southlandvikings.com

Hammond, Ind. – June 13, 2022 – Sometimes, mother nature is more powerful than the baseball gods. 

That was the case on Monday as the Southland Vikings (6-7-1) defeated the Lake County Corn Dogs (10-5) by a final score of 6-1 in an eight-inning contest that was shortened due to incoming storms. 

The Vikings fell behind 1-0 after the first half-inning of play but immediately responded. George Bilecki hit an RBI single which scored Zach McKenna from second base and later on in the inning, Jason Krol had a bases-loaded walk, scoring Chris McDevitt. 

From there the Viking pitching staff controlled the game. Starter Nolan Vlcek went five innings, allowing just the one run and picking up five strikeouts while issuing six walks and 2 hits. Sean Moore came out of the bullpen for the Vikes and continued where Vlcek left off. 

Moore’s three innings of two-hit shutout ball in relief secured the Vikings victory on Monday and were his second strong outing against Lake County.

“The thing I see in their lineup is all of the lefties in the batting order,” Moore said. “I know that lefty on lefty is hard and I just try to attack the lefties early in the count.”

The Southland offense was able to give insurance to both Vlcek and Moore throughout the remaining seven innings and they were powered today by Zach McKenna. While McKenna didn’t record an RBI in Monday’s contest, he went two-for-three with two walks. One of those two hits was a double in the bottom of the first inning. 

“Honestly, my approach was not really any different,” McKenna said. “My goal lately has been to try and stay ahead in the count so that I may be aggressive in good hitters counts...It was the first inning, so it is important to come out aggressive on your opponent and be a spark plug and get something rolling for the team.”

The 6-1 win on Monday evens up the season series between the Vikings and Corn Dogs, with the home team winning every matchup thus far.

“Home field advantage, I feel, is huge for us,” George Bilecki said. "I also think our turf vs their dirt is a difference-maker...We’re playing well as a team and I have a good feeling going forward in the season.” 

The Vikings will return to action on Tuesday as they are scheduled to take on the Crestwood Panthers. The Vikes’ first trip to Marian Catholic is slated for 5 p.m. and will be aired on Facebook Live.