The Anchorage Bucs defeated the Peninsula Oilers 11-4 in Alaska Baseball League action Thursday at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.
The Oilers drop to 1-6 in the league, while the Bucs move to 4-3. The two teams stay at Mulcahy to play a 6 p.m. doubleheader today.
Things started off well for Peninsula when, with two outs in the first inning, Jeremy Conant singled and John Thomas uncorked a two-run home run.
But the Bucs quickly got after Oilers starter Tyler Waldrop in the first inning, touching him up for five runs on six hits to take a lead they would not relinquish.
Waldrop settled in after that, lasting five innings and giving up nine hits and six runs while walking one and striking out five.
But Bucs starter and winner Connor Darling settled in as well. Darling also pitched five innings, giving up two runs on three hits while walking none and striking out seven.
Anchorage took total command of the game in the sixth inning, when the home team scored five runs for a 10-2 lead. The big blow was a grand slam by Jake Vieth.
Vieth was 3 for 5 with two runs and six RBIs for the Bucs, while Jace VanDeBrake was 3 for 5 with two runs, and Todd Lott and Cole Kleszcz each had two hits.
For the Oilers, Conant was 3 for 4 with two runs scored, while Thomas ended up with four RBIs. Raymond Kerr also had a pair of hits for the Oilers. LaBeau Michael pitched the final three innings for the Oilers, giving up five runs — three earned — on four hits.
Oilers notes: Wednesday, Billy Oxford became the third Oilers player taken in this year’s Major League Baseball draft. Oxford, a right-handed pitcher, was taken in the 27th round by the New York Mets.
