The Peninsula Oilers defeated the Anchorage Bucs 4-3 on Tuesday at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage in Alaska Baseball League play.
The Oilers improved to 5-4 against the Bucs this season and 2-4 on the current 10-game road trip.
Peninsula is now 8-16 in the league. The Mat-Su Miners are in first at 15-7, while the Bucs, Anchorage Glacier Pilots and Chugiak Chinooks are all 11-11. Those teams are four games ahead of the Oilers for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Luke Yacinich once again turned in a solid performance for the Oilers in improving to 3-1. Yacinich worked 6 1-3 innings, giving up two runs on two hits while walking four and striking out three.
The Bucs grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Oilers went ahead to stay with two runs in the fourth inning.
The Oilers had not been having much luck against Bucs starter and loser JoJo Ingrassia, who went 4 2-3 innings and gave up three runs — one earned — on three hits while walking three and striking out eight.
Garrett Pennington, who finished 3 for 4, started the rally in the fourth with a bunt single with one out. After Dylan Ditzenberger struck out for the second out, John Hanley walked to put runners on first and second. Grant Roosma then reached on an error to load the bases.
Henry Novicki then had a clutch single to score the two runs.
The Oilers made it 3-1 in the fifth inning when Pennington doubled to score Ben Grunberg.
In the seventh inning, Yacinich walked two batters, and reliever Dylan Crowley walked two more, as the Bucs cut the lead to 3-2.
In the eighth inning, Andrew Sojka got the Oilers a crucial insurance run with a double to score John Hanley.
That meant Crowley could survive a home run by Diego Baqueiro in the ninth. Crowley worked 2 2-3 innings, giving up a run on two hits while walking two and striking out three.
The Oilers play the Chinooks today at 7 p.m. at Lee Jordan Field.
