The opening game of the Alaska Baseball League playoffs turned into a pitchers' duel Thursday, with Mat-Su Miners starter Connor Higgins leading his team to a 4-1 victory over the Anchorage Bucs.
Higgins held the Bucs to one run and five hits in 61/3 innings to earn the win in the first game of the playoff series. The left-hander tallied three strikeouts and walked two batters at Hermon Brothers Field.
"Today felt like I had a good three-pitch mix for the first time this summer," Higgins said. "All three pitches were really in the zone today. The couple hits I gave up were hanging changeups, but the fastball was my saving grace today."
The Miners and Bucs meet again Friday at 2 p.m. If the Bucs win, a second game will follow to determine the winner of the best-of-3 series.
Thursday's other playoff game, between the Peninsula Oilers and the Anchorage Glacier Pilots in Kenai, was rained out. The teams agreed to turn that best-of-3 series into a one-game playoff that begins Friday at 3 p.m.
The winners of the two playoffs meet in the best-of-3 Top of the World Series, which begins with a 6 p.m. game Saturday in Palmer. The series wraps up Sunday.
In Mat-Su's win, Angelo Armenta got the Miners going in the third inning when he drove a 1-2 fastball 370 feet over the right-field fence for his second home run of the summer.
Levi Jordan and Armenta led the Miners offense with two hits apiece. Garrison Schwartz added an RBI and a run.
For the Bucs, catcher Alex Guenette provided the bulk of the offense with two hits in three at-bats, and designated hitter Steven Sensley reached base twice.
Josh Grissom is a University of Idaho student who is interning this summer as a media manager with the Mat-Su Miners.