Anchorage Daily News

If it's the end of July, it must be time for the Mat-Su Miners to make a move in the Alaska Baseball League.

The traditionally slow starters from the Valley are picking up steam once again, sweeping a day-night doubleheader Tuesday from the Anchorage Bucs to inch closer to first place in the standings.

Mat-Su swept the twinbill by winning the first game 4-0 at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer and then 6-4 at Mulcahy Stadium.

Those two wins mean the Miners -- who trailed the league-leading Anchorage Glacier Pilots by five games on July 15 -- are now down 1 1/2 games inside the final week of the regular season.

Part of the reason Mat-Su has made up so much ground is because the Pilots keep getting rained out. But most of it is because the Miners are the hottest team in the ABL.

They completed Tuesday's doubleheader sweep thanks to a three-run seventh inning to break open a 2-2 game in the nightcap.

Mat-Su went ahead 3-2 when Bucs starter Paul Bargas balked in a run after the ball slipped out of his hand on the delivery. That was followed by back-to-back singles and a two-run double from Troy Scott, making it 5-2.

The Bucs got within 5-4 on Paul Goldschmidt's RBI double in the seventh inning, but the Miners answered with Kyle Jensen's sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the eighth.

In the first game, David Rowse threw eight shutout innings and Pat Minogue doubled in two runs to highlight a three-run eighth inning.

Bucs starter Mark Joukoff was the hard-luck loser, giving up one run on six inning over seven innings. Reliever Gavin Logsdon coughed up the other three runs.

Getting back to the Pilots, a team official said Tuesday's postponed doubleheader would be made up only if it affects the league title.

Given how well the Miners are playing right now, anything is possible.

ADVERTISEMENT