By JAMES HADNOT
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Just over two weeks removed from a no-hit bid that was broken up in the eighth inning, Olean Oilers Pitcher, Billy Griffin (Washington College), was at it again. This time taking his bid into the ninth.
The Oilers bats did their job as well topping the Syracuse Salt Cats, 11-1 in New York Collegiate Baseball League action at Onondaga Community College Friday afternoon.
Griffin did not complete the no hitter, but truly excelled on the bump. The Middletown, Maryland product went eight and a third innings, giving up just one hit, one earned run and striking out eight batters on the day.
“When we get up by that much, they’re not going to play small ball as much,” Griffin said. “So, I can go more at hitters [and] I don’t really have worry about the base runners.”
The left-hander retired 10 straight before allowing a one-out triple in the ninth.
“The big thing I was working with was keeping them off balance,” Griffin added. “I felt like I did a pretty good job of that today.”
Griffin set down eight in a row from the end of the first into the fourth. He allowed just one ball out of the infield through the first eight innings.
Olean scored 11 runs on nine hits. The game was 4-0 through six innings before Olean put up seven runs in the seventh. The inning started with Aaron Phillips (St. Bonaventure) walking and was capped off by his huge two-run double.
“We stressed trying to get into hitters counts, seeing more fastballs, and jump on those,” said Olean Oilers Manager, Bobby Bell.
Olean moves to 27-3 on the season with the win and take on the Syracuse Jr. Chiefs next. The Salt Cats fall to (12-11) and have a double header against Rome on Saturday.
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