On a warm Sunday afternoon in Elkhart County, the Oilmen went on the road and took care of business. The Oilmen battled a tough pitchers duel for the majority of the game, but found firepower offensively in the eighth inning, scoring five runs and ultimately blowing the game open. 

The Oilmen defeated the Elkhart County Miracle in Nappanee, Ind. by a score of 7-1, holding the Miracle scoreless until two outs in the ninth inning. Sunday’s game was dominated by the pitching staff,  most notably Steve Washilewski. 

Washilewski, a former Northern League pitcher of the week, could very well be nominated for another award after Sunday’s performance. Washilewski went seven innings, striking out four on zero runs. Additionally, he went 3-for-4 at the plate, driving in two runs and also recording a double. 

“He [Washilewski] commanded off-speed extremely well, he was ahead of almost every hitter,” Oilmen Manager Adam Enright said. “I think he scattered six hits or something like that, but you can do that when you’re not walking people and pitching to ground balls”. 

Offensively, the Oilmen were effective. The Oilmen offense scored seven runs on eight hits, and leaned on big performances from Graham Mastros and Steve Washilewski. Mastros went 2-for-3, walking twice and scoring a run in the eighth. 

Looking forward, the Oilmen aim to regain first place in the league. The Oilmen trail the Lake County Corn Dogs by half a game, and will push hard as the regular season finishes in a few weeks. Since the opening series, the Oilmen and Corn Dogs have been the top two teams the league faces. 

“I think it’s mostly pitchers continuing to get better and focusing on the quality of innings we get,” Enright said. “Continuing to be prepared to come out and do whatever it is they do as far as execution.”

The Oilmen improved to 21-10 and host the Griffith Generals on Monday, July 10 at Oil City Stadium for a 7:10 p.m first pitch.