Courtesy of HornellDodgers.com.
HORNELL, N.Y. — The Hornell Dodgers scored three in the seventh and three more in the 8th as they rallied to down the Olean Oilers 6-4 in a showdown of the top two teams in the NYCBL Western Division. The Dodgers are now 20-10 while the Oilers are 18-12.
The Oilers took advantage of five Dodger errors in the fourth inning to grab a 3-0 lead. Mike Tolsma was nearly unhittable allowing just two hits in the first six innings.
Hornell got the offense going in the 7th, Matt Calhoun (Harding) walked and went to third on a one-out double by Kyle Danford. Justin Gonzalez (Buffalo) and Tyler Stanford (Harding) followed with two-strike singles to cut the lead to 3-2 and end Tolsma’s night. Chris Roeder (St. John Fisher) greeted the Oiler bullpen with a RBI single to tie it up.
Olean loaded the bases in the eighth but Kevin Johnson (Pittsburgh) came out of left field to the mound and got the Dodgers out of the jam.
Calhoun started the bottom of the eighth with a single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Luke Feisal (Wofford) laid down a perfect bunt for a hit. Danford followed with a two-run double to give the Dodgers their first lead. After a bunt single by Alex Moore (NC Central), Roeder gave the Dodgers an insurance run with a sac fly.
Olean put pressure on the Dodgers in the ninth, scoring a run and having the winning run come to the plate, but Johnson closed out the victory.
Danford finished three-for-four (two doubles and a triple) with two RBI while Roeder was one-for-three with two RBI. Jon Kemmer was two-for-two with an RBI for Olean while Joe Pantano was two-for-five.
Tyler Wilson (Monroe CC) allowed just one hit in 2.2 innings of relief to keep the blue & white in the game. Johnson earned the win with two innings of work. He struck out three including two batters with the bases loaded in the eighth.
The Dodgers and the Oilers are back at it again on Sunday when they meet at Maple City Park at 7 p.m. Hornell holds a two-game lead over Olean in the standing with 10 games remaining in the regular season.
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