Whiting, Ind. – June 23, 2023 – Only one opposing pitcher has beaten the Northwest Indiana Oilmen at Oil City Stadium this season and that is Nolan Vlcek who has now done it twice after the Vikings beat the Oilmen 11-4 on Friday night.
Facing the Oilmen in Whiting for the second consecutive week, Vlcek (4-0) tossed six innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while working around five walks and a pair of Vikings errors.
The Oilmen struck first with a run in the bottom of the first inning after the Vikings stranded the bases loaded in the top of the frame.
The Vikings managed to get a run across to tie the game at one in the second inning after once again loading the bases, as Jack Fitzharris scored on an RBI groundout from Jorgie Vazquez.
In the third inning, Jimmy Gurgone continued his hot week with a two-run single to give the Vikings a lead that they would never relinquish.
“I’m starting to be more loose and not worry about the outcome every single at-bat,” said Gurgone, who drove in three and scored a run while recording two hits to give him three straight multi-hit outings. “Playing loose and confident, I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable in my at-bats.”
The Vikings were able to break the game open with a six run seventh inning, but before that happened, the Oilmen posed some serious threats to the Vikings' lead.
With the Vikings leading 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Oilmen loaded the bases with two outs, but second baseman Colin Small was able to leap up to snag a line drive off the bat of Jayden Comia to end the inning.
The next inning, the Oilmen loaded the bases once again, this time with just one out but the Vikings turned a 6-4-3 double play to once again keep the score 3-1.
The Oilmen would threaten one more time in the sixth inning, as they scored a run to draw within one, but with runners at the corners and only one away, Vlcek was able to get a huge strikeout of Chris Baker and then a few pitches later, Matt Merk picked off Colin Schmitke at third base to end the inning.
“I know that I have my guys behind me, and I am extremely confident,” Vlcek said after tying the league lead with his fourth win of the year. “I also trust my stuff, so if I walk a guy, I’ll just go get the next guy.”
The Vikings have now won four in a row, despite being outhit in three of the four games as the Oilmen had nine hits to the Vikings’ six on Friday night.
“The team just continues to listen during this winning streak,” manager Sullivan Stickann said after the game. “Everything that I say just gets done and they’re buying into what I say. They’re starting to see what I expect even before I say anything, and I really think the sky’s the limit for this team. We are in a great place right now and we’re only going to get better.”
Next up for the Vikings (11-10) is a matchup with the Lake County Corn Dogs (15-6) on Saturday night. First pitch from Legacy Field in Crown Point is at 7pm. Will Moell is expected to start on the mound for the Vikings.
