The Northwest Indiana Oilmen took on a very difficult Elkhart County Miracle on Saturday night. The Oil City Stadium crowd helped NWI slowly crawl back from a 5-2 deficit and walk it off in the 9th. The Oilmen showcased a dynamic hitting performance as well as lock-down relief pitching to combine for a thrilling contest. The final score was 7-6.
The Oilmen’s offense was somewhat slow through the first half of the game, but the team found a big stride in the last four innings to earn five runs where it mattered most. Nick Upperman had two hits at the plate, while Drew Church had a double. The Miracle had two pitchers on the mound who had previously played in MiLB rookie affiliate organizations, yet the Oilmen took advantage of eight free bases and capitalized on high pitch counts late in the game. Hobbs Dunne, the walk-off hitter of the game, commented on his team’s hitting. “We’ve got a lot of great guys on the team. Thankfully, we got those really good pitchers out of the game quicker than they would have liked, and we came up with some big knocks in the last inning.”
The Oilmen’s defense shone like a diamond. Amaan Khan took the win on the mound as the closer, with two innings pitched and only one hit. The strong relief outings from Jackson Montgomery and Andrew Jimenez kept the Oilmen alive through the middle third of the game and helped the team on its comeback journey.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, Hobbs Dunne took the plate, already going 0-4 at this point. The tying run was on third, and the game-winning run on second. Dunne had this to comment on his mentality going into the AB: “I don’t want to play extras because I’m pretty hungry.” In the first pitch, Dunne dribbled a grounder just passed the glove of a diving 2nd baseman to score both runs and win the game.
Key Takeaways
The Oilmen have proven they can fight back in any situation. Trailing by three against a former professional pitcher and clawing your way back into the game is the ultimate sign of grit and determination.
Once again, the pitching staff has shown that they can get the team out of any situation. The three combined relievers in this game combined for eight strikeouts and one hit.
Midwest Orthopaedics Player of the Game
Hobbs Dunne. Walk-off single to right. That’s all you need to know.
The Oilmen host the Hammond Vikings on Sunday at 6:35 pm. Oil City Stadium is hosting Bark in the Park. Bring your dog to the ballpark for a free Oilmen bandana. The game will be streamed on the Oilmen Facebook page as well as on Region Sports Network.
