ELDRED — To say the Otto-Eldred Terrors are clicking on all cylinders as they’ve rolled to a 6-1 record through the first three weeks of the season would be an understatement.
Offensively, the Terrors have scored a whopping 59 runs over their last four games.
On the mound, O-E has already posted three shutouts and allowed a total of just two runs over its last four games.
Those facets came together once again on Monday afternoon, as Otto-Eldred easily dispatched Bradford 16-1 in four innings in a non-league baseball contest.
O-E’s scoring barrage began early, with three runs in both the bottom of the first and second innings, before really getting going in the final two frames.
Benefiting from eight Bradford (2-3) walks and five errors, the Terrors posted nine runs in the third and fourth to close out the game and win their fourth contest by at least 10 runs in just seven games.
“We are manufacturing runs,” Otto-Eldred coach Jame Thomas said. “This team is a great team to coach because there is so much comradery and it’s not a whole lot of coaching because they are doing most of it themselves. It’s just fun to be a part of.”
Andrew Sheeler led the Terrors with four RBI in the game, including doubles in both the second and fourth innings and a sacrifice fly in the third.
But it was mistakes from Bradford — and plenty of them — that turned the game into a rout. O-E scored runs via a wild pitch, two runs on a hit that went off an outfielder’s glove, a throwing error in a rundown, a dropped third strike and two runs via bases loaded walks.
“Defensively, we didn’t do much right at all,” Bradford coach Andy Carlson said. “We made a lot of errors and then they compounded on each other and (O-E) did a good job of putting the ball in play and hitting it hard at times. It wasn’t all on errors; they hit the ball hard. We didn’t make the plays when we needed to.”
After two straight impressive one-run victories over St. Marys and Johnsonburg, Bradford will certainly need to regroup after Monday’s result.
“Baseball is a funny game,” Carlson said. “We played two really nice games in a row after laying an egg (15-0 loss to DuBois Catholic last Monday) and we really laid an egg today.”
It didn’t help that the Owls ran into a really good opposing pitcher, either. Cole Sebastian threw all four innings for Otto-Eldred, and despite striking out just one batter, he allowed only three hits and three walks.
“(He) had some trouble getting the breaking ball near the strike zone early, but he came around and he did what he had to do,” Thomas said. “He worked hard and did the job. Got some fly balls and sometimes that’s all you’ve got to do.”
Bradford, meanwhile, used four pitchers. Starter Peyton Manion lasted just 2 ⅓ innings before Carlson turned to some relief.
And while he admits that Monday’s result was because of those fielding mistakes, he also wants his pitchers to work harder at putting less balls in play.
“I thought our pitchers threw strikes, we just got no help,” he said. “We have to miss a few more bats, too. Too many balls are being put in play, and we don’t strike out anybody and that’s something that we really have to start fixing. You are going to make a few errors in high school baseball and every once in awhile you need to miss a bat.”
Rounding out O-E’s offense was Cameron Magee (double, two RBI), Chase Sebastian (two RBI), and Cole Sebastian, T.J. VanScoter and Chris Connelly each with RBI singles.
The Terrors will now have a week to prepare for a matchup with undefeated Coudersport next Tuesday.
“The kids are having fun,” Thomas said. “They are going up there and there’s not a whole lot of pressure. Just sticking the ball and manufacturing runs.”
AT ELDRED
R H E
Bradford 001 0XX X 1 3 5
O-E 335 5XX X 16 7 1
Peyton Manion (1 SO, 3 BB), Austen Davis (3) (2 BB), Cam Austin (3) (1 SO, 3 BB), Caleb Nuzzo (4) and Nuzzo/
Cole Sebastian (1 SO, 3 BB) and Chris Connelly
