06/15/2014 9:34 AM -
TODAY'S GAME:
Lexington Snipes (6-5, 5-4)
at Northwest Indiana Oilmen (7-4, 6-3)
June 15, 2014 • 4:10 p.m. (CT) • Whiting, Ind.
Radio: AM 1230 WJOB
Internet: nwioilmen.com
For Starters
Both teams are coming off lopsided wins over the Chicago Zephyrs in their most recent Miwest Collegiate League games. The Oilmen defeated the Zephyrs 8-0 on Saturday, while the Snipes did so 14-2 on Friday. Lexington stepped out of MCL play on Saturday, splitting a nonleague doubleheader with Quad Cities. The Snipes fell 6-0 before capturing a 9-7 victory to split with the 76ers.
Inside the Oilmen
The Oilmen have won four straight for the first time since June 18-24, 2013. With Saturday’s blanking of the Zephyrs, The Oilmen have now shutout the opposition five times in team history including twice this season. Although he has only played in three games with the Oilmen, Munster graduate Craig Dedelow has already climbed to second on the team in RBIs with five. Keith Mahler earned his first career victory on Saturday after taking hard-luck losses in each of his first two starts. Kankakee Valley alum Andrew Jackson made his Oilmen debut, working a scoreless eighth inning on Saturday. He also became the second player in Oilmen history to play for the team directly after his senior season of high school, joining Danny Pobereyko from 2013.
Inside the Snipes
The Lexington Snipes come into Oil City Stadium playing well, having won three of their last four including a 14-2 rout of Chicago and a 4-2 upset of first-place DuPage County. Matthew James leads the Snipes in batting average at .647 in four games. Adam Casson and Eric Phillis are tied for the team-lead in RBIs with eight apiece. Casson has been on a tear this season, drilling five home runs, two of which came against the Oilmen. Casson has the same number of home runs as the rest of the players in the Midwest Collegiate League combined. Casson is already closing in on the league record of seven, set by DuPage’s Gary Mayberry in 2012.
About the Matchup
The last time the Oilmen and Snipes got together, it turned out to be the most lopsided defeat in Oilmen history, a 17-5 loss on June 1. The Oilmen are 1-1 against Lexington this season, winning 2-1 on opening night at Oil City Stadium. Northwest Indiana is 7-4 all-time against the Snipes and 5-2 in head-to-head meetings that take place in Whiting.
Around the MCL
The DuPage County Hounds were victorious on Saturday, keeping the Oilmen 1.5 games off the pace in the MCL standings. DuPage County faces Joliet for the second straight day in a game that is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. The Admirals are playing a doubleheader again on Sunday, facing DuPage County and Chicago after falling to Southland and DuPage on Saturday.
Click "download attachment" to view a full PDF of Oilmen Game Notes
