Miners Rally for Win on Final Day in Kenai

The first four games of the five-game set between the Mat-Su Miners and Peninsula Oilers yielded some of the most entertaining, unpredictable, and downright bewildering baseball in the ABL this season. They did not, however, yield a Miners win.

On Saturday night, however, that changed, as Mat-Su returned to its winning ways by cruising to a 9-4 win. The victory was reminiscent of the Miners that fans in Palmer had come to know from the first week-and-change of the season: solid pitching, dependable defense, and clutch, uncontainable offense.

The scoring got started in the second inning, when a Nick Bisaccia ground out helped outfielder Kyle McCausland score from third. His name will feature prominently in the rest of this overview.

At first, Peninsula looked like it would hang around and make this another close game. Tucker Timmerman (1-0) allowed a one-out triple to Oilers right fielder Aiden Sullivan, who then came in to tie it up on a Cole Dawson ground out.

In the third, McCausland would return to center stage. Oilers starter Aaron Morris (0-1) got into a bind after issuing back-to-back walks to put Blake Balsz and Dom Patrizi aboard, and was removed from the game. Resultingly, McCausland got to dig in against Morris' replacement, Cameron Teper. The Massachusetts native wasted little time blasting a two-run double to score both of Morris' inherited runners and give Mat-Su a lead it would not relinquish.

The Miners tacked on a couple more in the fifth thanks to a Chase Wilcox RBI single and a fielding error from Peninsula left fielder Elijah Vogelsong-Lewis, before the bottom of the following inning brought a seemingly routine dose of controversy. With runners on second and third and two out, catcher Andres Mitat batted against reliever Nolan Murphy. A pitch appeared to get fouled off of the handle of Mitat's bat, but the home plate umpire inexplicably ruled it a fair ball and allowed the runner on third to score. After some objections from Miners catcher Brandyn Durand and manager Ty LeBrun and a lengthy conference, the umpires eventually reversed the call and continued the at-bat. Mitat would ultimately draw a walk before designated hitter (and game one starting pitcher) Eddie Leon struck out to leave the bases loaded.

In the seventh, things got briefly dicey for the Miners. Aidan Dolinsky, inserted into the game after Murphy's two-inning stint, allowed a single and back-to-back walks to load the bases, followed by a Zakary Farris single and Sullivan fielder's choice that scored a pair of Oiler runs. Vogelsong-Lewis would then score on a brilliantly executed double steal before Dolinsky escaped the inning with no further damage.

After that, however, the game would take an unexpected turn. Having seemingly depleted his entire roster of arms, Oilers head coach Larry McCann was forced to start the eighth inning with catcher Brock Wirthgen on the mound. Wirthgen struggled with command, walking the first three batters he faced before Ryker Schow hit an RBI single. That knock chased Wirthgen from the game before he recorded an out. His replacement, infielder Ty Thomas, was significantly more playable, surrendering a two-run Brandyn Durand single and nothing else for the remainder of the contest. Unfortunately for his Oilers, the five-run deficit was too much to overcome.

The Miners set a season-high with thirteen strikeouts – eight for Timmerman, two for Hayden Hattenbach, and one each for Murphy, Dolinsky, and Drew Koenen. The inverse was the case for the Oilers, who issued a season-high ten walks. Kyle McCausland led the way for Mat-Su's bats, reaching four times with two doubles, two runs, and two RBIs. The five-run margin of victory means that, amazingly, the Miners finish the road trip with a total run differential of +1, despite losing four of the five games.

Sunday is an off day for Mat-Su, but Monday will see the return of baseball action to Hermon Brothers Field as the Miners play host to the ABL-leading Anchorage Bucs.

To watch the action, head down to the field or tune in to the Mat-Su Miners on YouTube!

Charlie Fellows, 2024 Broadcaster
Mat-Su Miners