Early season struggles continued for the Peninsula Oilers on a weekend Alaska Baseball League road trip.
The Oilers split a doubleheader Friday against the Anchorage Bucs at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage, then moved north to lose to the Chugiak/Eagle River Chinooks on Saturday at Lee Jordan Field.
The Oilers fall to 2-8 and continue the road trip today at 5 p.m. with another game against the Chinooks.
Friday, the Oilers lost 1-0 in eight innings before winning 5-1 in the second game.
In the first game, the Oilers got a great effort from Raymond Kerr, but could not cash in the victory.
Kerr got the start and went 7 2-3 innings, giving up just three hits and one run while walking one and striking out four.
But Logan Boyer and Justin Mulvaney were a little better for the Bucs. Boyer pitched five innings and gave up four hits and struck out seven without allowing a run, while Mulvaney allowed just one hit and kept the Oilers off the board for three innings to earn the win.
The Bucs scored the winning run in the eighth when Zach LaFleur doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Jace VanDeBrake.
Kerr and Caleb Hicks were each 2 for 3 at the plate for the Oilers.
In the second game, the Oilers again got great pitching, and this time had the offense to back it up.
Aaron Shoup got the start and went five innings for the win. He gave up just one hit and an unearned run while walking five and striking out three. Hicks tacked on two scoreless innings, allowing just two hits. He did have to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning.
The Oilers jumped on top in the first inning, when John Thomas doubled in Oliver Dunn. Thomas then scored when Raymond Kerr struck out with two away, but the catcher dropped the ball then threw wildly to first.
In the third, Peninsula made it 3-0 when Dunn scored on a sacrifice fly by Thomas.
In the sixth, it was 5-0 when Jeremy Conant singled to score Kellen Strahm. Strahm then scored on a double by Thomas Ruddy, who finished 2 for 3.
Saturday, the Oilers could get nothing going in a 6-0 loss to the Chinooks.
Preston Plovanich got the start and went seven innings, giving up six runs on seven hits while walking one and striking out four. Billy Clemens had a scoreless inning in relief, while Mason Corneliussen had two scoreless innings.
But the Oilers were stoned by Chugiak’s pitching. Starter and winner Noah Jones gave up six hits in six shutout innings, while Jamison Mobbs gave up a hit in two scoreless innings and Aidan Stout pitched a perfect ninth.
Strahm and Kerr both led the Oilers with two hits. For the Chinooks, Levi Gilcrease was 2 for 3, while Justin Gomez had a pair of RBIs.
