07/10/2014 11:13 AM -
TONIGHT'S GAME:
Lexington Snipes (16-11)
at Northwest Indiana Oilmen (16-10, 14-9)
July 11, 2014 • 7:10 p.m. • Whiting, Ind.
Radio: AM 1230 WJOB
Internet Broadcast: nwioilmen.com
For Starters
Friday night’s game marks the beginning of the busiest stretch of baseball for the Oilmen this season. The Oilmen are scheduled to play 12 games in a 10-day span starting on Friday. The stretch includes doubleheaders on Monday, July 14 against the Southland Vikings and Sunday, July 20 against the Chicago Zephyrs. Friday also begins a stretch of 18 games in 16 days to finish out the regular season. As of late, the Oilmen have been playing lopsided games with regularity. They have not played in a game that was decided by three runs or fewer since June 23. Each of the last 10 Oilmen games have been one-sided, with NWI going 5-5 during that stretch.
Inside the Oilmen
Fridays have historically been kind to the Oilmen as they hold a 15-5 all-time record in games played on Fridays. The Oilmen are 4-2 on Fridays this season after last week’s July 4 loss to the Southland Vikings. The Oilmen have at least one win and one loss on every day of the week this year, with the exception of Mondays, when they are 1-0. The Oilmen finished out the unofficial first half with an 8-0 blanking of the Chicago Zephyrs on Tuesday night. It was the fifth different time the Oilmen pitching staff has shut out the opposition this season and the second time this year that the Oilmen have defeated the Zephyrs by the exact score of 8-0. Starting pitcher Danny Pobereyko tied the Oilmen franchise record for strikeouts in a game with 10, becoming the first Oilman with double digit strikeouts in a game since Josh Negele on July 31, 2012.
Inside the Snipes
The Lexington Snipes dropped their most recent game 4-3 to DuPage County on Tuesday night. Eric Phillis is one of the Snipes most dangerous offensive weapons with a .371 batting average, three home runs and 21 runs batted in. Butler’s Chris Maranto leads the league in RBIs with 25 to go along with his .361 batting average. John Munyon of the Snipes is the league ERA leader at 0.38, surrendering only one earned run in 24 innings. The Snipes pitching staff also features Illinois hurler Matthew James, who tossed a no-hitter earlier this year.
About the Matchup
The Oilmen have captured three of the first four meetings between the two teams this season. NWI holds an all-time record of 9-4 against Lexington and is 6-2 when hosting the Snipes at Oil City Stadium. The most recent meeting took place at High Desert Field, as five Lexington errors helped the Oilmen roll to a 9-1 win on July 3.
Around the MCL
The South (Oilmen, Southland and Lexington) defeated the North (DuPage, Joliet and Zephyrs) 10-3 in the 2014 Midwest Collegiate League All-Star Game on Wednesday night at Oil City Stadium. Jeff Boehm of the Southland Vikings launched a two-run homer in the first inning and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. The Hounds host a day-night doubleheader on Friday against the Admirals and Zephyrs, while the Vikings will not resume play until Saturday night against the Snipes.
Click "download attachment" to view a full PDF of Oilmen Game Notes
