Game Notes: Oilmen, Snipes collide Wednesday in Whiting WEDNESDAY’S GAME: July 22, 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. Noah Lamboley (Parkland)
For Starters
The Oilmen have welcomed two new players within the last week, as Adam Enright has bolstered his roster for the playoff push with infielder Kyle VanKalker and outfielder Joe Bryant. Bryant hit .488 at Munster High School as a senior this spring. He is headed to South Suburban College, where he will join Oilmen infielder Brian Seymour. Bryant has been ranked as high as second in the world in the video game Call of Duty: Ghosts. Bryant was high school teammates with NWI’s Sam Bell and Joe Jumonville. VanKalker played with NWI’s Tyler Sroczynski at Illiana Christian High School. The two will also play together in 2016 at Trinity Christian, along with Oilmen catcher Zack Jones. VanKalker, who hit .318 as a freshman with the Trolls, had his first hit and RBIs as an Oilman on Tuesday.
Inside the Oilmen
The Oilmen have won five of their last six games. On Tuesday, they enjoyed their first lopsided win since July 1 by steamrolling Southland 8-1. Brandon Murray notched his first MCL win. Hunter Clark tossed two scoreless innings after appearing in a game only once over the previous 20 days. Jordan Lewis drove in a run with a double, his second RBI in July after he racked up 12 in June. Christian Howell toes the rubber for the Oilmen on Wednesday. He holds a 2.58 ERA and 2-0 record in 38 1/3 innings. Howell pitched against the Snipes on July 12, throwing 6 1/3 innings in relief and allowing two runs on four hits. This is Howell’s first start since July 1 after three consecutive appearances out of the bullpen.
Inside the Snipes
Noah Lamboley gets the start on the mound for Lexington. In four MCL starts, he has two strong outings and two wobbly ones. He gave up seven runs (four earned) in four innings against Joliet on June 16 and was touched for six earned runs in five innings against DuPage County on July 1. Overall, Lamboley is 2-2 with a 4.95 ERA in 20 innings. The Snipes dropped two of three over the weekend, splitting a doubleheader with DuPage County before falling 5-4 to Joliet on Sunday. Deion Thompson has drawn 28 bases on balls this season, breaking Snipes all-time record set by Josh Levy in 2010. Thompson leads the team in on-base percentage at .464. Jared McCunn drove in four runs in Saturday’s doubleheader against the Hounds and now has 25 RBIs this season, one away from Stefano Belmonte’s league-leading total. The Oilmen aren’t the only ones making late-season roster moves, as the Snipes released Jeff Lavin and added Nick Barnhill this week. Barnhill, who is entering his senior season with Concordia, pitched for the Snipes the last two years before spending the majority of this summer in the Arizona Collegiate Wood Bat League.
About the Matchup
The Oilmen and Snipes have split the first six head-to-head meetings between the two teams. Two of the three Oilmen wins have come in rain-shortened fashion. The two teams meet again on Friday, July 31 in a doubleheader at Oil City Stadium on the final day of the regular season. The Oilmen lead the all-time series 15-8.
Around the MCL
The Lakers and Admirals face off on Wednesday with the winner taking over fourth place in the MCL. If the Admirals lose, they will slip out of the top four in the standings for the first time since June 16. A Laker victory will put them in the top four for the first time since June 13, when they were 2-3. The Hounds have officially clinched a playoff berth with Tuesday’s doubleheader sweep of Joliet, becoming the first MCL team to do so.
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