The Top of the World Series for the Alaska Baseball League has its two finalists; sadly, the Peninsula Oilers will not continue into the playoff finals.
The Peninsula Oilers fell 15-2 to the Anchorage Bucs on Thursday and were eliminated from the playoffs with the Bucs winning the best of three series, two games to none.
The Bucs and Oilers each scored two runs in the first inning; however, the Oilers scoring ended along with the Oilers chances for the Alaska Baseball League championship in the first inning. The Bucs scored 13 unanswered runs and advance to the Top of the World Series championship series against the Mat-Su Miners. The Bucs opened a 5-2 lead in the second inning, added four runs in the fourth and the final blow, a six-run, eighth inning including a three-run home run by ABL Player of the Year Jake Vieth. Final Score: Bucs 15, Oilers 2.
In the first-round playoff between the Mat-Su Miners and Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks, The Miners defeated the Chinooks 5-3 and the Miners sweep the first-round series with the Chinooks 2-0 to advance (and host) the final best two-of three series against the Bucs. .
The Top of the World Series championship series opens on Friday at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer with a 6 p.m. game one scheduled between the Miners and the Bucs.
