The Southland Vikings (16-19) had their bats ready as they overwhelmed the Northwest Indiana Oilmen (22-13) and beat them for the second time this week.
Elliott Armstrong led off the game by reaching on an error. Shane Brown then followed with an RBI single to make it 1-0, but a 2-run double by Cody Dykema in the bottom of the first gave the Oilmen a 2-1 lead.
The Vikings tied it at 2 in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI single by Dan Potempa. In the fifth, the Vikings retook the lead with an RBI single by Chris Stevens. He hit the ball to the right side, which was stopped by Oilmen first baseman Kyle Wood. He tossed it behind pitcher Josh Negele (3-1) who was running towards first base and after the first run scored, no one picked up the ball which allowed another run to score and gave the Vikings a 4-2 lead.
In the sixth inning, Southland exploded offensively as they scored seven runs. With one out and A.J. Doyle on first base, the Vikings started a streak of five straight RBI hits. Micah Rooke started with an RBI double followed by an RBI triple from Damon Saunders. Armstrong then hit an RBI single while Brown got an RBI triple. Finally, Dawson ended the streak with an RBI single. The Vikings would add two more in the inning and led 11-2.
The Oilmen would score four in the seventh including a 3-run home run by Bennett Oliver. In the eighth, the Vikings got one of those runs back with an RBI double from Potempa. The Oilmen would score on more in the ninth but the Vikings would win 12-7.
The Southland offense put on a show as the team recorded 15 hits with eight batters recording a base hit, run scored and RBI. Leading the way was Brown who went 3 for 5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Armstrong also had a busy day, going 2 for 6 with three runs scored and one RBI. Dawson, Doyle, Potempa and Stevens also all had two hits.
While the offense was the highlight of the night, Jonathan Rosario (3-0) looked great on the mound. He went six innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits while striking out four and picking up the win. Negele received the loss and Benny Collesano (0-1) picked up his first save.
The Vikings will be back home Friday night to host the Chicago Zephyrs (13-21) who they are 3-2 against this season.
