You could make the argument that the Bradford baseball team ought to have three wins in its last three outings.
For now, they’ll have to settle for one.
After dropping a pair of one-run games to St. Marys (Thursday) and Elk Catholic (Monday), the Owls broke through with a convincing performance in Tuesday’s 8-0 victory over Cameron County.
“It definitely feels good when you felt you’ve deserved to win a couple games and then you come out and you win one,” Owls coach Andy Carlson said. “We definitely deserved to win this one. We hit the ball hard. It was certainly nice because these guys have earned it. Sometimes the wins don’t come but it’s nice to have this one.”
Bradford didn’t waste any time asserting its dominance. Dan Manion drove in the game’s first run after he roped a hard-hit ball down the third base line for an RBI double. Peyton Manion quickly followed suit with an RBI base hit of his own to give the Owls a quick 2-0 advantage in the first inning.
Kyle Kirk pushed the lead to three with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the third. It became 4-0 in the fourth when Tyler Gigliotti hustled home all the way from second base on a groundout by Caleb Nuzzo.
Even with a four-run advantage, there was the feeling that — like the past couple games — the Owls should have had even more. Bradford stranded two baserunners in the first inning and left the bases loaded in the third.
Fortunately, the Owls got some long-awaited run production in the middle innings, plating four runs in the fifth. With one out and the bases loaded, Carlson called on pinch-hitter Hunter Gray. He didn’t disappoint, driving in two runs on a well-hit double. Not to be outdone, Gigliotti ripped a two-run triple in the very next at-bat to make it 8-0.
Carlson made note of how important it was for his squad to get runs later in the game rather than just the first couple innings.
“The last two games we scored early and then we just kind of faded off,” he said. “But we stayed aggressive. We kept getting runs, we kept getting guys on and we knocked them in. When that happens it makes winning a lot easier when you keep adding runs and you’re not trying to hold down a two-run lead.”
The Owls didn’t have much to worry about in the field. Pitchers Dan Manion and Patrick Caskey combined for eight strikeouts while yielding three walks and six hits. The only sticky situation Bradford ran into on the mound was a bases-loaded situation in the second inning. That threat was quickly eliminated when Manion induced a ground ball to first base that ended the inning.
Bradford’s big advantage allowed Carlson to get some players into the game that haven’t been able to see much action due to some of the Owls’ recent struggles.
“When you’re down, you’ve got to keep your best guys out there when you’re trying to scrap and fight,” he said. “I’ve told these guys I’ll never quit on them so that means going with our best guys in that spot. But any time we have a chance to get guys in, we certainly will do that. Every single one of them works their tail off all week long.”
Cameron County starter Adam Shaffer tallied 10 strikeouts in four-plus innings of work. Brennan Guisto finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate.
There won’t be much time for the Owls to catch their breath. Bradford will be on the road this afternoon to face Punxsutawney. It will be the Owls’ third of four games in as many days.
“The message is next guy up,” Carlson said. “Whenever you get your chance on the mound, just throw strikes, give us a chance. We’re going to battle and we’re going to keep playing and we’re always there to win. It doesn’t matter if we play tomorrow, a week from now, the next day or the next day.”
At BRADFORD
R H E
Cameron County 000 000 0 0 6 1
Bradford 201 140 X 8 8 0
Adam Shaffer (10 SO, 4 BB), Marcus Brown (5), and Bryce Bauer
Dan Manion (5 SO, 3 BB), Patrick Caskey (6) (3 SO), and Caleb Nuzzo
