The Peninsula Oilers behind strong pitching and timely hitting, took the opening game of their 2018 season series against the Mat-Su Miners 2-0 Tuesday night at Hermon Brothers Field.
Oilers 2- Miners 0
Despite stranding 13 men on base and being outhit by the Miners, the Oilers pitching staff held the Miners scoreless for the first time this season.
After two innings of no-run ball from both starting pitchers, Oilers first baseman Brian Leonhardt drilled a two-out solo home run, which gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
Justin Jaime, tossed three, scoreless innings in his first Alaska Baseball League start, and stranded three Miners base-runners in scoring position. Oilers relievers Tre Brown and Erikson Fish combined to pitch four, scoreless middle innings.
The Oilers, in the top of the eighth inning added a second run on a Michael Yourg RBI single, which plated Matthew Kirk and put the Oilers up 2-0.
The Miners would load the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning against Oilers closer Bret Ricklefs. Ricklets recorded two strikeouts and induced a game-ending fly out to second baseman Grant Wood, sealing the Oilers fifth win of the season.
The Oilers improve to 5-2, and remain in first place in the ABL standings. The Miners fall to 3-4.
Oilers Continue Road Trip
The Oilers take on the Miners in the second game of the two-game set Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The Oilers are also scheduled to play the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks, each in three-game series’ beginning Thursday. The Oilers return to Coral Seymour Memorial Park on June 20th against the Chinooks.
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