(From Owensboro) The Owensboro Oilers concluded 2015 home play hosting the DuBois County Bombers on Sunday evening. The game played with the Bombers trying to secure their League lead and the Oilers trying to break a win from a string of close losses. The Bombers won the struggle on this night, holding on to a 5 to 4 final score.
     Owensboro scored first with one run in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Conner McHugh singled. A sacrifice bunt moved McHugh along to third base. A groundout pushed the runner to third base. McHugh scored on a RBI single by Ben Rhodes.
     DuBois County answered with a tying run in the top of the 4th inning. Morgan DePew led off with a single. He stole second base and took third base on a wild pitch. With two outs, a RBI double by Mark Giesler drove DePew in, but Giesler was tagged out trying to make it a triple.
     The Oilers broke the 1 to 1 tie with a run in the bottom of the 4th inning. Riley Benner singled and was sacrificed over to second base. Ty Broady walked. McHugh singled to load the bases. With two outs, a RBI walk to Austin Bartle scored Benner.
     Back came the Bombers with two runs in the top of the 5th inning. Noah Sadler walked, then advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Jacob Snodgrass singled and Sadler went to third base, eventually coming across on a passed ball. Snodgrass scored all the way from first on a RBI single by Brady Pfaadt, who went to second base on the throw to home plate. Two outs later, Pfaadt was thrown out trying to score from third base by stealing. At the end of the visiting at-bat the road team led by a 3 to 2 score.
     Owensboro tied the game again with one run in the bottom of the 5th inning. Alfredo Bohorques singled. Two outs later, Braxton Morris singled and Bohorques reached third base. Morris stole second base,drawing the throw that allowed Bohorques to score by stealing home plate.. After five innings of play the score was tied 3 to 3.
     DuBois County re-took the lead with a run in the top of the 7th inning. With one away, Pfaadt and Devon Newberry both walked. Pfaadt scored and Newberry advanced on a RBI fielder's choice by Daniel Johnson. The home team trailed 4 to 3.
     The Oilers tied it up yet again with a run in the bottom of the 7th inning. Rhodes led off with a single and was sacrificed to second base. A groundout got Rhodes to third base. He scored before the end of the inning on a passed ball. The score was knotted 4 to 4.
     In a season where controlling innings has been an intangible concept, this game proved no exception as the Bombers scored a go-ahead run in the top of the 8th inning. Drake McNamara and Mark Giesler walked. One out later, Snodgrass was intentionally walked to load the bases. McNamara scored on a RBI single by Pfaadt. There was no additional damage, but the score tilted to the visitors 5 to 4. Owensboro was out of comebacks in its final two at-bats, and the score became final.
     DuBois County reliever Zach Freeman, on the mound over the last 2.33 innings pitched and the pitcher of record when the Bombers took the lead for keeps, wins. Owensboro reliever Tyler Solomon, responsible for the go-ahead run that scored, takes the loss. 
     Now ... for the hard part. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming play-in game, there are those who have seen this summer's Owensboro Oilers play for the last time. The Oilers organization (and there are very, very few of us) certainly take this time to thank all the players who have been Oilers this year. It's when the motivation to play can't come from the win-loss record that players know that their true motivation can never be the wins and losses. It has to be about caring to play the best you can because someone somewhere cares that you're playing for them. Speaking of that, thank you to the Owensboro Oilers fans who came out to the games this year. It may look like there are very, very few of you at times too -- but each year in our decade of quaint baseball has mixed familiar faces with new ones. We'll see what happens from here, but just in case -- thank you so much, and it's been a pleasure.