Oilers 9, Bucs 8
In one of the most preposterous and exciting games in Oiler history, on Saturday night the Oilers defeated the league-leading Anchorage Bucs 9-8, holding the team’s grasp on 2nd place and taking the 5-game series from the Bucs.
Things began badly when the Bucs battered Oiler starter Aaron Morris for a whopping 6 runs in the top of the 2nd inning, and held the lead quietly until the bottom of the 4th.
The Oiler comeback began when the two leadoff hitters were dinged by pitches from Bucs starter Chad Gurney. Aiden Sullivan singled to load the bases. After one out, first baseman Zack Farris delivered a devastating bases-clearing double and went to third on a Bucs throwing error, making the score 6-3.
Petey Soto, who was again brilliant at shortstop, was retired, but then Max Roffwarg, Collin Robson and Elijah Vogelsong delivered timely hits to tie the score at 6-6 with lots of dramatic baseball to follow.
In the 5th, DH Eddie Leon smashed a 2-run homer to left that hit the very top of the fence and bounded into the woods for an 8-6 Oiler lead, which was expanded to 9-6 in the following inning.
It was needed.
Mose Hayes, who came into the game in the 5th and grabbed the win, followed in relief, and the Homer native cooly set the Bucs down for scoreless innings until … with 2 outs and nobody on the base paths in the 9th, the Bucs went to work.
After a single by Payton Knowles, Chad Lacey smashed his own left field, off-the-top-of-the-fence homer, making it 9-8, an instant reply of Leon’s dinger.
The Bucs were not finished. Christian Powell and Max Ross got on base, putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Third baseman Josh Hankins nailed a hot grounder between 3rd and short. Oiler left-fielder Elijah Vogelsong charged the ball, the Bucs 3rd base coach waved Powell to the plate, and Vogelsong’s laser throw on the run was perfect to Oiler catcher Brock Wirthgen to end the game with a play-at-the-plate, 9-8 victory.
The Oilers won the series against the ABL leading Bucs, 3-2, after defeating the Miners the previous week, 4-1.
