The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

Thomas Haggerty was dominant on the mound, as he picked up 10 strikeouts in Northwest Indiana Oilmen's 9-1 victory over Hammond Vikings on Thursday. Haggerty gave up two hits and one run over four innings while walking five.

 

A wild pitch put Hammond Vikings on the board in the top of the second.

 

Emmanuel Scott singled, which helped the Oilmen tie the game at one in the bottom of the second.

 

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Oilmen went back into the lead after Emmanuel Scott and Ryan Groberski singled, each scoring one run.

 

The Oilmen added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on three hits. John Wendling singled, scoring one run, and Noah Caceres 2-run homer to right field extended the lead.

 

Trey Pitcock led things off on the bump for Hammond Vikings. The starting pitcher allowed eight hits and seven runs (six earned) over five and two-thirds innings, striking out four and walking four. Nathan Brydak and Carlos Guzman each came on in relief for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen and shutdown the Vikings.

 

The Oilmen piled up nine hits in the game. Wendling provided pop in the middle of the lineup, and led Northwest Indiana Oilmen with three runs batted in. The third baseman went 3-for-5 on the day. Scott collected two hits for the  Oilmen in three at bats.The Oilmen didn't commit a single error in the field. Scott had the most chances in the field with 12.

 

Alijah Rainey, Andres Allred, Isaiah Steinhilber, and Nicolas Mangano each collected one hit for the Hammond Vikings. Miles Cvelbar led Hammond Vikings with three walks. Overall, the team had a strong eye at the plate, collecting 10 walks for the game, but let chased too many third strikes after 18 Ks. 

 

Tyler Zunkel, the new manager of the Oilmen, was excited with the effort and promise shown by the squad. "It's a great group of guys, hopefully the first win of many", said Zunkel. "The boys get along like they've been playing together for a while even though it was their first game. The dugout was great, and my assistant was awesome as well". Tyler is really excited for not just tonight, but what the future holds for the team. "The team is making it really easy for me. All I have to do is make a lineup and let the boys compete!"

 

Next up for the Oilmen is a game against the Griffith Generals on Friday at 7:10pm. The game can be watched on the Oilmen Facebook page or JedTV website