Sports

A recap of action in the Alaska Baseball League through games of July 21

WEDNESDAY IN THE ABL

Noon — Fairbanks Goldpanners at Mat-Su Miners, Hermon Brothers Field

7 p.m. — Fairbanks Goldpanners at Anchorage Glacier Pilots, Mulcahy Stadium

AROUND THE HORN

MONDAY'S GAMES

PANNERS SWEEP BUCS

The streaking Fairbanks Goldpanners used a pair of one-run road victories over the Anchorage Bucs on Monday to extend their lead on the Bucs in the Alaska Baseball League's American League to 2 1/2 games.

The Panners, who have won five straight games and 14 of their last 15, took the opener, 2-1 in eight innings of a game scheduled for seven, at Mulcahy Stadium. They won the second game, 3-2 in seven innings.

Ryan Clark led off the eighth inning of the first game with a double off Bucs reliever Alex Godzak and scored the unearned winning run on two Anchorage errors. That made a winner of Fairbanks reliever Luke Barker (3-1), who pitched two innings of scoreless relief. Panners starter Mike Benson allowed just two hits and one run in six innings, and struck out six.

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Bucs starter Bret Marks went seven innings, permitting one hit and one run, and striking out seven. Mark Krueger led off the Bucs' fifth inning with a home run.

In the nightcap, Jacob Hayes blasted a two-run homer, his seventh bomb this summer, and also drew two walks. He's hitting .369, with 42 runs and 34 RBIs in just 32 games.

Joel Belk (4-0) went five innings for the win and Miles Chambers picked up his second save.

PILOTS TOP OILERS

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots blew open a tied game with five runs in the top of the ninth inning Monday and racked a 9-4 road win over the Peninsula Oilers at Seymour Park.

In the big inning, Chester Pak furnished an RBI triple, Kevin Viers and Riley Adams contributed RBI singles and Shaun Wood chipped in an RBI double. Viers scored on an error in the inning.

Viers went 2 for 5, scored three runs and drove in three runs.

MINERS THUMP CHINOOKS

Terence Connelly drove in three runs, and Jordan Rodgers, Cameron Newell and Matt Decker drove in two runs each Monday night to lift the National League-leading Mat-Su Miners to a 12-1 road win over the Chugiak Chinooks at French Field.

Newell went 3 for 6 to raise his average to .366. He drove in two runs to give him 38 RBIs in just 29 games and also scored twice, as did Connelly and Rodgers.

Mat-Su starter Ryan Hendrix (3-1) pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing just four hits and fanning seven.

REMEMBERING A LEGEND

Dick Lobdell, the long-time radio voice of the Glacier Pilots, who died at 76 in February, will be honored Wednesday night at Mulcahy Stadium before the Pilots entertain the Fairbanks Goldpanners, a club whose games Lobdell also broadcast.

Lobdell, who worked in radio in Fairbanks and Anchorage for more than 40 years, both as a sports broadcaster and DJ, sprinkled his baseball broadcasts with expertise, stories, history and whimsy, all delivered in a deep, kind voice. He also broadcast UAA sports and was the voice of the Anchorage Northern Knights pro basketball team. Lobdell was inducted in the Alaska Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1995.

Van Williams of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in a story on Lobdell's passing nailed it: "He was our Vin Scully.''

State senator Kevin Meyer and Representative Bill Stoltze will present a legislative citation to Lobdell's family and the Pilots. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m.

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