Chicago, Ill.- June 18- The Minutemen played their first game at Oil City Stadium tonight, and the team’s energy took a turn around from their previous game.

The MCL Minutemen (3-8) came off an 11-1 loss to the Chicago American Giants last night after five days off.. Manager Deandre Gilmore was not happy with the effort or energy the team showed in that contest. Tonight, it was a completely different story. The Minutemen put up a great fight against the Northwest Indiana Oilmen in the 4-3 loss.

Even though it was a loss on the scoreboard, Gilmore saw this as game as a victory.

“I loved it. It was a complete turnaround. A complete 360. We looked a lot better and we fought to keep the game close. We scraped all the way through. Inning one through the last inning. I can’t be happier than I am right now,” Gilmore said. 

The Minutemen were able to score three runs in the battle at Oil City Stadium tonight. Ryan Nelson (Eastern Kentucky/ Aurora, Ill.) kicked off the scoring for the Minutemen in the top of the fourth when he rounded third and scored off of a wild pitch. In the seventh, Mike Koszewski (Cincinnati/ Oak Brook, Ill.) would poke one into left field, allowing Gino Gazzillo (Joliet JC/ Chicago, Ill.) to score the second Minutemen run. Finally, in the ninth inning, Gabe Coretez’s (Prairie State/ Tinley Park, Ill.) single to center field would let Koszewski score the third run for the Minutemen. The team couldn’t complete the comeback as they lost by one run.

Gilmore believes the best aspect of this game wasn’t done on the field, but within each of his players. 

“The heart and the energy. It had nothing to do with baseball. It was more about that high energy. As long as you have the energy and you’re ready to go, these games are going to be close and you’ll be able to compete with anybody,” Gilmore said.

The Minutemen are going to have to build on what they did tonight when they take on The Joliet Generals for the first time this season at Riverside Park at 5:05 pm. Follow @MclMinutemen on Twitter to keep up with all the latest Minutemen news and updates, and follow @MCLMinutemen on Facebook to catch the live streams of every game.