After almost seven hours at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai on Sunday, the Oilers were right where they started the day in their pursuit of the Alaska Baseball League-leading Mat-Su Miners.
After splitting a doubleheader with the Anchorage Bucs — losing 4-3 before winning 6-4 — the Oilers remained two games behind the idle Miners. Peninsula is now 19-15 in the league, while the Bucs are at 17-19. The Oilers won the home series against the Bucs, 4-2.
In the first game, the Bucs jumped out to a 1-0 lead before rain halted the game for about 1 hour, 10 minutes, in the bottom of the third inning.
Both Oilers pitcher Dom Bazzani and Bucs pitcher Will Neely would pitch through the rain delay.
Bazzani went five innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits, while Neely pitched a scoreless five innings.
Down 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth, the Oilers got to work on Bucs reliever Chris Rivera.
With one away, Daniel Szpik and Brody Wofford both singled. After Shih-Tsung Wang was retired, Jeffrey Chapuran managed to belt a three-run home run to left field despite a stiff breeze blowing in from the outfield.
But the Bucs’ Aaron Arruda was able to match Chapuran’s feat, leading off the seventh against Oilers reliever Andrew Bash by cracking a homer to left center to give his squad the decisive runs.
Trey Dawson finished 2 for 4 in the game, while Chapuran was 2 for 3. Ryan Johnson was 3 for 3 with two RBIs for the Bucs.
In the second game, the Oilers again fell behind early before rallying.
The Bucs led 2-0 entering the bottom of the third when Dawson doubled in Alex Seifert for a 2-1 game.
The Oilers continued to work on Bucs starter Sean Sparling in the bottom of four.
Seth DeWitt started the inning by reaching on an error, then Brody Wofford doubled him home. After Chapuran was retired, Daniel Szpik reached on another error.
Seifert then singled in Szpik, while Darius Hill singled in Jordan Frese for a 4-2 lead.
Steven Sensley made quick work of that lead in the fifth with a two-run bomb.
But Seth DeWitt grounded out to score Dawson in the sixth and Dawson singled to score Frese in the sixth to provide the winning runs.
Cody Wood got the win for the Oilers, while Justin Montgomery notched the save.
Hill finished 3 for 4, while Dawson was 2 for 3.
The Oilers now take Monday off before facing the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks in nonleague games at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday at Seymour Park. Those are the last scheduled home games of the regular season.
Sunday
Bucs 4, Oilers 3, Game 1
Bucs AB R H BI Oilers AB R H BI
Htch ss 3 0 1 1 Hll cf 4 0 1 0
Ttm 3b 4 0 1 0 Dsn ss 4 0 2 0
Snly cf 4 0 0 0 Whm c 4 0 1 0
Rnds 1b 4 0 0 0 DWt dh 2 0 0 0
Hrrs lf 3 1 0 0 Rhm rf 1 0 0 0
Arda dh 3 2 1 1 Spk rf 1 1 1 0
Gnte c 3 0 0 0 Wfrd lf 3 1 1 0
Jhsn rf 3 1 3 2 Bgs 1b 2 0 0 0
Hmza 2b 1 0 0 0 Wng 1b 1 0 0 0
—- — — — — Cprn 2b 3 1 2 3
—- — — — — Sfrt 3b 2 0 0 0
Totals 28 4 6 4 Totals 27 3 8 3
Anchorage 001 101 1 —4
Peninsula 000 003 0 —3
2B — Tatum. HR — Arruda, Chapuran. SH — Seifert. SB — Hatch, Hrris. E — Dawson. LOB — Bucs 9, Oilers 7.
IP H R ER BB SO
Bucs
Neely 5 4 0 0 2 3
Rivera, W 2 4 3 3 0 3
Oilers
Bazzani 5 5 3 3 6 3
Bash, L 2 1 1 1 0 0
WP — Bazzani. PB — Washam 2. HB — Neely.
Oilers 6, Bucs 4, Game 2
Bucs AB R H BI Oilers AB R H BI
Htch ss 3 0 0 0 Hll cf 4 0 3 1
Ttm 3b 3 1 1 0 Dsn ss 3 1 2 2
Sly cf 4 2 2 2 Whm 1b 4 0 1 0
Hrrs lf 4 0 1 0 DWt dh 3 1 0 1
Jhsn rf 3 0 1 1 Wfrd lf 2 0 1 1
Arda 1b 3 1 2 0 Cprn 2b 3 0 0 0
Ksls 2b 3 0 1 0 Spk rf 3 1 0 0
Hrd dh 2 0 1 0 Frse c 3 2 1 0
Rsps c 2 0 1 0 Sfrt 3b 1 1 1 1
Totals 27 4 10 3 Totals 26 6 9 6
Anchorage 011 020 0 —4
Peninsula 001 311 X —6
2B — Hoard, Dawson, Wofford. HR — Sensley. SH — Seifert. CS — Hoard, Seifert. E — Hatch. LOB — Bucs 6, Oilers 6. DP — Bucs 1, Oilers 1.
IP H R ER BB SO
Bucs
Sparling 4 6 4 1 0 1
Reid, L 1 1 1 1 2 1
Mills 1 2 1 1 0 1
Oilers
Wood, W 5 1-3 10 4 4 3 0
Montgomery, S 1 2-3 0 0 0 1 1
WP — Wood. PB — Reibenspies. HB — Sparling.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Oilers starter Dom Bazzani fires home during Game 1 against the Anchorage Bucs on Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Oilers reliever Andrew Bash delivers in Game 1 against the Anchorage Bucs on Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Oilers second baseman Jeffrey Chapuran is congratulated by head coach Brian Daly after hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 1 against the Anchorage Bucs on Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
