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By WILL MORROW
Peninsula Clarion

The Peninsula Oilers survived a nail-biting ninth inning to defeat the Mat-Su Miners 4-2 Wednesday in an Alaska Baseball League game at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.

The Oilers will wrap up their season today against the Miners. Game time is 6 p.m.

The Oilers led 4-1 entering the ninth inning and sent closer Adam Reifer to the mound to finish off the Miners.

Reifer recorded a strikeout for the second out of the inning after issuing a one-out walk, but the Miners had Oilers fans squirming in their seats as they slapped three consecutive infield singles to plate one run.

Heavy-hitting clean-up man Michael Taylor worked a full count against Reifer before fouling a ball off his foot. On the next pitch, Reifer was able to get Taylor to ground to third, ending the game.

Mat-Su scored the first run of the game in the first inning before Oilers starting pitcher Jarrod Dumont was able to induce a double-play — the first of three turned by the Oilers in the game — to end the inning.

Dumont then held the Miners scoreless over the next six innings, scattering seven hits, striking out two and walking one. Brian Chambers pitched two innings of scoreless relief, allowing three hits and striking out one without issuing a walk.

The Oilers took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the third inning. Nate Faulkner led off the inning with a single to left and advanced on a single by David Newby. Luke Salas hit into a fielder's choice as the Miners caught Newby at second, but Jake Kahaulelio followed with a bloop single to right field that Mat-Su second baseman Nick Haley couldn't quite chase down. Salas, who had stolen second, and Faulkner, both running on contact with two outs, easily scored on the play.

The Oilers added a run in the fifth when Newby reached on a fielder's choice and stole second, then scampered around to score on a double down the right field line by Salas.

Ryan Gipson made it a 4-1 game in the seventh as he reached on a single and scored on a double to the wall in left-center field by Newby.

Dumont earned the win to go 5-0 in seven starts this season while Reifer notched a save, his fifth.

With the win, the Oilers have assured themselves of a winning record in ABL play with an 18-16 record. The Oilers are 23-18 overall.

OILERS 4, MINERS 2

Miners ab r h bi Oilers ab r h bi

Bigler cf 5 1 2 0 DNewby cf 4 1 2 1

Haley 2b 4 0 2 1 Salas lf 4 1 1 1

Taylor rf 5 0 1 0 Kalelio ss 4 0 1 2

Magness 1b 3 0 3 1 Tracy dh 3 0 2 0

McBride c 4 0 0 0 Kliebert 3b 2 0 0 0

Bransfield lf 4 0 2 0 Inouye c 3 0 0 0

McCarthy ss 3 1 1 0 Laguna rf 4 0 0 0

Rizzo 3b 4 0 1 0 Faulkner 1b 2 1 1 0

Krauser dh 4 0 1 0 Gipson 2b 3 1 1 0

Totals 36 2 13 2 Totals 29 4 8 4

Mat-Su 100 000 001 — 2

Peninsula 002 010 10x — 4

DP — Miners 2, Oilers 3. LOB — Miners 10, Oilers 6. SB — D. Newby, Salas 2, Krauser. CS — Tracy. 2B — Magness, Bransfield, D. Newby, Salas. S — Haley.

ip h r er bb so

Miners

Calicutt, L 7 7 4 4 4 3

Rzepoczynski 1 1 0 0 1 2

Oilers

Dumont, W 6 7 1 1 1 2

Chambers 2 3 0 0 0 1

Reifer, S 1 3 1 1 1 1

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