The Mat-Su Miners swept an Alaska Baseball League doubleheader from the Peninsula Oilers on Monday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
The Miners won 3-1 and 4-0 to move to 8-5 in the league, just a half game behind the first-place Chugiak Chinooks at 9-5.
The Oilers lost their sixth straight game to fall to 2-8 in the league and trail the Anchorage Glacier Pilots (5-7) for the fourth and final league playoff spot. The Oilers continue to struggle to score runs, now having 15 runs in 10 league games.
In the first game, Christian Seelhorst, Aaron Winkler and Evan Floyd combined to shut the Oilers down.
Seelhorst pitched the first four innings, allowing a hit and a run while walking three and striking out five. Winkler then pitched two scoreless innings, allowing only a hit, while Floyd finished up with a scoreless and hitless inning.
Mason Posey held down the Miners bats to keep the Oilers in the game. Posey went six innings and allowed two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out two. Alec Weigel pitched the final inning for the Oilers, allowing an unearned run and a hit.
The Miners took a 1-0 lead in the second when Nick Cirelli walked with two outs and Sam Thompson singled to put Cirelli on third. Cirelli then scored on a wild pitch.
Mat-Su tacked on another run in the third inning when J.D. Urso and David Bermudez started the inning with singles to put runners on first and third. Josh Mrozek then grounded into a double play to score Urso.
The Oilers cut the gap to 2-1 in the fourth. Henry Novicki, Dylan Ditzenberger and John Olmstead walked to load the bases with one out. Novicki then scored on a ground-out.
The Miners then got a little breathing room in the seventh when Bermudez reached on an error and scored on a single by Casey Rother.
Ditzenberger and Cole Moore had the lone two hits of the game for the Oilers. Sam Thompson finished 2 for 3 for the Miners.
The second game belonged to Miners starter Will Johnston. Johnston pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out 11.
Ben Briggs made a solid start for the Oilers, going six innings and giving up three runs – one earned — on four hits while walking one and striking out three. Nolan Patterson pitched the final inning and gave up a home run.
The Miners took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Mrozek walked and eventually scored on a two-out error.
In the fifth inning, the Miners pushed the lead to 3-0 when Bermudez singled in Gerard Sweeney and Mrozek hit a sacrifice fly to score Urso.
Bermudez completed the scoring in the seventh inning when he cranked a home run.
Cole Moore, John Olmstead and Andrew Sojka had the hits for the Oilers.
The Oilers and Miners continue their five-game series with a 5 p.m. doubleheader today. The series concludes Wednesday with a single game at 6 p.m.
