Miners Fall to Oilers in Bizarre Ending Sequence

During the ABL's MLB Showcase over the weekend, I remarked on the broadcast that a tie is one of the rarest things in baseball. This came after the Miners and Goldpanners played the requisite seven innings in the exhibition showcase, each scoring three runs.

What I could not have possibly imagined then, what I still can't fully believe now, is that there exists exactly one outcome even rarer than a tie – and three days later, I would witness it.

The Peninsula Oilers defeated the Mat-Su Miners on Tuesday night by a score of 1-1. Yes, you read that correctly. No, there isn't a decimal point or clever turn of phrase hiding the true meaning of that statement. Drew Koenen (0-1) got the loss for an appearance in which he gave up zero runs. How could this happen?

Extra innings.

Let's set the scene. The Miners got off to an early lead in the third after a series of defensive errors let Kellen Strohmeyer come around to score on a Ryan Richard single. The Oilers evened it up an inning later off a Colin Robson home run – his second of the season, both against the Miners.

From there, the game settled into a pattern. The Miners would get runners in scoring position, only for ABL veteran Mose Hayes (1-0) to weasel his way out and keep the game tied. The eighth inning came and went in this way. So did the ninth. So did the tenth.

Then came the eleventh.

The Alaska Baseball League has a unique set of extra innings rules that come into play after the tenth inning. In the eleventh, the home team gets to choose whether to pitch or bat, but it's hardly a choice given the circumstances: sudden death. If the batting team scores, they win. If they don't, even though the game is still tied, the pitching team wins. Hence, winning with a tied score.

The batting team does get one perk, though, a runner on first to start the inning. Blake Balsz, who had struck out with two men on to end the previous inning, started the frame on base. A Hayes wild pitch advanced him to second, where head coach Ty LeBrun pinch-ran Ryker Schow, the ABL's stolen-base leader.

What happened next, no one was prepared for.

Logan Vaughan, at bat to start the inning, flied out. Schow tagged from second and advanced to third, getting there for free after an errant throw from Robson in center field. The ball got away from the third baseman and Schow thought about scoring, but decided against it, content with his place on third with one out.

Unfortunately, he was about to lose that place. Oilers manager Larry McCann started a conference between the umpires, after which it was determined that Schow had tagged and started running before Robson made the catch, thereby rendering him out upon a subsequent throw from Hayes to second base. Even after Hayes stepped off the mound twice in a row without throwing a pitch – a balk, by rule – Schow was called out, and Kellen Strohmeyer promptly struck out to end the game.

The Oilers pitchers dominated to the tune of 10 strikeouts – five apiece by Hayes and Peninsula starter Eddie Leon. The Miners pitchers – Ryan Peterson, Luke Smith, and Koenen – weren't bad either, the lone home run allowed by Peterson notwithstanding. Runs were at a premium, and as it turned out, simply keeping pace with Mat-Su was enough for Peninsula in the end.

The Miners and Oilers still have four more games to go on this road trip, with the second set for Wednesday at 6 PM AKDT.

Tune in to the Mat-Su Miners YouTube channel to follow the action!

Charlie Fellows, 2024 Broadcaster
Mat-Su Miners