Mahala Two-Run Double Not Enough as Oilmen Fall to Hounds Lisle, Ill. – July 25, 2013 – The DuPage County Hounds secured first place in the Midwest Collegiate League regular season standings and home field advantage throughout the postseason with a 6-2 victory over the Oilmen on Sunday night at Benedictine University. Brian Rodemoyer launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the first against Oilmen starter Jim Hinkleman to give the Hounds a lead that they never relinquished. Matt Richer added a run-scoring single in the second to boost the lead to four. Hinkleman exited after three innings, allowing four runs on six hits. The Oilmen did all of their damage in the fourth inning when red-hot Kenny Mahala, an Andrean graduate, cracked a two-run double off the wall in left. Joe Cochran allowed one run, an unearned tally in the fifth, in a two-inning tune up for the postseason. The second NWI error of the game allowed the Hounds to score an insurance tally in the seventh. The Oilmen threatened in the seventh and eighth innings but stranded two men on base in each frame. Mahala reached base three times to lead the offense. Chicago Blackhawks television play-by-play broadcaster Pat Foley was in attendance to see Hounds centerfielder Chase Toth, who he considers a close friend. Foley, who said he enjoys the pace and idiosyncrasies of baseball, embraces the attention that he receives everywhere he goes. “There’s nothing wrong with it,” he said. “It’s the job I love. It’s something I embrace and obviously there’s a lot more attention now because we’ve got a heck of a team and won the Stanley Cup not too long ago. You’ve got to embrace it because I remember when our ratings were zero. It’s kind of nice the other way.” The Oilmen enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed and will meet the Lexington Snipes in the first round of the playoffs in a best-of-three series starting on Tuesday night at Oil City Stadium. Lake Central graduate Jimmy McNamara is slated to start the series opener. The Oilmen were also the second seed in 2012, when they swept regular season champion DeKalb and clinched the MCL title at Oil City Stadium. The Hounds and Southland Vikings will face off in the other MCL first-round series. Regular Season Midwest Collegiate League Notes The Oilmen finish the regular season at 27-15 overall, 21-13 in Midwest Collegiate League games. Nick Bartolone totaled 37 runs batted in for the season, shattering the previous league record of 32. Jack Czeszewski set the MCL single-season record for bases on balls with 30, while Leiff Clarkson set the new league high for runs scored with 34. Matt Pobereyko’s five saves broke the previous single-season record of four, a mark set in 2011. Oilmen pitchers Mike Steensen, Jimmy McNamara and Brett Schneider are the top three in the league in innings pitched. Postseason Schedule Tuesday, July 30 Oilmen vs. Lexington Snipes 7:10 at Oil City Stadium Wednesday, July 31 Oilmen at Lexington Snipes Time & Location TBA Thursday, Aug. 1 Oilmen vs. Lexington Snipes 7:10 at Oil City Stadium (if necessary) ‘ August 2-4 Midwest Collegiate League Championship Series |