The Peninsula Oilers opened up a six-game, five-day road trip in Fairbanks by dropping a 7-6 decision to the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks on Sunday in Alaska Baseball League action.
The Oilers, who face the Panners in a 5 p.m. doubleheader today, remain in first place in the American League with a 4-5 record. Both the Anchorage Bucs (5-8) and the Goldpanners (2-5) are one game back.
The Oilers and Panners played in three league games to start the season at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai, with the Oilers taking two of those contests. The teams scored an average of four runs per game way back then, but with the shift to the more offensive Growden Memorial Park and with the batters having time to catch up to the pitchers, offense ruled Sunday.
The Panners had 12 hits, while the Oilers got over the 10-hit mark for the third straight game with 12 hits.
The Oilers fell behind 4-0 in the game before battling back. Oilers starting pitcher David Diaz was not sharp, and neither was the fielding behind him.
Diaz gave up unearned runs in the first and second innings, and ended up giving up five runs on eight hits in 5 2-3 innings while walking four and striking out four.
The Oilers cut the gap to 4-2 in the fourth when Brent Diaz singled to score Alex Seifert and Billy Wilson singled to score Brian Ruhm.
The Oilers would then take a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth. Ruhm doubled to score Boeke and Diaz singled to score Ruhm, tie the game, and chase Panners starter Sean Bennetts from the game.
But the Oilers kept rolling against reliever AJ Franks. James Fowlkes would single to score Brent Diaz and Jordan Washam would single to score Fowlkes.
But the Panners came right back to grab the lead in the bottom of the sixth, getting to David Diaz for a run and reliever Cory Abbott for a pair of runs. Abbott did not get an out and was tagged with the loss.
Renae Martinez had a big game for the Panners, going 4 for 5 with a run and two RBIs. Franks had the win for the Panners, while John Schreiber had a perfect ninth for the save.
For the Oilers, Washam, Brent Diaz, Wilson and Fowlkes all had two hits.
Oilers relievers Jordan Kron, Branden VanStone and Joe Mata teamed to keep the Panners off the board for 2 1-3 innings.
Sunday
Panners 7, Oilers 6
Oilers AB R H BI Panners AB R H BI
Wshm 2b 5 0 2 1 Cslo cf 3 2 0 0
Sfrt lf 5 1 1 0 Nlsn ss 2 1 0 0
Olvr 1b 5 0 1 0 Bynm rf 5 2 1 0
Bke 3b 4 1 1 0 Mtnz c 5 1 4 2
Ruhm dh 3 2 1 1 Bush 1b 4 0 1 1
Diaz c 4 1 2 2 Rbts lf 0 0 0 0
Wlsn rf 4 0 2 1 Lees dh 4 1 1 0
Glsy ss 4 0 0 0 Vrln 1b 4 0 2 1
Flks cf 4 1 2 1 Crlo2b 4 0 3 1
—- — — — — Jnes 3b 4 0 0 0
Totals 38 6 12 6 Totals 35 7 12 5
Peninsula 000 204 000 —6
Fairbanks 112 003 00X —7
2B — Boeke, Ruhm, Lees. SB — Washam, Wilson, Carrillo. E — Oliver, Galusky, Nielsen, Bynum, Bush. LOB — Oilers 6, Goldpanners 10. DP — Panners 3, Oilers 1.
IP H R ER BB SO
Oilers
DDiaz 5 2-3 8 5 3 4 4
Abbott, L 0 1 2 0 0 0
Kron 1 1-3 2 0 0 0 1
VanStone 2-3 1 0 0 0 2
Mata 1-3 0 0 0 0 0
Panners
Bennetts 5 9 5 4 1 3
Franks, W 2 2 1 0 0 1
Simmons 1 1 0 0 0 0
Schreiber, S 1 0 0 0 0 2
HBP — by Diaz, Abbott (Nielsen).
