After what was a one-run game heading into the seventh inning, it quickly turned into a blowout. The Oilmen trailed 3-2 after the sixth, and seemed to be slowly chipping away at the Vikings’ lead.
Friday evening’s game had all the makings of a low-scoring thriller, that was until Southland totaled six runs in the seventh, and tore. The Southland Vikings defeated the Oilmen 11-4 on Friday, making that the second Oilmen home loss this season.
In particular, Vikings starter Nolan Vlcek was in a groove. Vlcek is the winner of both games at Oil City Stadium, and continues to be a tough matchup for the Oilmen. He went six innings, allowed one earned run and struck out six.
The Oilmen hold a 10-2 record at home, and have snapped their three-game winning streak.
Offensively the Oilmen had no trouble tallying up hits, as they outhit the Viking 9-6. Jayden Comia made an impact at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two doubles. Graham Mastros also had a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 with an RBI.
Additionally, the Oilmen had plenty of bases-loaded opportunities early on in the game, and ultimately left 13 runners on base.
“We had a couple of bases-loaded chances, Comia’s line drive right to second which was a big play, and later in the game Kevin Denty hit a ball near the right-center gap which could have potentially scored two,” Oilmen manager Adam Enright said. “Those two right there could have made it a very close game.”
The turning point of the game was in the seventh, when Tanner Sobkoviak walked three, and gave up three earned runs, extending the Viking lead to 6-2. Tyler Nemtuda then replaced Sobkoviak, and allowed three more earned runs while also walking three.
After the seventh inning, the score was 8-3, which then led to Enright putting position players on the mound.
“The only thing that sticks out is our two bullpen arms threw two innings in total, when your starter goes five (innings), two more guys should be plenty to get you through the game,” Enright said.
The Oilmen are now 12-7, and will travel to Nappanee, Ind. to face the Elkhart County Miracle Saturday, June 23 at 5 p.m. CT.
