What does it take to win a playoff game? Timely hitting and good pitching, something that the Olean softball team displayed in their Section 6 Class A first round 12-0 win over Pioneer on Tuesday in Olean.
“We have been talking about adjusting at the plate all year,” coach Anastasia said “I think we finally did it after 20 (it’s been 18) games. Pioneer actually took some hits away from us I think. But I am pretty happy with the way we adjusted at the plate.”
It’s going to take much more of that to advance deep into the playoff bracket, as the Huskies will face much stronger opponents than Pioneer. But this is a good start for a young team looking to make some noise.
Olean, who finished the regular season 10-7 and 10-2 in the CCAA 1, has gotten their first non-league win of the season after starting 0-5. But they will need to win another one soon when they face 13-7 four seed Grand Island on Thursday.
The best hitters during Olean’s 16 hit evening included three RBI performances from Riley Sudbrook and Mia Jones. Ava Finch also had a good day in her three hole spot going 3-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
But the pitcher is always the most important player of the team, and Emma Edwards showed off in a complete game shutout where she allowed one hit while striking out nine Pioneer batters.
“She just hits her spots, a lot of times she worked it to a full count which was my fault,” coach Anastasia said.
Pioneer rarely got on base, only getting on with two walks and a single. Edwards never let the Panthers have an inning where they threatened to score, which only made a smooth win even smoother.
As the lone senior on the team, Edwards is not just pitching to advance further in the season, but to keep her high school career alive. A huge weight on her shoulders will only increase as the team will look to her to be the primary source of leadership to lift the group up both on the field and off of it in a win or go home scenario.
She will need help from the lineup who has contributed from top to bottom at times this season, but can also fade when the opponent is ratcheted up a bit. This time around, ten Olean hitters got hits, which is a good sign that Olean may be hitting their stride at the right time of year.
“At this level you face 35 (MPH) to 65,” Anastasia said. “You just gotta adjust, they did it tonight and they put the ball in play, they hit.”
Five seed Olean (11-7) will play at four seed Grand Island (13-7) on Thursday at 5 p.m. to decide who gets to move on to the Section 6 semifinal.
“We have been going back and forth with Grand Island all year between the four and five seed,” Anastasia said. “I think the top six seeds in A are good, anybody can win, I’m looking forward to it.”
KEY TURNING POINT
Mia Jones’ two-RBI single with two outs in the third inning made it 5-0 to start to pull away from the Panthers.
WHAT”S NEXT?
#4 Olean will travel to #5 Grand Island at 5 p.m. Thursday to decide who gets to move on in the Section 6 Class A playoffs and keep their season alive.
