Courtesy of the Niagara Gazette
By Doug Smith
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — To his five-tool resume, Power rightfielder Adam Taylor Friday night added this attribute: Master of Deception.
In a play that may well have preserved the Power’s ninth straight victory, 5-1, to leapfrog past the Olean Oilers into second place in the New York State Collegiate League’s Western Division, Taylor earned a putout, an assist, and a possible nomination for an Academy Award.
While the Power led 4-1 behind the breath-taking one-hit pitching of Steve Beckham, the Oilers were drilling into David Kaplan with runners on first and second, one out, Seth Heck at bat and Home Run Derby King Jon Kemmer lurking on deck, sawdust from his weapon oozing into the circle.
Heck ripped a rope to Taylor, who froze as if he had perhaps lost it in the darkness of the busted bank of lights along third base. The runner on second edged away.
Suddenly, as if awakened from a trance, Taylor seized the ball and with an arm protected under the Second Amendment, fired a strike to second-baseman Taylor Sears, who’d been in on the ruse all along. The runner was out, the inning was over, Kaplan leaped as if launched and the dreaded Kemmer would now come up the next inning, with the bases empty.
It was the Power’s second outfield assist of the inning. With a runner on first and none out, Pat Welsh’s flare to center eluded Neil DeCook, but he dribbled it off the dry surface and fired to shortstop Jordan Hammel for the force.
Similarly odd sequences have figured greatly in the Power’s nine-game win streak (equal in impact to a 36-game streak in the 162-game majors). Some examples:
-Friday the Power went hitless until CEO Cal Kern replaced the public-address announcer, whereupon the Bolts went on a five-hit tear, scoring twice, both with two out.
-Four of Friday’s five runs crossed with two out, topping even last Saturday’s all-with-two-out 5-4 win over Wellsville.
-Power pitching and defense have shut out opponents in 68 of the streak’s 80 innings. Not even the national debt has that many zeroes.
-At one stage over three games, the Power sent up 41 batters without striking out.
-Two weeks ago Monday, the Power blew a 4-2 lead at Rochester in the Athletes’ last time at bat, then held on to win the nightcap when saving pitcher Scott Voyles brushed off a broken bat to start a game-ending double play.
Friday night’s crowed exceeded 500, an honest count, as the Power won’t even add season-ticket no-shows into the mix. A few head counts have exceeded those of the Buffalo Bisons and the club leads the Division in attendance by almost as much as it leads the whole league in stolen bases, 116 to just over 60 for the, uh, runners-up.
Action continues this afternoon, a vital 3 p.m. double-header at Geneva, then a crucial finale at Olean Wednesday at 5. Playoffs start next weekend, details TBA.
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