The Peninsula Oilers, with timely hitting and strong pitching, swept a Friday doubleheader against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Coral Seymour Memorial Park. A 2-1 win in game one was followed up by a 7-1 thrashing of the Pilots in game two.
The Oilers improved their record to 22-20, the Pilots fell to 16-24.
Game One: Oilers 2- Pilots 1
The Oilers plated both their runs in the bottom of the third against Pilots starter Ryan Hodgett; an RBI groundout by Ryan Koch and a Brian Leonhardt RBI single put the Oilers up 2-0.
The Pilots scored their lone run in the fourth against Oilers starter Bryan Woo.
In 3.1 innings pitched, Woo allowed one run on four hits in his third start against the Pilots. Oilers reliever Matt Amrhein tossed a scoreless 2.2 innings, allowing one hit and recording the win. Calvin Farris recorded the save for the Oilers tossing the seventh inning.
Game Two: Oilers 7- Pilots 1
The Oilers drove in the first run of the game in the first inning on a Ryan Koch sacrifice fly.
The Oilers broke loose for four more runs in the second inning on four base hits and one Pilot error. RBI singles from John Mackay and Ryan Koch, along with a two-run, defensive error led to a 5-0 Oilers lead.
Oilers starter Tevin Murray delivered six innings of one-run ball striking out seven batters, en route to his first win of the summer. The Pilots broke the shutout in the sixth with a run scored against Murray.
The Oilers tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth. A Zack Zalesky RBI triple drove in Evan Berkey , Zalesky scored on a wild pitch to cap the Oilers scoring. Final Score: Oilers 7, Pilots 1
Alaska Baseball League Standings
With three days remaining in the 2018 Alaska Baseball League regular season, the Top of the World Series playoff picture is far from determined. The Oilers sweep of the Pilots secured the third seed in the playoffs; however, the 1-2 seeds and the #4 seed are still up for grabs.
The current league leading Mat-Su Miners at 26-17 lead the second place Anchorage Bucs by 1.5 games, with a regular season showdown set for July 29th.
Top of The World Series Playoff Scenarios
The Bucs can secure the #1 seed in the playoffs by winning out in their final pair of games. The Miners maintain home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win against the Bucs in their final meeting of the year on Monday.
The #4 seed between the Pilots and the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks can potentially be determined in the last two days of the season, when the teams conclude their respective seasons head-to-head.
After the doubleheader sweep by the Oilers, the Pilots lead the Chinooks by .5 of a game for the fourth seed in the playoff format.
Oilers Conclude 2018 ABL Regular Season on Sunday
The Peninsula Oilers close out their 2018 ABL regular season schedule with Fan Appreciation Day at Coral Seymour Memorial Park on Saturday with a 3 p.m. doubleheader against the Pilots.
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