Untimely walks allow the Oilers to force a Game 3

PALMER - In mid-July Miners Head Coach Ty LeBrun told his guys that they were the best team in the league - just as long as they limit walks.

But after going up 3-0 in the third inning off of a three-run opposite field dinger on a 3-0 count from left fielder Alex Vergara, the Oilers put up two runs in the bottom of the frame.

LeBrun said after that the goal has been to allow a 0 in frames immediately after scoring and the fact that his team didn’t really changed the complexion of the game.

In the bottom of the 3rd, second baseman Brett Grupe led off with a single. Two batters later, leadoff man Owen McElfatrick worked a walk. Then first baseman Theo Forshey walked. So with the bases loaded, co-league MVP Nick Costello also walked. Then right fielder Leighton Helfrick hit a sac fly that scored a run.

Miners starter Candon Dahle would allow three runs, all earned, in four innings. It was his shortest outing by innings all season, in his ninth start of the summer.

Peninsula was without their ace, and the ABL Prospect of the Year in Ty Correa. The tall right-hand pitcher was shut down by his college for hitting their innings limit. So Oilers Head Coach Larry McCann turned to Evan Langer.

Langer, also a righty, did well with the exception of the third inning when he allowed back-to-back singles with two outs before Vergara went yard off of him. Langer went five full innings.

Peninsula tacked on two runs in the 6th. Grupe led off by reaching on an error. He moved over to second on a sac bunt. Then McElfatrick walked and Forshey got hit by a pitch. Costello struck out looking with the bases loaded on a full count on a pitch that looked inside. But the cleanup hitter in Helfrick took matters into his own hands right after that by slapping an opposite-field single that scored two runs.

Larry Westall pitched the 5th and 6th frames for Mat-Su.

Then McCann turned to two-way player Ty Thomas. It was the first time that Mat-Su had seen him pitch all season and across two innings, the green and gold had just one base-runner, a walk, against Thomas.

For the 8th, McCann went with slow-throwing righty Harrison Metz, another guy that the Miners hadn’t seen all year.

After shortstop Emilio Barreras grounded out, first baseman Cooper Vest singled, Vergara walked, and catcher Steven Lancia walked. With the bases loaded with one out down 5-3, right fielder Kaden Carpenter launched a ball.... about five feet short of the right-field fence.

After the game, LeBrun said that Carpenter didn’t quite get the entire barrel on the ball.

Regardless, Vest tagged up from third to make it a one-run game. Designated hitter Maddox Haley flied out to left one batter later to end the inning.

For the 9th McCann turned to Mose Hayes. The righty had pitched a combined nine scoreless innings against Mat-Su in three previous outings against them. After allowing a lead-off walk to second baseman Nolan Tucker, he fielded a sac bunt from center fielder Sebastian Tomerlin. Then he got third baseman Kaleb Hannahs to fly out and Barreras to ground out to end the game.

With the season on the line on Thursday in the decisive Game 3, the Miners will turn to 1st Team All ABL pitcher Ethan Lyke.