The Peninsula Oilers defeated the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks 4-1 in Alaska Baseball League play Saturday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
The Oilers have now won the first four games of the five-game home series to improve to 8-1 this season against the Chinooks. The series, and the Oilers home season, concludes Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Oilers are now 18-19 in the league and are in fourth place, three games behind the league-leading Mat-Su Miners (21-16).
The Anchorage Glacier Pilots (20-16) and the Anchorage Bucs (21-17) are tied for second place. The Miners and Bucs were supposed to play Saturday night, but were postponed by rain.
The Chinooks are in last place at 13-25, 8.5 games off the pace.
Saturday, for the second straight night, a product of Homer High School and the American Legion Twins program starred on the mound.
After Harrison Metz got the win Friday, the man Metz carpools with from Homer each day — Mose Hayes — got the win Saturday.
Hayes pitched eight shutout innings, giving up four hits and walking one while striking out seven. He is now 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA.
The work of Hayes and Metz is even more important due to the Oilers losing so many pitchers. The innings have been basically free because, as local players, Hayes and Metz don’t count against the roster limit of 28.
Peninsula turned to a position player to close the game. Owen McElfatrick gave up a run on two hits in an inning.
The Oilers continued to hit well, collecting 11 hits as they led 1-0 after two innings, 3-0 after three innings and 4-0 after six innings.
Theo Forshey had a home run for the Oilers. Leighton Helfrick was 3 for 5, and Nick Costello and Cole Nachreilner were 2 for 4.
Nachreilner, a catcher, is now 3 for 8 since flying to Kenai on Thursday and getting his first action Friday.
The Oilers started the year with four catchers, but all are gone due to injury or prior commitments.
