A valiant comeback attempt came up short as the Peninsula Oilers fell to the Anchorage Bucs 8-6 on Wednesday in Alaska Baseball League action at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.

The loss was a costly one for the Oilers in the chase for the final spot in the Top of the World Playoffs. The Oilers fall to 13-27 and are a game behind the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks (13-25) in the battle for that final spot.

The Bucs move to 27-12 and were four games ahead of the second-place Mat-Su Miners, pending the Miners game against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots late Wednesday night.

The Oilers have just four games left in their season — all at home. Peninsula hosts the Bucs today, Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m., then Sunday at 2 p.m.

After falling behind 6-0 after four innings, the Oilers scored six runs in the final four innings and had the bases loaded when Bucs closer Colton Rendon struck out Calvin Farris to end the game.

Pitchers from both teams struggled with control on a cool, breezy evening, with the Oilers walking 10 and the Bucs walking nine.

Oilers starter Jake Adams walked five batters in just 2 1-3 innings and it ended up getting him the loss. Adams gave up just three hits but was charged with four runs — two earned — while striking out three.

Peninsula reliever Travis Roberts didn’t fare much better, walking three in 2 2-3 innings and giving up two earned runs.

Meanwhile, Bucs starter Evan Taylor was cruising, pitching a perfect game until Skyler Messinger led off the bottom of the fifth with a single.

The Oilers finally got things going in the bottom of the sixth. Travis Bohall reached on an error with two outs, the Bobby Goodloe made the Bucs pay for the miscue by launching a home run to right field for a 6-2 game.

In the bottom of the seventh, Taylor ran out of gas after getting Messinger to start the inning. Taylor then walked the bases loaded, and Victor Carlino grounded out against reliever Kristjan Storrie to cut the gap to 6-3.

Storrie continued to struggle with control in the eighth, walking the bases loaded with one out. Spencer Long relieved Storrie and Farris grounded out to trim the lead to 6-4.

Reliever Jonah Henrickson, straight out of high school, kept the Oilers in the game by working three scoreless innings.

But the Bucs got to reliever Robbie Knowles for two key runs in the top of the ninth. The Oilers then loaded the bases with one away in the ninth before Goodloe hit a sac fly to cut it to 8-5.

Connor McCord then singled in a run and Messinger walked to load the bases with two outs. Rendon then came in for Long and struck out Farris.

Ryan Sullivan was 2 for 3 with three RBIs for the Bucs, while Chad Castillo was 2 for 4 with three runs.

Peninsula Oilers reliever Jonah Henrickson delivers to the Anchorage Bucs on Wednesday, July 24, 2019, at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)