The Northwest Indiana Oilmen unleashed an offensive onslaught on Friday, securing a resounding 11-1 victory over the Hammond Vikings at home. From the first pitch, the Oilmen showcased a powerful lineup and stifling defense that left no doubt about the outcome of the game.
The offense was relentless, putting up runs consistently throughout the contest. Nick Upperman was a standout at the plate, recording a single, a double, and drawing a walk. Khamaree Thomas also contributed with a single and was hit by a pitch, showing his willingness to get on base. Drew Church came through with a sacrifice fly, driving in a run for the Oilmen. Cole Hockman was hit by a pitch. Luis Termero, Alonzo Raigosa, Ryan Groberski, and Gavin Garnica all drew walks, demonstrating their patience at the plate and contributing to the run production. Nate Brumfield and Ricky Robinson both recorded singles, with Robinson also drawing a walk. Mike Fiedor and Hobbs Dunne also contributed to the offensive explosion, with Dunne hitting a single. The collective effort from our bats overwhelmed the Vikings’ pitching, leading to an impressive 11 runs.
On the defensive side, the Oilmen were stifling, limiting the Vikings to just a single run. Our pitching and fielding worked in perfect harmony, keeping Hammond to just four hits, shutting down the Vikings’ attack, ensuring their offense struggled to put anything together.
Key Takeaways
While NWI was a powerful offensive team, with 14 hits on the day, they left a season-high 10 runners on base. Hammond’s pitching stumped the hitters on the inside part of the plate. Looking forward, the Oilmen will hopefully look to capitalize on more opportunities with runners in scoring positions.
Once again, the Oilmen showcased incredible pitching in this game, not giving any earned runs. NWI has proven that they have the best pitchers in the league. Even if the hitters have an off-day, the pitchers are sure to help the team out and keep pushing for a win.
Midwest Orthopaedics Player of the Game
Matthew Rutkay pitched seven innings, only giving up four hits and one unearned run. Striking out five batters, Rutkay kept the Vikings’ batting average to .16o, one of the lowest an Oilmen pitcher has forced this season.
Head Coach Mike Caston had plenty of good things to say about Rutkay’s performance. “When he goes seven innings, that’s a quality start. He did a good job with their hitters, keeping them off balance filling up the strike zone. Real proud of what he did.”
The Northwest Indiana Oilmen look to continue the road to 10-0 on Saturday against the Griffith Generals. Oil City Stadium will be hosting Military Appreciation Night with first pitch set for 6:35 pm.
“It’s going to be a big night, our first time this season playing the Griffith Generals. We’re excited to play some fresh blood and see what they’ve got. It’s going to be a big night with Military Appreciation Night. We’re going to have a lot of people from the community here watching the game and we plan to give them a pretty good show.” -Mike Caston
