Struggling with the rainy weather, the Peninsula Oilers managed to get a game in Wednesday night against the Anchorage Bucs and won in a convincing manner, 5-1.
A double-header had been scheduled to make up for Tuesday’s rain-out, with two 7-inning games, one at 4 p.m. and again at 6 p.m.
The 4 p.m. game was postponed yet again, but after a let-up in the rain and work by both teams on the field, the game began at 7:45 p.m. and the full nine innings were played.
Oiler starting pitcher Arnaud Mulemakic struggled in the opening frame, yielding back-to-back walks on 8 pitches, struck out the next two batters, then walked the next two to award the Bucs a 1-0 lead. Mulemakic then struck out the side with the final batter.
The Oilers responded in the bottom of the 1st. After retiring the first two batters, Bucs pitcher Stephen Hernandez gave up a line-drive single to Theo Forshey, followed by a sky-high home run to left field by Oiler catcher Ben Griffin for a 2-1 lead.
Mulemakic proceeded to settle down and pitch more effectively through 5 innings, walking 2 more but striking out a total of 7 batters and yielding only one hit, before being effectively relieved by Connor Throneberry, who shut down the Bucs in the final four frames.
The Oilers plated 3 more runs in the 3rd and 4th innings on the strength of two Bucs errors, a sacrifice fly by Forshey and a double by Khadim Diaw.
The Bucs used four pitchers, with starter Hernandez taking the loss.
The Oilers are now 5-6 on the season and are only a game and a half off the pace in the packed 5-team ABL.
The teams are scheduled to play a Double Header Thursday with games at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., pending on the weather. Listen to the Oilers on ESPN 1140 AM, 96.9 FM and radiokenai.com.
