It wasn’t exactly the way Bradford head coach Andy Carlson envisioned his team closing out Wednesday’s game, but he’ll take the win.

Despite surrendering seven runs over the final two innings, the Owls were able to withstand a late Port Allegany push to hang on and beat the Gators 11-9 in an afternoon tilt at UPB.

The offense was flowing early and often for both teams in this one, with Bradford (8-7) striking for runs in every inning but the fifth. The Owls built up leads of 6-1, 8-2 and 11-5 over the course of the game, but the final outcome wouldn’t be decided until the top of the seventh.

Adam Boyer pitched a solid game on the mound for Bradford, giving up just two runs on seven hits and striking out six. However, Carlson took Boyer out after he reached 100 pitches following the fifth inning and had to turn to his bullpen. That opened up the door for Port Allegany.

The Gators (5-7) got started with three runs in the sixth inning against Bradford reliever Brody Nay, capped off by an RBI double from Howie Stuckey to pull the Gators within three runs.

In the seventh, Port A got its first three batters on base. Nay then walked in the Gators’ sixth run of the game before Carlson turned to Tyler Gigliotti to pick up the save.

Port A scored another run on a wild pitch and two more on a single to right field to make the score 11-9. But, Gigliotti got the game’s final two outs on ground balls to finally put an end to Port Allegany’s rally.

“We got out of the inning, won the game and that’s all that really matters in the end,” Carlson said after the game.

“Brody was trying to get us some innings,” Carlson added. “We play five games this week. He was battling out there and obviously he wasn’t throwing a lot of strikes and when he did, they found a few spots to hit. I have to give him credit though, he battled and gave us an inning. We needed two and we had to go with a guy that we didn’t want to use today in Gigliotti but he got us out of it.”

Patrick Caskey had three hits for Bradford, including a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the sixth inning. Those three runs ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.

Port Allegany was able to prevent the game from turning into a blowout because of some solid relief pitching in the middle innings. Ethan Sprankle entered the game with his team down 6-1 mid-way through the third inning, and while he didn’t completely shut down the Owls, he did a fine job of containing them.

“I think people started chuckling when he came in the game,” Port Allegany head coach Nate Zitnik said of the 5-foot-3, 125-pound freshman. “But, (my assistant) and I met with him and told him that we weren’t putting him in because we thought the game was over, we were putting him in because we thought he was going to be effective.”

In addition to Sprankle, nearly all of Port Allegany’s big contributors on Wednesday were from freshman and sophomores. Stuckey and Montgomery Tanner, both sophomores, led the Gators with three hits each. Drew Benson (a freshman) also had three hits. And while the record doesn’t reflect it quite yet, Zitnik is pleased to see his young group of kids begin to put some quality performances together.

“I’ve been very happy with the mental toughness,” he said. “You can’t ask for any more from the guys. We had a lot of big hits in those late innings and the younger guys kept us in the ballgame. All these guys are eager to step up and be put in spots that may not be the easiest.”

For Bradford, the difference in the final outcome came down to a few important plays and decisions during the game. Caskey’s three-run triple blooped into right field by less than two feet, and the Owls also benefited from an aggressive approach on the basepaths.

The Owls were 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts and were able to score their 11 runs on just 12 hits in the game.

“We wanted to try and save some pitching and score as much as we could early and maybe get out of here early but we did not,” Carlson said. “But, we stole some bases and offensively that’s about all we did. We stole some bases, we ran, and took bases when we had the right chance. Our at-bats weren’t good enough, but sometimes you just find ways to win.”

AT BRADFORD

                                 R H E

Port A     100 103 4   9 12 2

Bradford 213 203 X   11 12 2

Josh Rees (2 K, 1 BB), Ethan Sprankle (3) (1 K, 1 BB), and Trey Ayers

Adam Boyer (5 K, 1 BB), Brody Nay (6) (1 K, 5 BB), Tyler Gigliotti (7), and Caleb Nuzzo