Howell tries to get Oilmen back on track against Lakers WEDNESDAY’S GAME: Michigan City Lakers (7-13)
at Northwest Indiana Oilmen (12-6)
*VETERANS BENEFIT GAME*
July 1, 2015 • 7:10 p.m. • Whiting, Ind.
Radio: AM 1230 WJOB
Internet Broadcast: nwioilmen.com
Pitching Matchup
NWI’s Christian Howell (Minnesota State Mankato / Aurora, Ill.) vs. Shane Prance (Purdue North Central / Portage, Ind.)
For Starters
Wednesday marks the fourth annual Veterans Benefit Game at Oil City Stadium. A special pregame ceremony will be held to recognize the brave men and women who have given so much for the country’s freedom. The Oilmen enter the game locked in a first-place tie with the DuPage County Hounds. Tyler Loesher was lifted after one inning in which he walked four and yielded three runs. The Oilmen played without run producers Brad Wood and Stefano Belmonte, who had Tuesday off. Five of the six Oilmen losses have come by one run, with the other setback featuring a two-run margin.
Inside the Oilmen
Christian Howell will get the nod from Adam Enright on Wednesday night. In his last outing, Howell earned the win by allowing one run (unearned) on six hits and two walks in 7 2/3 innings against Michigan City on June 25. He is the only Oilmen pitcher to earn a win against the Lakers this season. He also took no decision at Michigan City in his Oilmen debut, surrendering three runs on eight hits in six innings. Alec Olund and Tyler Sroczynski both had rare hitless games on Tuesday, as each saw a five-game hitting streak snapped. Sam Geraci drew two more walks in Tuesday’s game to lift his season total to 14.
Inside the Lakers
The Michigan City Lakers send Portage graduate Shane Prance to the mound for Wednesday’s game. The Lakers offense has been strong, as they’ve scored 98 runs in 20 games. However, their pitching staff holds a team ERA of 7.88. All three Laker pitchers that worked against the Oilmen on Tuesday made were making their Midwest Collegiate League debuts. Max Kerr and incoming Valparaiso freshman Scott Kapers each had two hits.
About the Matchup
The Lakers are the only team in the Midwest Collegiate League that leads its season series with the Oilmen. Michigan City has won three of the team’s first four games against NWI this year. Half of the six Oilmen losses have come at the hands of the Lakers. Three of Michigan City’s seven wins have come against the Oilmen. Wednesday’s game is the second of three trips to Oil City Stadium for the Lakers this week. After this week, the Lakers will not come back to Whiting until July 30. The Oilmen are 8-6 all-time against Michigan City.
Around the MCL
The DuPage County Hounds visit Lexington on Wednesday night, before coming to Oil City Stadium on Wednesday. The Snipes and Southland Vikings split a doubleheader on Tuesday with the Snipes scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with a 3-2 win in the opener.
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