Oiler pitching continued to dominate the ABL with a tremendous outing from the leading ERA pitcher, Ty Correa and reliever Drew Dickson. The game was played in dazzling sunlight with a moderate breeze from right field.
Correa worked 6 scoreless and nail-biting innings, as the Anchorage Glacier Pilots placed 12 men on base and left them all stranded. It began with the Pilots putting runners on 1st and 2nd with one out in the first inning, only to have 3rd baseman Ty Thomas begin a 5-4-3 “around the horn” double play. But Correa continued to put men on with walks and singles in each frame. A tight strike zone more than doubled his stingy season output of 4 walks, putting 5 free passes on the diamond, along with singles and doubles, but he always pitched his way out of trouble, striking out seven.
The Oilers scored a run in the 2 nd inning and another in the 4th , with Ty Thomas getting both RBIs. Taking over mound duties from Correa in the 7th was Drew Dickson, who threw a perfect 7th but allowed one run in the top of the 8th to bring the score to 2-1. The Oilers quickly answered with 2 runs in the bottom of the 8th on the strength of a wild pitch and a booming sacrifice fly from Ben Griffin. Dickson then hurled a 6-pitch 9th to put the Pilots away.
The Oilers will play 4 more games against the Pilots and then close their regular season with a 5-game stand against the ER Chinooks. The top 4 teams will advance to the ABL playoffs and the standings are very much in flux as the season winds down. The Oilers play again tonight at 6:00. All games are heard on ESPN 1140, 96.9 FM and radiokenai.com.
Bob Bird and Nick Sorrell call the action.