07/25/2018 10:43 AM -
WEDNESDAY’S GAME:
Joliet Generals (14-20)
at NWI Oilmen (22-18)
July 25, 2018 • 7:10 p.m. • Whiting, Ind.
Broadcast: Oilmen Broadcasting Network (Facebook Live)
Pitching Matchup
NWI RHP Alex Voss (Butler / South Bend, Ind.) vs. Joliet RHP Jordan Baker (McKendree / Chicago Heights, Ill.)
For Starters
The Northwest Indiana Oilmen will look to bounce back after a 15-4 setback that saw Southland score 12 runs over the final three innings on Tuesday. The 22 hits for the Vikings equaled the most allowed by the Oilmen in franchise history, matching a mark reached most recently in 2014. The Oilmen are four games above .500 with five to play, so they need one more win to clinch their seventh straight winning season. Wednesday marks the final home game of the regular season as the Oilmen attempt to exit Oil City Stadium on a high note. They will be back for at least one playoff game next week. This season, the Oilmen are 17-9 in home contests. The Oilmen have won three straight home finales dating back to 2014 and are 5-1 all-time in the final home game of the regular season.
Inside the Oilmen
Alex Voss gets the ball on Wednesday as he makes his seventh pitching appearance of the summer. The Northwest Indiana right-hander is 3-0, mostly recently pitching the Oilmen to a lopsided win over the Vikings on July 12. This will mark his first outing against Joliet. Voss, an MCL All-Star, owns a sparkling 1.40 ERA while walking four and striking out 17 in 25 2/3 innings of work. A bright spot on Tuesday was Tyler Kenjic, who extended his hitting streak to five games with his third multi-hit output of the year. Jake Plastiak saw his seven-game hitting streak come to an end, but he reached base safely for the 19th consecutive game. The last time Plastiak played and did not reach base was June 17 against Crestwood.
Inside the Generals
Jordan Baker, the younger brother of NWI’s Chris Baker, will start on the mound on Wednesday night. The Generals are still in the playoff hunt, but need to finish strong and hope for help out of the teams playing the Bobcats, as they trail Bloomington by just two games for the final playoff spot. After Wednesday, the Generals play Southland for three of the final five games and a doubleheader against Bloomington for the other two. The Saturday doubleheader represents a potential two-game swing in the standings. Joliet’s most recent games were on Sunday, a doubleheader split at Bloomington. The Bobcats won the second game 4-0 behind a complete game shutout by Quinn Gudaitis. Joliet managed only one hit, a single by Brendan Krob. Dangerous bats for the Generals include Jack Lombardi (.375), Josh Nowak (.357) and Jeremiah Lebron (.316).
About the Matchup
This marks the ninth and final meeting of the year between the Oilmen and Generals. Joliet pulled out a 9-8 win at Wayne L. King Junior Field in the most recent meeting, evening the season series at four wins apiece. The season series hinges on Wednesday’s meeting. The Oilmen have already lost the season series to Bloomington, split the season series with Southland and won the season series against Crestwood. The season sets against Joliet and DuPage County are still up in the air.
Click here to view full PDF Oilmen game notes.
