The Peninsula Oilers continued to struggle on the road with an 8-2 loss to the Miners on Sunday and a 5-1 loss to the Anchorage Glacier Pilots on Monday in Alaska Baseball League play.
The Oilers fell to 7-16 in league play and have started off the current 10-game road trip by losing four of five. With the Miners and Chugiak Chinooks still in action Monday night, the Oilers trailed the 11-11 Pilots for the fourth and final playoff spot out of the ABL.
Sunday, the Oilers dropped an 8-2 decision to the Mat-Su Miners at Hermon Brothers Field.
Mat-Su led 1-0 after two innings, 2-0 after three innings, 5-0 after four innings and 8-0 after five innings.
The Oilers, who notched just four hits in the game, had their lone two runs of the game in the top of the ninth. With one out, the Oilers loaded the bases. Owen Christy was then hit by a pitch to score John Hanley. Henry Novicki then singled to score Ben Grunberg.
Andre Orselli took the loss for the Oilers, giving up five runs — two earned — on seven hits in four innings of work.
Jacob Dillon gave up three runs and three hits in two-thirds of an inning, while Henry Bird pitched a scoreless and hitless 2 1-3 innings. In the eighth, Homer High School graduate Mose Hayes gave up a hit and no runs in an inning. Hayes has pitched three innings and still not allowed a run.
Nate Beimel registered the win in relief for the Miners, giving up no runs and a hit in 2 1-3 innings of relief.
Trevor Antonson, Hanley, Grunberg and Novicki had the hits for the Oilers.
Monday, the Oilers again had trouble on offense with the 5-1 loss at Mulcahy Stadium.
The Pilots, now 4-0 against the Oilers this season, got to Oilers starter and loser Liam Rocha for five runs and eight hits in six innings. Reliever Lee Atkinson shut the Pilots down the rest of the way.
Peninsula cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the sixth when Garrett Pennington scored on an error, but the Pilots scored two in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Dylan Ditzenberger was 3 for 4 for the Oilers, while Cole Moore was 2 for 4. John Olmstead, Hanley and Taylor Johnson also had hits.
Peninsula continues the road trip today with a 7 p.m. game against the Anchorage Bucs at Mulcahy Stadium.
