Oilers add to 4th place insurance; Chinooks locked in for 5th 

Garrett W. Gagnon 

July 28, 2023 

The Peninsula Oilers and Chugiak Chinooks play their final 5 games of the season against each other. The Oilers beat the Chinooks 4 to 3 in the second game of this closing series on Friday. They tack on to their 4th place spot in the standings at 17-19, just below .500. The Chinooks are 13-25, and look set for a last place finish again in 2023. They have more than doubled their 2022 win total of 6, and despite missing the playoffs again this year, they are taking huge strides as an organization. In Friday’s ballgame, both starting pitchers were masterful. Nathan Riddle chucked 8 innings and only allowed 2 earned runs for the Chinooks. He filled up the strike zone and truly pitched to contact, striking out just 1 batter and walking 1 batter. His defense made some costly errors behind him, but it is always refreshing to watch pitchers consistently collaborate with their defense to make outs. Harrison Metz also threw 8 innings for the Oilers. He also only allowed 2 earned runs while walking 3 and striking out 2. It came down to unearned runs in this one, with the Oilers scraping 1 more run across the plate. A final score of 4 to 3 in a ballgame both pitchers should be proud of. The Chinooks hope to add to their season win totals on Saturday, again against the Oilers. 

Final Score: Peninsula Oilers 4, Chugiak Chinooks 3