The Matsu Miners churned out 14 hits to cruise to a 11-4 win over the Peninsula Oilers Tuesday night at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.
With the two division leaders in the Alaska Baseball League pitted against each other, something was bound to give, and Tuesday night, it was the Oilers’ bullpen. Along with the 11 runs scored, the Miners left 12 men on base, while the Oilers left six runners on base.
Peninsula’s third loss in a row dropped the Oilers to a .500 record at 14-14, while the Miners improved to 24-7 overall.
The Oilers bookended seven scoreless innings with two runs apiece in the first and ninth innings, starting with a leadoff double by Jordan Washam to start the game. Washam scored on a double by Bennett Oliver, who then scored on an error with two outs on the board, putting the Oilers up 2-0 early.
Washam was later injured on a fielding play, with no further status given on his condition.
In the top of the third, Tyler Wolfe kickstarted the Miners offense with a leadoff single, before scoring on a triple by Matt Diorio. Dioro was brought home on a single by Tanner Nishioka to tie the game up.
The go-ahead run came courtesy of Zack Plunkett, whose single brought home Vance Vizcaino and Hunter Simmons. Plunkett ended up at third due to a throwing error by Oilers catcher Blake Wilfong.
Overall, the Miners scored six times on eight hits in the inning, then returned in the fourth for more fun, scoring four more runs on two hits.
Trailing by nine runs at the top of the ninth, the Oilers appeared to begin the long trail back with a leadoff single by Brent Diaz, who came in to score on a triple by Wilfong. Jimmy Galusky then brought Wilfong home on a groundout, but the rally was stopped when James Fowlkes and Billy Wilson struck out.
James Harrington picked up the win for the Miners, tossing six innings of six-hit ball, giving up the two early runs but walking only one and striking out one.
Conner Dotson took the loss for the Oilers, giving up one hit in the first two innings before being slogged by eight in the third. Dotson was ultimately pulled in favor of Shane Ennis, who recorded the final out of the inning on a putout.
The Oilers and Miners will meet again tonight at 6 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field.
Tuesday
Miners 11, Oilers 4
Oilers AB R H BI Miners AB R H BI
Wshm 2b 2 1 1 0 Crso cf 4 0 2 1
Wlsn lf 2 0 0 0 Wlfe ss 6 1 1 0
Sfrt 2b 4 0 0 0 Pskw rf 4 0 0 0
Olvr 1b 4 1 1 1 Hall rf 0 0 0 0
Bke 3b 4 0 1 0 Dior dh 2 3 1 1
Ruhm rf 4 0 0 0 Fagg ph 1 0 0 0
Diaz dh 4 1 1 0 Nshk 3b 4 1 2 1
Wlfg c 4 1 1 1 Vzcn lf 3 2 1 0
Glky ss 4 0 2 1 Wnhn ph 1 0 0 0
Fwkl cf 3 0 1 0 Smns 1b 4 2 4 2
— Plkt c 3 1 1 2
— Slpb 2b 5 1 2 3
Totals 35 4 8 3 Totals 37 11 14 10
Oilers 200 000 002 —4 8 3
Miners 006 410 00x —11 14 2
SB — Paskiewicz (3). E — Oliver (4), Wilfong (1), Galusky (3), Nishioka (3), Simmons (2). LOB — Oilers 6, Miners 12.
Oilers IP H R ER BB SO
Dotson, L 2.2 9 6 3 4 1
Ennis 0.2 2 4 3 3 1
Abbott 2.2 2 1 1 2 2
Bovy 2.0 1 0 0 1 0
Miners
Harrington, W 6.0 6 2 1 1 1
Valenzuela 1.0 0 0 0 1 0
Hood 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
Thompson 1.0 2 2 2 0 2
T — 2:42. A — 889.
