The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

There were runs aplenty on Wednesday, as the Oilmen bested the Hammond Vikings 12-10. The Northwest Indiana Oilmen collected 10 hits, while the Hammond Vikings had six.

Ian Farrell collected three hits in four at bats in the win. Farrell doubled in the seventh inning, doubled in the eighth inning, and singled in the sixth inning.

The Oilmen were the first to get on the board in the first when Johnny Wendling singled, scoring two runs.

The Hammond Vikings flipped the game on its head in the top of the sixth, scoring five runs on two hits to take a 5-2 lead. The biggest blow in the inning was a walk by Jacob Gunn that drove in one.

The Oilmen tied the game in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a single by Zamaurion Hatcher, and a sacrifice fly by Isaiah White.

In the top of the seventh, the Hammond Vikings broke up the tie when Gunn singled, scoring two runs. Then a ground out by Owen Bendis followed to extend the lead to 8-5.

The Oilmen flipped the game on its head in the bottom of the seventh, scoring seven runs on four hits to take a 12-8 lead. The biggest blow in the inning was a double by Farrell that drove in two.

Carlos Canelon started in his season debut for the Oilmen. He allowed zero hits and zero runs over five innings, striking out nine and walking three. Andrew Early started the game for the Hammond Vikings. They allowed four hits and five runs over five innings, striking out three and walking seven. Connor Chapulis and Ethan Ganz each appeared in relief for the Oilmen.

The Oilmen accumulated 10 hits in the game. Hatcher, the number nine hitter for the squad, led the way with three runs batted in. The right fielder went 2-for-5 on the day. Ryan Groberski collected two hits in four at bats. The teama had patience at the plate, amassing 10 walks for the game. Nathan Brydak, Ryan Henschel, and Emmanuel Scott led the team with two free passes each.

Alijah Rainey, Gunn, Andres Allred, Bendis, Preston Lund, and Parker Engel each collected one hit for the Hammond Vikings. Gunn and Bendis each drove in three runs. The Vikings also exhibited patience at the plate, tallying 10 walks for the game. Bendis and Lund led the team with two free passes each. Zachary Norwine stole two bases. HThe Vikings ran wild on the base paths, amassing five stolen bases for the game. The Vikings turned one double play in the game.

Ian Ferrell was selected as the White Castle Player of the Game after his excellent 3-4 outing with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. Ian was available to the media after the game. "I had a couple of days off, I felt good, I wanted to drive the ball out of the box and that's what I did", he said matter-of-factly. When asked about how he has found his power and comfort at the plate, he shared his thoughts. "I think pitch selection, honestly. I know what I want to do, I know what pitch I want and I'm going up there and attacking it". He looks to keep things going strong as he looks for the right pitch and keeps his confidence high at the plate.

Coach Tyler Zunkel shared his thoughts of pulling out the back-and-forth win. "The guys had a lot of fight, and it's really easy to coach them when they don't give up. We went down early, gave out a few too many free passes, and it was good to see them get right back on them next inning". He also shared how Carlos Canelon's debut has added to the excellent starting pitching the Oilmen have displayed. "A lot of times the team that scores first wins, and Carlos gave us that today. He's electric, hopefully he has a lot more starts with us and he can throw a lot more pitches with us. For his first time back, he was sharp and it was awesome to see". He also discussed seeing the extra base power the team displayed. "We are doing a great job of working counts. In today's day and age, a lot of people are okay with strikeouts; I have made it clear that I am not. Being able to battle with 2 strikes, getting to that next pitch every time keeps us in the game". Zunkel now puts his focus towards a game vs the Miracle, the only team in the Northern League the Oilmen have yet to see.

Next up for The Oilmen is a game at Elkhart County Miracle on Thursday. The game is the first where the Oilmen will make the long journey to Elkhart. This game will start at 6pm central time, 7pm in Eastern time (Elkhart is on EST). The game can be watched on Facebook, X, JedTV, or RRSN.