Oilers steal game from Miners

PALMER — The Mat-Su staff continued its stellar pitching, but the Peninsula Oilers stole one at Hermon Brothers Field Thursday night.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the 10th inning, Oilers third baseman Marshall Boggs made a break toward home, and reached safely to help lift Peninsula to a 2-1 win over the Miners in Palmer.

“It’s just all a part of baseball truthfully,” Miners starting pitcher Trent Shelton said in a press release issued by the team after the game. “Our team is playing really well, and we’ve been hitting the ball. It will come around.”

Boggs stealing home during the Oilers’ run-run 10th overshadowed another great night for Mat-Su pitching. Shelton and a pair of relievers combined to allow only two hits and two earned runs. Shelton went 6 and 2/3, scattering the two hits, while fanning eight against only three walks.

Bill Oxford got the win on the mound for the Oilers, who improved to 3-0 against Mat-Su this season. Oxford allowed six hits and no earned runs over 6 1/3 innings of work. He struck out seven.

In three games this season, the Oilers have held the Miners to only one run.

Mat-Su did get 10 hits of Peninsula pitching Thursday, but left eight on base. The top seven hitters in the batting order had at least one hit for the Miners. Levi Jordan and Garrison Schwartz led the Mines with two hits each.

The game was scoreless through regulation, with all three runs in the game scored in the 10th inning. Brody Wofford also scored for the Oilers in the top of the 10th to give Peninsula the 2-0 lead.

The Miners were able to cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning, but weren’t able to get the equalizer. Michael Donadio scored on Jordan’s two-out single to cut the score to 2-1.

The teams entered the game locked in a tie at the top of the Alaska Baseball League standings. Peninsula (5-2) now holds a one-game lead over Mat-Su (6-5). The teams meet again Friday at 7 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field.