Sparks ignites Oilers in victory

Updated: April 26, 2011 7:02PM

WHITING — Sometimes it’s a pitch that perplexes an offense. And at other times the curve-ball looks like something out of batting practice.

On Monday night at Oil City Stadium, both essences of the pitch were illustrated by the host Oilers’ Coty Sparks.

As his team’s starting hurler, Sparks blended the curve with his fastball to win a complete-game shutout over Griffith. And as the clean-up hitter, Sparks blasted a curve for the game-clinching RBI double in the 3-1 victory.

In the offseason, Sparks attended the White Sox training facilities and sharpened his mechanics. The results of that work were on display when the junior dueled with Griffith’s senior Mike Dobosz.

Sparks pitched seven innings, allowing no earned runs on three hits, a pair of free passes, and four strikeouts. His counterpart lasted five innings, allowing three runs on four hits, three walks, and four Ks.

Perhaps the most compelling moment of Sparks’ performance came in the top of the third inning. With two outs, Griffith’s Brandon Garcia catapulted a single off of the pitcher’s foot driving in the Panthers’ lone score. Sparks stayed in the game and induced the next hitter into a groundout.

“I just felt strong as I threw more and more,” said the upperclassmen who cracked a toenail on the play.

And while it was Sparks who set the tempo, he kept the fire burning in the bottom of the first inning.

After Elliot Bajda walked and Justin Jendreas hit a single, Sparks cranked a douible over the center fielder’s head and to the wall, driving in both. That was all the offense that Whiting needed.

“I’ve been in a little slump lately and just trying to get what I can,” Sparks said.

Jendreas, a sophomore who started the year on JV, went 2-for-3 with an RBI. The second baseman also made a spinning play in the fourth to rob a hit.

“Today I was just battling, trying to stay alive and see the next pitch,” Jendreas said.

Whiting coach Kevin Lenz is looking past the squad’s 3-6 record and is focusing on fundamentals.

“I’ve been trying to get the kids to understand it’s not about wins and losses, it’s about playing the game the right way,” he said. “At this point of the season, everyone has to be able to contribute.”

Said Griffith (4-7) coach Brian Jennings: “It just comes down to the fact that we hit too many fly balls today.”

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