning. But after the runners were left stranded, momentum shifted in a heartbeat. The Tarp Skunks, benefitting from defensive miscues and struggles on the mound, took advantage and never looked back, putting the Oilers in a 6-1 hole after the first two innings.
Threehouse admitted that jitters probably got the best of his team a number of times on the night. However, he is not giving those mistakes too much thought given the context that this specific game came with.
“We’re gonna play better defense. We got a better defensive team than that game showed,” Threehouse said. “I think they were excited to play, probably the emotions were a little too high and once you get behind the 8-ball after the first or second, it makes it tough. … If we can start a little bit better tomorrow, we’ll see a different result.”
The struggles continued throughout the affair with Olean pitchers combining for eight walks and seven wild pitches (three resulting in runs) and the defense accounting for four errors.
Meanwhile, the Tarp Skunks continued to inch ahead through the middle innings, tacking on a run in the fourth and two in the sixth before putting the nail in the coffin with four runs in the seventh to bring the mercy rule into effect.
It was a tough first day of the season for the Oilers pitching staff, but once again, Threehouse has all the faith in the world that the wrinkles present now will iron themselves out.
“Baseball is one of those things that you have to race each game,” Threehouse said. “Whether you win or lose, it’s a whole nother day the next day. So, when you play 46 games over the course of two months, you can’t base anything off of one game, no matter if it’s the beginning of the season or the middle of the season. So, from our standpoint, it’s just we show up tomorrow, and we play another game of baseball.”
Olean’s Brendan Roche (27) delivers a pitch against Jamestown. Roche tallied five strikeouts for the Oilers in their loss to the Tarp Skunks. (Hunter O. Lyle)
As Threehouse alluded, there is not much time for the Oilers to dwell on their tough start to life in the PGCBL as the games keep on rolling. In fact, Olean will need to turn the page overnight as it hosts Jamestown on May 30 for its first home game in its new league.
In the eyes of Threehouse, the developmental aspect of summer baseball is critical and the mental battles that come with it account for a lot of the growth a player can have over a summer.
“(It’s about finding out) how we look at that dark spot,” Threehouse said. “If you handle the darkness as well as you handle the light, everything’s good. I think A-Rod talked about that. The best players are the ones that can handle the worst games and come back and play better. That’s what you’re looking for.”
He hopes his players can show some early signs of maturity as they look towards one of, if not the most, anticipated home openers in team history.
“Obviously, I get to coach in my hometown, we get into Bradner Stadium and I know the guys are excited about it,” Threehouse said. “I’m hoping the town turns out.”
First pitch between the Oilers and Tarp Skunks at Bradner Stadium on May 30 is set for 6:30 p.m.
AT JAMESTOWN
Olean 010 100 1XX R:3 H:4 E:4
Jamestown 420 102 4XX R:13 H:9 E:1
OL: Roche (5 SO, 2 BB), Ross (1 SO, 2 BB), Boffalo (2 SO, 4 BB), Wensel (0 SO, 0 BB) and Smith
JT: McLean (2 SO, 3 BB), Musone (1 SO, 1 BB), Pence (2 SO, 1 BB) and Lindquist
