The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

Whiting, Ind. – July 20, 2014 – After a 16-inning loss on Friday night and a defeat to rival DuPage on Saturday, the Oilmen were simply seeking wins any way them could get them in Sunday’s doubleheader against the Zephyrs.

The Oilmen took advantage of a wild Zephyrs pitching staff in the opening game to pull off an 11-2 rout, before utilizing a clutch piece of hitting by Jason Gasser in the second game to edge the Zephyrs 2-1.

Gasser was the offensive star of the day, going a combined 5-for-6 in the two games. He tripled and scored in the second inning of the second game to give the Oilmen a 1-0 lead. With the game even at one in the bottom of the sixth, he nailed a double off the right-field wall to plate Nate Schneider and snap the tie.

“I saw a first pitch fastball and jumped on it,” Gasser said. “I knew our team needed a run, and I wanted to get (Danny) Pobereyko a win and the other one (Matt Pobereyko) the save, so I was just trying to do my job.”

Oilmen manager Justin Huisman described Gasser as a streaky hitter this season.

“He kind of goes backward and forward when it comes to his mechanics with his swing,” Huisman said. “There’s no doubt that when he’s got a good approach and his mechanics are good, he’s one of our best, if not our best hitter.”

Danny Pobereyko (5-2) notched the victory in the nightcap before his brother Matt nailed down his 12^th save by striking out the side in the seventh inning. Christopher Wido, who was converted into a pitcher by the Zephyrs this summer after spending his whole baseball life as a catcher, threw six quality innings but took the loss.

In the opening game, the Zephyrs handed the Oilmen seven runs in the fourth inning on four wild pitches and three past balls along with three walks, three hits and one error. Craig Dedelow went 3-for-5 in the opener. Reliever Tyler Abbott was on the mound in the fourth and was hit with the loss for the Zephyrs (8-25).

Keith Mahler improved to 4-4 on the year by tossing five innings and allowing only an unearned run. Scott Jerge pitched two innings in relief in the 11-2 victory.

“It’s important for moral,” Huisman said of the doubleheader sweep. “We still didn’t hit very well. We needed a couple of wins after the last couple of days. At this point, you’ve got to expect that all the other teams are going to beat the bottom teams, so if we want to climb in the standings at all, these games are a must.”

After playing 10 games in eight days, the Oilmen (23-14, 21-13) will take a needed day off on Monday before returning to the diamond on Tuesday night against the first-place Hounds. The Oilmen will play one final home game at Oil City Stadium in the regular season, Fan Appreciation Night on Wednesday against the Southland Vikings.