The Peninsula Oilers went 1-1 at the Scout Showcase on Friday and Saturday at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.
The idea of the games is to get players on the teams as much exposure to scouts as possible, so the priority is not winning and losing. Thus, the seven-inning games do not count in the Alaska Baseball League standings.
Saturday, the Oilers notched a 4-3 victory over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, using six pitchers in the process. Peninsula grabbed a two-run lead in the first inning before the Pilots came back to cut the lead to 2-1 in the second inning.
The Oilers went up 3-1 in the top of the fourth, but the Pilots came back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.
The Oilers put together the game-winning rally in the top of the fifth inning. Caleb Hicks led off the inning with a double, then Benjamin Wanger scored him with a single.
Kyle Lucke pitched the first two innings for the Oilers, giving up an earned run on three hits, a walk and a strikeout.
All the rest of the pitchers saw an inning of work. Mike LeBeau gave up just a hit and a walk. Aaron Shoup gave up two hits, two runs, a walk and a strikeout. Billy Clemens pitched a perfect inning. Preston Plovanich gave up just one hit in an inning.
It fell on Soldotna High School product Joey Becher to secure the victory in the seventh inning. After retiring the first batter, Becher gave up a single to Cameron Thompson and a double to Samuel Blair, putting runners at second and third.
But Becher got Malcolm Tipler to ground out and then struck out Cuba Bess to end the game.
Kellen Strahm had a big game for the Oilers, going 3 for 3 with two runs. Wanger was 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs for the Oilers.
Friday, the Oilers fell to the Mat-Su Miners 3-2. Both teams scored a run in the fourth inning, but the Oilers went ahead with a tally in the top of the fifth. However, Mat-Su put together two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for the victory.
Devin Hayes got the start for the Oilers and pitched 2 2-3 perfect innings, striking out two. Mason Corneliussen then pitched the next 2 1-3, giving up an earned run on a hit and a walk.
The Miners then got to Tyler Waldrop for two runs and three hits in an inning, tagging Waldrop with the loss. Trent Paddon finished with a scoreless inning.
The Oilers got their two hits in the game from John Thomas and Caleb Hicks.
Peninsula’s runs came when Thomas Ruddy was hit by a pitch and scored on an error in the fourth, and Caleb Hicks walked and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nathan Webb in the fifth.
The ABL Home Run Derby will be at 1 p.m. today at Mulcahy, while the All-Star game is at 4 p.m. Hicks and Webb will represent the Oilers in the Home Run Derby.
All-Star selections for the Oilers are infielder and relief pitcher Hicks, infielder Webb, outfielder Ruddy, catcher Mikey Hoehner, outfielder Kellen Strahm, pitcher Mike LaBeau, pitcher Hayes, pitcher Trent Paddon and pitcher and utility player Raymond Kerr.
