By RYAN McDONOUGH
OLEAN, N.Y. – The Rochester Ridgemen defeated the Olean Oilers, 9-5, in a New York Collegiate Baseball League game on July 18 at Bradner Stadium.
Down 4-1 going into the top of the eighth inning, Rochester took the lead and broke the game open with eight runs. Aaron Vallance (Wayland Baptist) and Ryan O’Hearn (Hillsdale) highlighted the inning with a bases-loaded double apiece that scored two.
Olean started things off with two runs in the top of the first inning. Jon Lapolloa (Suffolk) delivered an RBI single and David “Bubba” Hollins (St. Petersburg) scored the second run of the inning.
Olean doubled their 2-0 lead in the fifth. Mike Fahrman (Florida) came through with an RBI single and Lapolla drove in his second of the game with his second RBI single.
The Oilers’ Brandon Schlimm (St. Bonaventure) held tight on the mound. He took a shutout into the seventh inning and struck out four along the way.
Tage Johnson (Houghton) broke Schlimm’s shutout and put Rochester on the board in the top of the seventh with an RBI triple.
The Ridgemen stayed hot from Johnson’s big hit into the eighth, stringing five hits together to score eight runs in the inning.
The first run of the inning came home as Devan O’Bryan (St. Louis CC Meramec) reached base on an error. Johnson then drove in his second run of the game with an RBI single. Tim Gurnow (Southwest Baptist) worked a bases-loaded walk, and Drew Farmer (Western Michigan) followed suit with a bases-loaded walk of his own. Vallance and O’Hearn then came through with their big hits.
Olean got one more in the bottom of the eighth, but the game was out of reach and the final score of 9-5 held.
Josh Rolls (Midland Lutheran) started for the Ridgemen and eventually handed it off to his reliever, Luke Brown (Rollins), who tossed the sixth, seventh and eighth innings and earned the win.
Up next, the two teams will play each other again in Rochester on Sunday, July 19 at Basket Road Field. First pitch is set for 5:00 PM.
The Ridgemen have now won six straight.
Seven different Oilers recorded hits. Sam Kysor (USC Upstate), Cole Peterson (St. Bonaventure), Fahrman and Lapolla all recorded two hits.
Tage Johnson went 4-5 with a run scored and two RBI for Rochester.
Rochester’s two through nine hitters all scored a run. Alexander Stack (U of Dallas) scored twice.
Olean’s bullpen gave up eight runs, seven of which earned, and gave up seven hits in two innings.
Rochester’s bullpen went three innings and gave up one run in five hits with zero walks.
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