The Peninsula Oilers couldn’t overcome the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in their first regular season game at Mulcahy Stadium on Wednesday night, losing 9-2.
The Oilers put themselves on the board early in the top of the first inning with a solo home run by John Olmstead, Kenai’s leadoff batter.
Anchorage came back to tie the game with an unearned run in the bottom of the second, Ethan Mann scoring after he put himself on base with a single.
The Oilers at the Glacier Pilots held each other scoreless through the third and fourth innings.
In the top of the fifth, Kenai’s Taylor Johnson put himself on base with a walk, then advanced to second on a stolen base. Henry Novicki batted Johnson in with a single, pushing the Oilers ahead, 2-1.
The Glacier Pilots put their second run on the board to tie the game again in the bottom of the sixth after Mann reached on a hit by pitch and was batted in by Terren Sugita.
The Oilers were unable to score in the top of the seventh and eighth innings, allowing Anchorage to capitalize. The Pilots scored another three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on four infield base hits. In the bottom of the eighth Anchorage scored another four runs, putting guys on with two doubles, one single, a walk and a Kenai error.
Kenai couldn’t come back in the top of the ninth inning to score, ultimately losing 9-2.
The Oilers scored two runs on five hits and one error. Anchorage scored nine runs on 12 hits and zero errors.
Oilers pitcher Luke Yacinich faced 22 batters. He struck out five, walked one, and allowed one run on four hits.
Lee Atkinson faced nine batters. He struck out one and gave up four runs on five hits.
Henry Bird faced 11 batters. He struck out two, walked one, and allowed four runs on three hits.
Andrew Sojka batted two for four and Novicki went one for three. Olmstead and Novicki had the only two RBIs on Wednesday night.
The Peninsula Oilers head into their game against the Matsu Miners at 7 p.m. on Thursday 0-1 in the regular season.
Reach reporter Camille Botello at camille.botello@peninsulaclarion.com.
