Oilmen Back In The Win Column After back-to-back losses over the weekend, the Northwest Indiana Oilmen got back in the win column Tuesday night. Both games against the Griffith Generals this season ended via the 10-run rule. The Oilmen had the lead since the first inning, and earned a 12-2, seven-inning victory Tuesday. Offensively, the Oilmen were sharp, totaling 12 hits, four of which were doubles. Before Tuesday's win, the Oilmen had dropped three out of their previous four, and struggled for the first time after their franchise-tying eight-game win streak. On Tuesday, the Oilmen had 10 different players receive a hit, with just one strikeout through the game. “The thought that hits me is those soft hit singles that we had and the balls that we didn't hit quite well but found the outfield, it would be nice to spread those out more in the games that are close,” Oilmen manager Adam Enright said. “It’s great to score in bunches, but I hope we can bottle some of that up and have and have a couple of soft hits and ground balls when we really need them.” The Oilmen are now 8-1 at home, and maintain the second-place spot in the Northern League. Both Nick Daugherty and Graham Mastros had multi-hit games Tuesday, Daugherty going 2-for-4 and Mastros 2-for-5. The Oilmen demonstrated a prime example of a balanced offensive attack, and made it tough for the Generals defense, which made four errors. Griffith’s starter David Diemling struggled on the mound, allowing nine earned runs and walking six through four innings. Josh Bennema came in relief, pitching three innings, while not giving up any more earned runs before the game ended in the seventh. Oilmen starter Brandon Laux gave up his first earned run of the season Tuesday, and improved his record to 2-0. Laux has the lowest ERA on the Oilmen pitching staff, with a 0.87 era, and 23 strikeouts on top of it. Laux threw five and two-thirds innings, allowing eight hits and two earned runs. “His last couple times out, he's doing a better job of commanding two pitches,” Enright said. “I think the testament today is that he did not have his best stuff, but for him to pitch out of multiple bases loaded jams, and pitch from behind in counts, it speaks to how good his stuff is.” The Oilmen improved to 10-6, and host the Elkhart County Miracle on Wednesday, June 21 at 7:10 p.m.
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