Whiting, Ind. - July 30, 2020 - The two previous matchups at Oil City Stadium between the Southland Vikings (13-11) and Northwest Indiana Oilmen (16-7) have ended in walk-off wins for the Oilmen. A game where both teams led, the Vikings had a three-run lead going into the ninth but the Oilmen scored four in the ninth and walked it off 7-6.
The Oilmen started the game hot after a home run in the first inning and a two-RBI double in the second inning to give them a 3-0 advantage after the second inning.
Jacob Goss (0-2) (Illinois-Springfield/Plainfield, Ill.) started for the Vikings, after giving up three runs in two innings, he would be unstoppable on the mound. Goss only gave up one hit after the second inning and didn’t allow any more runs to score. Goss finished the night at six innings, four hits, three earned runs, and four strikeouts for his second straight quality start.
Down 3-0 Vikings looking for a way back into the game, able to find an offensive boost in the sixth inning. After walks by Logan Anderson (South Suburban/Frankfort, Ill.) and Jason Reis (Illinois Wesleyan/Highland, Ind.) and a single by Matt Monahan (St. Xavier/New Lenox, Ill.) the bases were loaded with one out. Chirs McDevitt (Indiana State/Chicago, Ill.) and Billy Curtis (North Central/Lockport, Ill.) recorded consecutive hit by pitches, ultimately scoring two runs to cut into the deficit 3-2. Dashon More (Illinois Springfield/South Holland, Ill.) lined a ball to left field scoring two runs for his 10th and 11th RBI’s of the season giving the Vikings their first lead of the game 4-3.
The offense continued in the seventh inning with a leadoff double by Anderson, his third double of the year. McDevitt singled to right field scoring Anderson for his ninth RBI of the season extending the lead to 5-3.
The Vikings looked for more insurance runs, as Moore led the inning with a hit by pitch and Dylan Robertson (Iowa Western/Downers Grove, Ill.) reached on an error, runners were on second and first with one out. Luke Napleton (Quincy/La Grange, Ill.) came in to bat as a pinch hitter and provided an RBI single to left field scoring Moore for his 11th RBI to add on to the lead 6-3.
The Vikings needed three outs to go home and end their two-game losing streak. The Oilmen had other plans in mind. After using two walks and a hit by pitch to load the bases, a walk for Tre Hondras, single for Nick Anderson, and hit by pitch for Tyler Nelson, three runs scored as the game was tied 6-6 with the bases loaded and one out. Angelo Cantelo ended the game with a single to left field walking it off for the Oilmen winning 7-6.
“Goss pitched great tonight, I liked how he worked the zone throughout the game,” Vikings manager Rocco Mossuto said. “Things just didn’t go our way in the last inning, we need to do a better job of executing. We played well tonight and I’m very proud of our performance, these guys played great.”
The Vikings look to end their losing streak Friday, July 30 against the Crestwood Panthers. The game will be at Andrean High School located in Merrillville, Ind. and the first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. The broadcast will be available on the Crestwood Panthers Facebook page via Facebook Live. Jon Zaghloul alongside Jack Theil will be on the call for the game.
