Admirals back in town for mid-week showdown WEDNESDAY’S GAME: July 15, 2015 • 7:10 p.m. • Whiting, Ind.
Radio: AM 1230 WJOB
Internet Broadcast: nwioilmen.com
Pitching Matchup
NWI’s Brandon Murray (South Carolina / Hobart, Ind.) vs. Joliet’s Brendan Miller (SIU Edwardsville)
For Starters
The Oilmen celebrated an unusual win on Monday, defeating the Lexington Snipes on a Brad Wood walk-off double that banged off the left-field scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth inning. During Wood’s plate appearance, a torrential downpour began, causing the game to be ended early due to rain. The Oilmen are now 5-0 all-time in shortened games, with two of those wins coming against the Snipes this season. The Oilmen offense continued its recent power surge as Stefano Belmonte drilled a two-run homer and boosted his RBI total to 26. He is 11 RBIs away from matching Nick Bartolone’s league record of 37, which he established while playing with the Oilmen in 2013. Belmonte shared the league lead in RBIs in 2014 with Lexington’s Chris Maranto, as each man drove in 30 runs.
Inside The Oilmen
Brandon Murray toes the rubber for his second start as a member of the Oilmen on Wednesday in Whiting. Murray went four innings and allowed six earned runs on four hits, three walks and a hit batter while striking out four in his debut. Southland’s Jake Hickey ripped a grand slam as the Vikings prevailed 7-5, handing Murray the loss. Josh Turnock enters Wednesday with an 11-game on-base streak. Fred Smart was hit by a pitch twice on Monday and now holds the team lead with six. The single season Oilmen record for hit by pitches is nine, set by Elliot Bajda in 2012.
Inside the Admirals
The Admirals are three games behind the third-place Oilmen, but they have the same number of losses as NWI. The two teams were scheduled to meet on Tuesday night at Wayne L. King Junior Field, but that game was postponed by rain. The three remaining meetings between the two teams gives the Admirals an opportunity to make up ground on NWI. Joliet is also trying to fend off fifth-place Michigan City for the final playoff spot. The Admirals are two games ahead of the Lakers entering Wednesday. In their most recent game, Joliet downed Michigan City 9-0 on Sunday.
About the Matchup
The Oilmen have had great success against the Admirals this season and historically. NWI holds a 20-4 all-time record against the franchise, including 4-1 mark this year. The most recent meeting was on June 27 at Oil City Stadium, a 10-0 Oilmen whitewash. The Admirals have not scored against the Oilmen in the last 18 innings played between the two teams.
Around the MCL
The Lexington Snipes took care of business on Tuesday night at Jack Horenberger Field. They swept a doubleheader from the Southland Vikings to regain a one-game lead over the Oilmen for second place in the MCL standings, which would potentially dictate home field advantage in a first-round series between the two teams. However, both squads are still attempting to catch first-place DuPage County, which holds a two game edge on the Snipes.
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