Miners Snap Skid in Tight Mulcahy Win

A rainy weekend in the Anchorage area meant both the combatants in Monday's game were coming off long periods of inactivity. For Mat-Su, a deflating 4-1 loss to the Glacier Pilots gave way to an eventual three-day break, while the Bucs lost the second leg of the annual Mayor's Cup series against their Mulcahy Stadium roommates and had to wait as well. Offensively, the rust definitely showed, but the Miners ground out a 1-0 win – their third win this season by such a score – nonetheless.

In the first inning, it looked like Mat-Su would return to its offensively dominant ways. Drake Kerr led off the game with a walk, followed by a Chase Wilcox single and Kyle McCausland walk to load the bases with none out. Bucs starter Wyatt Halvorson (1-4) coaxed a force out at home off a Christian Perez grounder, but Dom Patrizi drove Wilcox in with one of his own to put the Miners on top.

From there, the tenor of the game would completely change. Jack Hostetler (3-2) cruised through the first inning, before navigating out of a jam in the second by leaving two Bucs in scoring position. The Miners' lockdown arm became the first pitcher in the ABL season to reach 30 strikeouts, and ended his five-inning, two-hit, zero-run start with five K's in total.

The Bucs were not without their chances, as illustrated by the home team outhitting Mat-Su 4-3 despite the loss. Ben DeTaeye allowed a handful more baserunners during his customary long relief appearance but kept the strikeout intact. After his removal in the eighth, Ryan Harrahill and Drew Koenen (SV, 2) didn't even afford Anchorage the luxury of baserunners.

Meanwhile, the Miners' offense went similarly silent. Halvorson lasted just three innings, but Chad Gurnea threw four scoreless frames in his stead while allowing just one hit before Jeremiah Arnett closed the final two Mat-Su innings. In total, the Miners managed three hits and had multiple men on base just twice, but with the masterclass provided on the other side of the ball, it was enough for Mat-Su's first win against the Bucs in five tries.

The win snaps a four-game skid and gets the Miners back to .500 at 13-13, now 4.5 games back of the 17-8 Bucs. Mat-Su will hope to close the gap a bit more with a win on Tuesday against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. To follow the action, head down to Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage or tune in to the Mat-Su Miners' YouTube channel!

Charlie Fellows, 2024 Broadcaster
Mat-Su Miners