Anchorage Daily News

PALMER -- Sunny skies mixed with slanting rain created a bright rainbow over Hermon Brothers Field on Friday.

But in the matchup of the Alaska Baseball League's top two teams, only the Athletes in Action Fire seemed blessed from above.

Helped by four errors, AIA downed the ABL-leading Mat-Su Miners 6-3.

The Miners' uncharacteristically sloppy performance not only gave AIA the win, it also created a tie atop the ABL standings. AIA moved to 15-6, while the Miners dropped to 14-5.

Miners' starter Alex Rivers gave up six runs in 5 2/3 innings, but just one was earned. Two Miners' gaffes in the sixth helped AIA put up four runs for a 6-1 lead.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Kevin Winn, Errol Holinger and Jamie McGraw each hit RBI singles for AIA in the sixth.

"You're not going to win too many games with four errors," Miners coach Jeff Pritchard said.

AIA, by contrast, looked sharp and polished -- quite a change compared to the cellar-dwelling AIA teams of the past few seasons.

AIA starter Kyle Matkaitis pitched six innings, allowing one run on just one hit, with three strikeouts and three walks.

The Miners were held to just three hits.

Bucs 11, Pilots 2

Clay Calfee and Gabe Jacobo each banged out four hits Friday to help the Bucs take the lead in the season series with the rival Anchorage Glacier Pilots to open the first ABL/MLB Scout Showcase at Mulcahy Stadium.

The pair combined to drive in eight runs and each player homered. Calfee rounded out the scoring with an RBI single in the ninth.

Bucs starter Donald Brant went 7 2/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits in a game that started a half hour late because of rain.

Cody Neer doubled twice and had three hits and an RBI for the Pilots.

The Bucs lead the season series with the Pilots 4-3.

Quadruple header on tap today at Mulcahy

Rain washed out the two games of the ABL/MLB Scout Showcase scheduled at Mulcahy Stadium on Friday. As a result, the park will host four games today starting at 10 a.m.

First up is a seven-inning game between Oilers and Goldpanners. At about 12:30 p.m. the Oilers and Pilots will play. At 4 p.m. Goldpanners and Miners take the field. The Bucs and Fire complete the day's action at 7 p.m.

Admission for the entire day is $5.