Big win gives Peninsula Oilers series sweep over Miners

KENAI — At least Brian Yocke spared himself from watching this drubbing in its entirety.

The Mat-Su Miners coach chucked a clipboard into the grass after he was ejected in the bottom of the third inning Tuesday during an ugly 11-2 Alaska Baseball League loss to the Peninsula Oilers at Coral Seymour Memorial Park.

The Miners issued 12 walks over the first four innings, and Yocke’s frustration spilled over as the Oilers completed a four-game sweep of their ABL counterparts to maintain a two-game lead over the Anchorage Bucs (11-8) atop the league standings. The Miners, losers of six out of seven, hold third at 12-11.

The Oilers (20-9 overall, 13-6 ABL), winners of six straight, faced the Anchorage Bucs on Thursday.

“You don’t necessarily feel for them, but you know what they are going through,” Oilers coach Dennis Machado said of watching pitchers struggle with command. “It’s baseball, though. You have to take every opportunity you get, and tonight we took advantage.”

Mat-Su starter Brandon Hedrick, making his first start of the season after six relief appearances, struggled with his control from the opening pitch — and the Oilers capitalized right away.

Hedrick walked the bases loaded without getting an out to open the game before Peninsula’s Troy Channing drilled a first-pitch fastball to right center field to drive in two runs. Manny Acosta’s grounder to second base then scored Patrick Wisdom to make it 3-0.

That was just the beginning of Mat-Su’s meltdown as the Oilers added to the lead with two-out rallies in both the second and third innings.

In the second, Wisdom drove in Mike Miller with a double to left off the glove of a diving Dominick Francia after Hedrick retired the first two batters.

It got even uglier in the third after Hedrick quickly retired Tanner Rust and Manny Acosta.

Hedrick plunked Jeff Yamaguchi on an 0-2 pitch and walked Manny Reyes. Greg Anderson notched his first hit of the season on a single to right field to load the bases. Miller then walked for the third time in as many innings to force in a run. That ended the day for Hedrick, who walked seven and hit a batter over 2 2-3 innings.

Reliever Jacob Brewer then entered the game and issued a walk to Chris Mallory on four pitches.

After Wisdom took two consecutive pitches outside the strike zone following Mallory’s walk, Mat-Su catcher Mason Guymon turned to the umpire to protest the calls. Yocke marched out of the dugout, and both were promptly ejected.

Wisdom walked on four pitches, giving the Oilers a 7-0 lead. Brewer walked five in 1/3 of an inn ing.

“When the pitchers are struggling to throw strikes, you have to make them come to you,” said Wisdom, who was 2 for 3 with a home run, two runs and four RBI. “You just want to be patient and make them throw you a strike.”

Three more walks in the fourth helped the Oilers score two more, giving starter Gabriel Asakura a 9-0 lead.

Asakura entered the game with a 0.93 ERA in league play — one of seven Peninsula pitchers with a sub-1.00 ERA in ABL competition — and earned the win Tuesday in pitching five innings of two-run ball.

The native of Brazil said he relaxed once the Oilers took the big lead.

“I was throwing all fastballs,” he said. “Once you get a lead like that, your job is pretty much to just throw strikes.”

Mark Winkelman, Reese McGraw and Tyler Blum combined to pitch four shutout innings of relief.

With a league-best 1.44 ERA entering the contest, Peninsula pitchers have now allowed five or more runs just twice in 29 games.

Wisdom finished the blowout with a two-run homer over the wall in left field in the bottom of the eighth, his second home run of the series.

Every Oilers starter reached safely at least once, and eight different players crossed the plate.

Before the series, Mat-Su held a one-game lead over Peninsula for the division lead.

Now the standings look a whole lot different.

“It means we came in and played four days of pretty good baseball,” Machado said. “That’s what we are trying to do — show up to the park and compete each day. We did that this series.”

Oilers 7, Miners 3

KENAI — The Peninsula Oilers defeated the Mat-Su Miners 7-3 on Monday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.

In a game that started 15 minutes late due to rain, the Oilers got a huge game from the top three hitters in the lineup.

Mike Miller, who was leading the league with a .381 average as of Sunday, finished 3 for 4 with two runs. Miller also was tied with two other players for the league lead in runs.

Chris Mallory, who was eighth in the league with a .286 average as of Sunday, went 2 for 5 with a run.

Miller and Mallory were each tied for the league lead in doubles, and each doubled Tuesday.

Patrick Wisdom also had a big game, going 1 for 4 with a run and four RBIs.

The Miners got on the board first by striking in the top of the first inning. Ryan Ford started the game with a single, then Cam Kneeland doubled to move Ford to third.

Stephen Branca then grounded out to winning pitcher Ben Griset to score Ford. Griset escaped further damage by striking out Wesley Jones and getting Kevin Lum to pop out.

The Oilers came right back in the bottom of the first. Miller ripped the second pitch from loser Jeff Gonzales off the left field wall for a double. Mallory then singled to move Miller to third. Wisdom scored Miller with a sacrifice fly before Troy Channing grounded into a double play to end the inning.

The Oilers took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the second. Tanner Rust started the inning with a walk and stole second. After Manny Acosta struck out, Ryan McChesney doubled to score Rust. Zach Kirksey struck out and Nate Ring grounded out to end the inning.

The Oilers took control of the game in the bottom of the third by sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring five runs to take a 7-1 lead.

Miller started the inning with a walk, then Mallory doubled to put Miller on third. Wisdom then cracked a three-run home run to left.

After Channing struck out, the Oilers loaded the bases when Rust singled, Acosta doubled and McChesney walked to chase Gonzales in favor of Brock Simon.

Kirksey greeted Simon with a single that scored Rust. Ring then walked to score Acosta before Miller and Mallory were retired on fly-outs to end the huge inning.

The Miners made it 7-2 with a run in the top of the seventh. Michael Gerlach started the inning with a single and eventually scored on a ground-out by Tim Zier.

Mat-Su continued to try and creep back into the game in the top of the eighth inning, loading the bases with two outs against Oilers reliever James Mannara.

Cameron McVey then relieved Mannara and walked Adam Martin to force home Kneeland.

Nick Rosso came to the plate representing the tying run, but McVey struck him out.

In addition to having the top batting average in the league in Sunday’s stats at .237, the Oilers also lead the league with a 1.35 ERA. Peninsula has the top four pitchers in the league — Jordan Mills with a 0.00 ERA, John Maciel with a 0.47 ERA, J.D. Salles with a 0.48 ERA and Brandon Kizer with a 0.55 ERA.

Gabriel Asakura, who gets the start tonight, is tied for sixth in the league.