PALMER — Mat-Su right-hander Justin Vernia didn’t allow an earned run for the fourth straight start Saturday afternoon. But Peninsula Oilers starter Justin Montgomery ensured Vernia’s effort wouldn’t be enough to get the Miners the win.

Montgomery pitched a two-hit complete game to lead the Oilers to a 2-1 victory over the Miners during the first of a pair of seven-inning games in an Alaska Baseball League doubleheader at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

“I think he competed really well in the zone,” Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor said of Montgomery. “He threw three pitches for strikes, and kept us off-balance. We didn’t make the adjustments quick enough.”

Montgomery improved to 3-1 against the Miners this summer. In those three victories, he’s allowed only five hits and one earned run to Mat-Su hitters.

“My hats off to him. That kid has thrown really good ballgames against us,” Taylor said.

Montgomery’s work also overshadowed Vernia, who lowered his ABL-leading earned run average to 0.58 in the loss. Vernia dropped to 4-3 on the season. In Vernia’s three losses, the Miners have scored a combined two runs.

“We haven’t given him a lot of run support in this last couple of starts,” Taylor said. “But he competes and does a really good job for us.”

Vernia, who has not allowed an earned run since a 5-3 win over the Oilers on June 24, scattered five hits over seven innings of work, while fanning three and walking only one.

“Vern is a really, really tough competitor,” Taylor said. “We feel really good about him moving forward.”

Daniel Szpik singled and scored in the top of the fifth to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Brody Wofford led off the sixth with a triple, and scored on a Jared Huber sacrifice to push the lead to a pair of runs.

Mat-Su cut that lead in half when Jacob Hughey scored on a Levi Jordan double.

Mat-Su crushed Peninsula pitching in the second game Saturday, forcing the ABL doubleheader split with a 12-5 drubbing of the Oilers. Josh Bissonette picked up a trio of Mat-Su’s 12 total hits, and was a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate. Cam Montgomery was 2 for 3, and Jordan also had a pair of hits.

The win included Jake Scudder’s two-run homer in the bottom of the third.

Five different Oilers finished with one hit in the loss. Five different players also scored runs. Jeffrey Chapuran led his team with two RBIs.

Jordan Frederick earned the win in relief for the second time in as many appearances for the Miners. Dom Bazzani was tagged with the loss.

With the doubleheader split, Mat-Su maintains its 2.5-game lead in the ABL standings. The Miners are 24-17, and the Oilers are 24-18.

The Oilers stay on the road to face the Chugiak Chinooks in a 3 p.m. doubleheader today.

Chinooks sweep Oilers

The Peninsula Oilers opened up a crucial road trip by getting swept in a doubleheader by the Chugiak Chinooks on Friday in Alaska Baseball League play at Lee Jordan Field.

In the 3-1 game, the Chinooks won despite getting just three hits. But Oilers pitchers walked nine and plunked three more.

Jonathan Washam was 2 for 3 with an RBI for the Oilers, while Austin Piscotty was 2 for 2. Darius Hill scored the lone run.

Brody Harris claimed the win for the Chinooks, while Tyler Shumpert took the loss for the Oilers.

In the 2-1 game, the Chinooks scored a walk-off run in the seventh to nab the victory.

Zach Sanford started the rally with two outs in the seventh when he doubled off starter Billy Oxford. Will Bass was then intentionally walked with Sanford taking third on a passed ball. Piscotty came in for Oxford and was pitching to Hunter Vansau when the final passed ball got past Washam.

Seth DeWitt was 2 for 3 to lead the Oilers at the plate, while Sanford was 2 for 3 for the Chinooks. Nathan Bonsell went all seven innings for the win.

Friday

Chinooks 2, Oilers 1

Oilers AB R H BI Cks AB R H BI

Hill cf 3 0 0 0 Bass 2b 3 0 0 0

Dwsn ss 3 0 1 0 Vnsu rf 3 0 1 0

Whm c 3 0 1 0 Mlrd 3b 3 0 1 0

DWt dh 3 1 2 0 Wskr 1b 3 1 1 0

Wfrd lf 3 0 0 0 Skfd ss 2 0 0 0

Bgs 1b 3 0 1 0 Msto lf 2 0 0 0

Cprn 2b 3 0 0 1 Lngr c 2 0 0 1

Spk rf 3 0 1 0 Whte dh 3 0 0 0

Sfrt 3b 2 0 0 0 Snfd cf 3 1 2 0

Totals 26 1 6 1 Totals 24 2 5 1

Peninsula 000 100 0 —1

Chugiak 000 100 1 —2

2B — Washam, DeWitt, Sanford. SF — Lininger. SB — Bass. CS — Szpik. E — Lininger. LOB — Oilers 6, Chinooks 6.

IP H R ER BB SO

Oilers

Oxford, L 6 2-3 5 2 2 3 6

Piscotty 0 0 0 0 0 0

Chinooks

Bonsell, W 7 6 1 1 1 2

WP — Oxford 2. PB — Washam 2.

Saturday

Oilers 2, Miners 1, Game 1

Oilers AB R H BI Miners AB R H BI

Hill cf 3 0 1 1 Hghy dh 2 1 0 0

Dwsn ss 4 0 1 0 Jrdn 2b 2 0 1 1

Wshm 1b 3 0 1 0 Swtz rf 3 0 0 0

DWt dh 4 0 0 0 Dndo lf 3 0 1 0

Wfrd lf 3 1 1 0 Scdr 1b 3 0 0 0

Cprn 2b 3 0 0 0 Bnte ss 2 0 0 0

Spk rf 3 1 1 0 Lee 3b 3 0 0 0

Hbr c 1 0 0 1 Cgve c 3 0 0 0

Sfrt 3b 2 0 0 0 Bnm cf 2 0 0 0

Totals 26 2 5 2 Totals 23 1 2 1

Peninsula 000 011 0 —2

Mat-Su 000 001 0 —1

2B — Hill, Wofford, Jordan. SF — Hill, Huber. SH — Huber. E — Jordan, Scudder. LOB — Oilers 8, Miners 4.

IP H R ER BB SO

Oilers

Montgomery, W 7 2 1 1 3 5

Miners

Vernia, L 7 5 2 0 1 3

WP — Montgomery. HBP — by Vernia (Washam).

Miners 12, Oilers 5

Oilers AB R H BI Miners AB R H BI

Hill cf 4 1 1 0 Jrdn 2b 5 1 2 1

Dwsn ss 3 1 0 0 Bste ss 3 1 3 1

Wshm c 4 1 1 1 Swtz lf 2 1 1 2

DWt dh 3 1 1 1 Ddio dh 2 1 1 0

Spk rf 0 0 0 0 Scdr 1b 3 2 1 2

Bgs 1b 1 1 0 0 Amta c 0 1 0 0

Wng 1b 0 0 0 0 Cgrv c 3 1 0 0

Wfrd lf 2 0 1 1 Mgry rf 3 2 2 3

Cprn 2b 3 0 1 2 Lee 3b 2 2 1 0

Pcty 3b 3 0 0 0 Bnm cf 1 0 0 1

Kngr p 0 0 0 0 Stlr cf 1 0 1 1

Sfrt 3 0 0 0 —- — — — —

Peninsula 302 000 0 —5

Mat-Su 414 021 X —12

2B — DeWitt, Montgomery, Stotler. HR — Scudder. SF — Wofford, Bynum. SH — Boggs, Schwartz, Lee, Stotler. SB — Jordan. CS — Jordan. E — Dawson, Bissonette. LOB — Oilers 4, Miners 7.

IP H R ER BB SO

Oilers

Bazzani, L 2 6 7 7 3 2

Bash 2 2 2 0 2 0

Piscotty 1 2 2 2 3 2

Kissinger 1 2 1 1 0 0

Miners

Shelton 2 1-3 4 5 5 2 0

Frederick, W 2 2-3 1 0 0 0 2

Vorhof 2 0 0 0 0 1

WP — Bazzani.

Peninsula first baseman Jonathon Washam flips the ball to pitcher Justin Montgomery to force at out at first during a 2-1 win over the Mat-Su Miners Saturday, July 30, 2016, at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

Peninsula Oilers infielder Jeffrey Chapuran makes the play at second during a 2-1 win over the Mat-Su Miners Saturday, July 30, 2016, at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.