The Peninsula Oilers finished Saturday night with a doubleheader split against the Mat-Su Miners, and they finished it with a flourish.
Right-handed starter Billy Oxford pitched a complete game shutout over seven innings to send Peninsula to a 4-0 Alaska Baseball League win in the second game, which followed a 9-0 loss. Oxford (2-0) gave up just three hits in the win.
The St. Mary’s College sophomore who hails from Peoria, Arizona, threw seven strikeouts and gave up two walks. According to ESPN 1140 AM, Oxford topped out at 94 mph on the radar gun.
With the split, the Oilers are three games behind the ABL-leading Miners with an 11-12 record, and are 14-16 overall this summer.
Things got ugly in the evening’s opening seven-inning contest. The Miners plated one run in each of the first, third and fifth innings for a 3-0 lead, but the Oilers were hit with a six-run barrage in the top of the seventh inning to erase hope of a comeback.
Dom Bazzani (2-3) took the loss on the mound, giving up two earned runs on four hits in five innings of work. Bazzani only managed one strikeout while issuing seven walks.
Justin Vernia earned the win for the Miners with a complete game. Vernia gave up three hits in the scoreless outing while walking two and striking out two.
In the second game, all it took was one big blast by Jordan Washam and the Oilers held on to win. Washam sent a home run beyond the wall in the bottom of the second inning.
Austin Piscotty hit an RBI single to score DeWitt for a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, and Daniel Szpik added to that with a two-RBI double to the gap in right and center field.
The Oilers and Miners battle again today at 2 p.m. at Coral Seymour.
1st game
Miners 9, Oilers 0
Miners AB R H BI Oilers AB R H BI
Swtz, lf 3 1 1 0 Hll, cf 3 0 0 0
Lee, 3b 4 0 0 0 Dwsn, ss 3 0 0 0
Scdr, 1b 1 1 0 0 Wfrd, lf 3 0 2 0
Dndo, dh 2 1 0 0 Wshm, dh 3 0 0 0
Jrdn, 2b 2 3 2 1 Wng, 1b 3 0 0 0
Arnt, ss 3 1 3 3 Cprn, 2b 2 0 0 0
Mgmy, rf 4 1 1 0 Spzk, rf 2 0 0 0
Cgrv, c 4 0 1 0 Frse, c 2 0 1 0
Stlr, cf 3 1 1 2 Psty, ph 1 0 0 0
— Sfrt, 3b 3 0 0 0
Totals 26 9 9 6 Totals 25 0 3 0
Miners 101 010 6 —9 9 1
Oilers 000 000 0 —0 3 3
HR — Stotler (1). SH — Lee, Stotler 2 (0). SB — Jordan (2), Wang (7). E — Lee (3), Chapuran 2 (10), Szpik (2).
LOB — Miners 8, Oilers 6.
IP H R ER BB SO
Miners
Vernia, W 7.0 3 0 0 2 2
Oilers
Bazzani, L 5.0 4 3 2 7 1
Freeman 1.1 1 3 3 2 2
Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Hasten Freeman offers up a pitch against the Mat-Su Miners Saturday evening at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Brody Wofford eyes Peninsula Oilers teammate Jeff Chapuran’s swing against the Mat-Su Miners Saturday evening at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
