After the Griffith Generals took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, the Oilmen were on the verge of losing the fifth straight head-to-head matchup against the last-place Generals. In what was the last game before the All-Star Break, the Oilmen offense found a resurgence at Brian Jennings Field on Sunday afternoon.
With the bases loaded in the ninth trailing by a run, it was Branden Comia who brought in the go-ahead run with a single to left, giving the Oilmen a 5-4 lead. The Oilmen scored three runs in the ninth, defeating Griffith 6-4.
Three Oilmen pitchers made their debut on Sunday, including Carlos Canelon who pitched the last two innings, striking out six while picking up the win. Left-handers Argenis Bravo, and Victor David Rodriguez also made their first appearances, each pitching two innings.
“They all threw strikes and had command of secondary pitches,” Oilmen Manager Adam Enright said. “Depth in pitching at this time of the year is usually not something a lot of teams have, so to add three guys who can potentially throw four or five innings is valuable.”
Generals starter Osvaldo Ballesteros had his best outing this season, going five innings of one– run ball, striking out nine. The Oilmen offense didn’t take their first lead of the game until the sixth, scoring on a walk from Josh Mosley, and a sacrifice fly from Justin Egan, which gave the Oilmen a 3-1 lead.
“I think our guys were looking to stop the streak of the Generals beating us,” Enright said. “The guys talked at the beginning of the game and the end of the game last night about ending the streak.”
The Oilmen totaled eight hits, with both Graham Mastros and Branden Comia totaling multi-hit games. Mastros went 2-for-5, and Comia 2-for-4 with an RBI.
The Oilmen face –off against the Indiana Panthers on Thursday July 20 at Oil City Stadium for a 7:10 p.m. first pitch. The Northern League All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday night at 7:10 p.m. at Oil City Stadium with 10 Oilmen All-Stars on the roster.