By Noel Fary

The Lake County Corn Dogs edged the Griffith Generals on Saturday after trailing by as much as five runs, but strong relief pitching and some late game offensive heroics delivered the 8-7 win.

The Corn Dogs remain atop the Northern League standings and have gone a league-best 7-3 in their last 10 games. At 25-12, they’re 3 games in front of the second place NWI Oilmen and 4 in front of the Southland Vikings, with 10 games left in the season.

Down 5, Corn Dogs Battle Back

Ivan Balboa started on the mound for the Corn Dogs, and quickly saw the Generals offense attack full force. After multiple errors and four hits, the Generals took a commanding 5-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Balboa then settled in and kept the Generals from scoring.

The Corn Dogs started the game slow on offense, grabbing only two hits through three scoreless innings. After scoring one run in the top of the fourth, they slowly started working their way back into the game.

Check out the box score from the game.

Eric Santaguida returned to the mound for the Corn Dogs and completely silenced the Generals offense. He didn’t allow a hit or run until the bottom of the ninth inning.

Tyler Schultz, Again

With the Generals stopped in their tracks, the Corn Dogs headed into the top of the seventh inning trailing 5-2. They needed a spark to swing momentum in their favor, and who else but Mr. Corndog himself, Tyler Schultz, to do it.

Three straight Corn Dogs players walked to start off the top of the seventh. With the bases loaded and down three, Schultz blasted a no-doubter over the right field wall, taking the lead and ultimately earning himself his second straight Macron Player of the Game. Schultz finished the day 3-5, with 2 runs, and 5 RBIs.

After adding two more insurance runs in the top of the eighth, the Corn Dogs fought off a late Vikings rally to win the game 8-7 and keep their lead in the Northern League perfectly safe.

Six-Game Homestand Starts Tuesday

Following a day off on Sunday, the Corn Dogs travel back to Dowling Park in Hammond on Monday to take on the Vikings at 5 p.m. The Corn Dogs begin a consecutive six-game homestand on Tuesday to close the season at Legacy Fields.