By RYAN McDONOUGH
OLEAN, N.Y. — Both games were scheduled to be seven innings as the two teams played a double-header Sunday afternoon, but it took the Oilers the full regulation nine innings to complete the sweep in game two.
The Olean Oilers defeated the Wellsville Nitros in both sides of a double-header by scores of 9-2 and 2-1 on Sunday in New York College Baseball League action at Bradner Stadium.
Game one featured two stellar righties on the hill, as Austin Bizzle (Alabama St.) toed the rubber for the Oilers and Jensen Kirsch (Wabash) for the Nitros. Both starters threw shutouts in their first outings of the season, and their matchup was named today’s NYCBL Game of the Day entering the day.
The two aces took a scoreless tie into the third inning, as the Oilers broke the silence when “Bubba” Hollins (St. Petersburg) smacked a two-RBI triple and Aaron Phillips (St. Bonaventure) brought him home with an RBI double.
The Nitros would respond in the next half inning. After three consecutive singles up the middle to start the fourth inning and load the bases, Patrick Scholla (John Carroll) delivered a single up the middle of his own to score Donny Killian (Buffalo). Christopher Welch (Mississippi College) added an RBI single of his own, and the Oilers went into the bottom half of the fourth clinging to a 3-2 lead.
That score would be short lived.
Sam Kysor (U of South Carolina Upstate) led off the frame with a single and later advanced to third off a botched throw on a Rick Hopkins (Dickinson) sacrifice bunt attempt. With the two runners on, Brandon Savage (Marymount) came through with a two-RBI double, and Matt Kamenicky (Clarion U) echoed with an RBI double of his own. Hollins would eventually get Savage home, and the Oilers rode a 7-2 lead into the fifth inning.
Kysor eventually gave the Oilers some insurance runs with an RBI triple in the bottom of the fifth inning, and would later score a run of his own to give Olean a 9-2 lead.
“Those two guys [Kysor and Hollins] are seeing the ball really well right now,” said Oilers’ coach Bobby Bell on two of his hot bats. “They’re really good at flushing out the previous at bat and moving on to the next pitch. They’ll both be tough outs all year if they keep that mentality.”
Behind the stellar pitching of Bizzle and the strong Olier defense, that lead would stick.
“Honestly, if you were to ask him he probably would say he didn’t pitch that well,” Bell said of his pitcher, who has gone the distance and recorded wins in both of his outings so far this season. “It’s weird to say, because he pitched awesome and it was a great outing and I would take it anytime. For him to have an off day and for us to come out with a W, that’s huge.”
The pitcher’s duel promised in game one came a game late, as both starters took a 1-1 game into extra innings.
The Oilers struck first as Hollins came through with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning.
Stig McElhinney (Nichols) would settle in after that for the Nitros, as that run was all the Oilers would get off him. He threw six scoreless innings from then on, and struck out nine Oilers in the game.
“He grinded right through and gave us a chance to win,” said Nitros’ coach, Jake Bannermann. “It was 1-1 after seven, so he did his job. We just couldn’t put and runs on the board.”
On the other side, Brandon Schlimm (St. Bonaventure) was perfect through his first three innings.
Wellsville tied it up in the sixth inning with an RBI singe from Bruce Strickland (Felician).
But with the combination of solid work on the mound and a strong defense, Schlimm was able to take the 1-1 tie into extra innings.
“The situation called for Brandon to step up and give us a great outing, and that’s what he did,” said Bell of his second wining pitcher of the day. “He kept the ball down in the zone and located well and changed speeds and kept those guys off balance.”
Olean manufactured a run in the bottom of the ninth. Savage made his way around the bases and came around to score after a Dillard grounder made it through the infield as the Oilers walked it off on a score of 2-1.
Schlimm stayed in the game to pitch both extra innings and completed the Oilers’ trend of the day – which was to receive a complete-game win.
“Love that going forward!” added Bell on not having to go to his bullpen all day. “Hopefully now we can ride it out and get a few wins. That was huge for us.”
The two teams will stay right where they are and wrap up the series on Monday, June 8 at Bradner Stadium. First pitch is set for 7:00 P.M.
Kysor went 3-3 in game one with an RBI and two runs. He added a triple in game two.
Hollins picked up four total RBI on the day and scored two runs in game one.
Both Olean starters went the distance and Olean did not use a reliever all day.
Olean’s nine runs in game one are the most the team has scored in a single game all year.
Seven different players scored the Oilers’ nine runs.
Seven different Nitros recorded a hit in game one.
Stig McElhinney threw 96 pitches and 70 were strikes.
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