The Miners enter coming off of a great pitching performance by Matt Applegate (Jr./Kansas St.) in game two of yesterday's doubleheader. Applegate retired the first ten Fire batters he faced, and only allowed two hits in the contest. Even more impressive was how efficient Applegate was, using only 70 pitches to go the distance in the seven-inning contest. The win moved Applegate to 3-0 on the season.
Applegate's performance, coupled with some strong Miner-offense, helped the Green and Gold snap a two-game losing streak. It was just the Miners second losing streak of the season. The Miners jumped out early, as Stephen Branca (Jr./Tennessee Wesleyan) tripled to centerfield, to score Michael Gerlach (So./Cabrillo).
An inning later, the wheels came off for Fire starter David Hayes (Jr./UAB). Hayes battled control issues early, and allowed four different Miners to drive runs home in the second inning. Hayes was able to retire just one hitter before giving way to the bullpen.
The Miners were able to pound out eight hits in the contest, with Ryan Ford (So./Mid. Ten. St.) and Michael Suiter (HS Sr./Punahou HS) each having multiple hits.
Game one was not as kind to the Miners. After racing out to an early 3-0 lead, the Miners watched the Fire tie and take the lead. In the 3rd, the Fire scored three times against starting pitcher Brendan Lobban (Jr./St. John's). Lobban would exit the game following the inning, turning things over to the bullpen. Ben Graff (Fr./San Francisco) was excellent in relief. The 6'6'', 260 lbs. lefty retired eight straight before allowing Marshall McDonald (Jr./Montreat College) to reach on a strikeout wild-pitch, that also included an error.
That would prove costly, as the following hitter would walk. That set the stage for a struggling Jerrod Eigsti (Jr./Bradley), who would help his team cash in by hitting a double into the left-center gap. The hit trickled all the way to the fence after another error, and scored two runs. In the seventh the Miners went in order, dropping the game 5-3.
The Oilers enter winners of their last two. Thursday night the Oilers dropped the first half of a doubleheader against the Bucs 4-2 in 10 innings. Game two of the doubleheader again went extra innings, but with the Oilers breaking a scoreless tie to win 1-0.
Last night the Oilers held off the Bucs 3-2, after the Bucs plated two ninth-inning runs. Jordan Mills (Fr./St. Mary's) picked up the victory, working 5 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. The Oilers finished with 11 hits in the game, including three from Mike Miller (RS Jr./Cal Poly SLO). Tanner Rust (Fr./New Mexico St.) went 1-for-2 with a double and two-runs scored in the game.
The Miners are expected to start lefty Mark Anderson (So./BYU) in game one. Anderson last pitched on Sunday against the Fire, leaving the game after four innings and allowing just one run. Anderson went on to take a no-decision in the contest, as the Miners would lose the game 6-5. Anderson enters the game with an ERA of 2.12 and is tied for the team lead in wins with three. This season in ABL play Anderson has allowed just one earned run in 12 innings pitched.
ABL Standings
- Mat-Su Miners 12-7 --
- Anchorage Bucs 10-8 1
- Peninsula Oilers 9-6 1.5
- AIA Fire 8-11 4
- Anchorage Pilots 7-14 6
Tonight's Game: Miners (12-7) at Oilers (9-6)
First-pitch: 7:00 p.m. from Coral Seymour Park in Kenai.
Media: Matt Dudas and Michael Broskowski have the call, beginning at 6:50 p.m. with the Mat-Su Miners Pre-Game Show. Fans can listen to the broadcast on www.matsuminers.org and www.1430hometownradio.com.
Pre-Game Guest: Michael Broskowski will talk to Miners' left-hander David Gibson.
Tomorrow's Game: The Miners and Oilers meet in game two of the series at 1:00 p.m.
-Matt Dudas
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