It has not been uncommon for the Peninsula Oilers to get as many hits as the opposition this season. What has been uncommon is the Oilers getting more runs than the opposition.
The Oilers fell to 2-9 in the Alaska Baseball League on Sunday with a 5-2 loss to the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks at Lee Jordan Field. Both teams had nine hits.
After dropping the first two games of the series, the Oilers conclude the affair with the Chinooks with a 5 p.m. doubleheader today.
Soldotna High School graduate Joey Becher got his first start with the Oilers.
“The emotions are pretty high,” Becher said in a postgame interview on 1140 AM. “I was pretty nervous coming out.”
Becher held up OK, giving up six hits and two unearned runs while walking two and striking out one. But his outing was relatively short because he threw 64 pitches in 3 2-3 innings.
After the Chinooks went up 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Oilers were able to come back to tie the score in the fifth.
Kellen Strahm and Nathan Webb singled to open the inning, then moved up a base on a sacrifice by Jimmy McDonald. Manny Acosta then singled to score Strahm, while Webb would come in on a balk.
But the Chinooks would come right back in the sixth inning for a 4-2 lead off reliever and losing pitcher Josh Congdon.
Congdon would give up two earned runs on two hits in 2 1-3 innings.
Caleb Hicks also gave up an unearned insurance run in two innings for the Oilers.
Eddie Hiott got the win with 2 2-3 scoreless innings of relief, while J.J. Julian kept the slate clean for the final two innings for the save.
Matthew Acosta and Webb each had two hits for the Oilers, while Aaron Shackelford was 2 for 3 with two runs for the Chinooks, and Hayden Mixon was 2 for 4 with three RBIs.
Brandon Michie also scored three runs for the home team.
