Down by two runs with their backs against the wall, the Anchorage Glacier Pilots battled back to force extra innings and beat the Peninsula Oilers 8-7 in a thrilling Alaska Baseball League victory late Monday night at Mulcahy Stadium.
Tony Asaro's sacrifice fly to right field scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning to help the Pilots win their fourth straight.
But their fifth victory in six games wouldn't have occurred without Bryan Haar's two-RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
His base knock scored Jonathan Jones and Joe Terdoslavich and tied the game at 7.
In the 11th, Matt Harughty led the inning off with a double. He advanced to third and Asaro lifted one deep enough to right field to score the University of Oklahoma junior.
The victory put the Pilots (13-5 overall, 6-4 ABL) atop the league standings for the first time this season.
Taiwanese pitcher holds Bucs to one hit
Taiwanese pitcher Li Chia-Hang welcomed himself to the United States on Monday by one-hitting the Anchorage Bucs in a 4-3 non-league victory at Mulcahy Stadium.
Li issued seven walks and struck out none for Taiwan, a college team here on an eight-game road trip against Alaska Baseball League teams. But he gave up one run on two hits over seven innings to give the Bucs their fifth straight loss.
Bucs starter Chad Nading, a former East High star, lasted just 2 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits.
But Red Patterson relieved Nading (1-1) and quieted Taiwan's hitting after by tossing 6 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Bucs cut Taiwan's lead to 4-3 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on Corey Steglich's RBI single. The rally quickly came to an end and the Bucs dropped their fifth straight one-run loss.
Panners 7, Miners 0
Jon Pokorny pitched six no-hit innings Monday as the Fairbanks Goldpanners starter shut out the Mat-Su Miners at Growden Memorial Park.
Kyle Jensen broke up Pokorny's no-no bid with a single in the seventh. The Miners finished with just one hit.
Four of the Panners' three hits were home runs. Jeremy Gillan crushed two solo home runs and Matt Newman ripped a three-run shot for a five-run fourth inning.