Alaska Baseball

Weekend baseball series will decide season winner between Bucs, Pilots

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots and the Anchorage Bucs will meet this weekend in a three-game Alaska Baseball League series that will decide the season-series winner.

The Bucs and Pilots are 4-4 against each other going into the series, which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Mulcahy Stadium.

Those games will mark the last time the Pilots will play at Mulcahy during the regular season, which ends July 30 and will be followed by postseason playoffs at various ballparks. The Bucs will play eight of their final 10 regular-season games at Mulcahy.

Based on statistics going into Wednesday's games, the Bucs and Pilots boast three of the league's four players who are hitting .300 or better — Jake Vieth of the Bucs, who is hitting an ABL-best .376, and Ryan Knowles (.342) and Marc Mumper (.330) of the Pilots. The league's other .300-plus hitter is Mat-Su's Spencer Henson.

Henson, a first baseman from Oral Roberts, leads the league in two categories — RBIs with 26 and home runs with six.

Jordan Arruda of the Pilots, an infielder from Fresno State, also leads two categories with 32 runs scored and 17 stolen bases.

Among pitchers, league-leaders include Jared Reklaitis of the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks, who has struck out 43 batters; Mike Lopez of the Peninsula Oilers, who owns a .54 earned-run average; and Bryce Tassin of the Miners, who has seven saves.

ADVERTISEMENT

ABL standings

Mat-Su Miners 21-14
Peninsula Oilers 19-16
Anchorage Bucs 16-17
Glacier Pilots 15-17
Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks 14-21

Upcoming games

Thursday

Oilers at Bucs, 7 p.m., Mulcahy Stadium
Pilots at Chinooks, 7 p.m., Lee Jordan Field

Friday

Oilers at Miners, 6 p.m., Hermon Brothers Field
Pilots at Bucs, 7 p.m., Mulcahy Stadium

Saturday

Miners at Chinooks, 6 p.m., Lee Jordan Field
Bucs at Pilots, 7:10 p.m., Mulcahy Stadium

Sunday

Pilots at Bucs, 2 p.m., Mulcahy Stadium
Chinooks at Miners, 3 p.m. (doubleheader)

Statistical leaders

(Top 5 entering Wednesday's games)

Batting average

Jake Vieth, Bucs .376
Spencer Henson, Miners, .348
Ryan Knowles, Pilots, .342
Marc Mumper, Pilots, .330
Jordan Arruda, Pilots, .293

RBIs

Spencer Henson, Miners, 26
Jake Vieth, Bucs, 22
Austin Pinorini, Miners, 21
Anthony Forte, Oilers, 19
Dominic Foscalina, Pilots, 19

Runs

Jordan Arruda, Pilots, 32
Willy Escala, Bucs, 26
Kona Quiggle, Miners, 24
Ryan Koch, Oilers, 22
2 with 20

Home runs

ADVERTISEMENT

Spencer Henson, Miners, 6
Ryan Koch, Oilers, 5
Jake Vieth, Bucs, 4
6 with 2

Steals

Jordan Arruda, Pilots, 17
Drew Swift, Miners, 13
Marc Mumper, Pilots, 9
Gregory Ozuna, Chinooks, 9
Bailey Collins, Chinooks, 8

Earned-run average

Mike Lopez, Oilers, .54
Adam Seminaris, Bucs, .60
Cole Cook, Pilots, 1.25
Josh Haley, Miners, 1.84
Grant Cox, Bucs, 1.91

Strikeouts

Jared Reklaitis, Chinooks, 43
Tevin Murray, Oilers, 36
Josh Haley, Miners, 35
Andrew Almquist, Chinooks, 33
3 with 32

Saves

Bryce Tassin, Miners, 7
River Carbone, Chinooks, 6
Bret Ricklefs, Oilers, 4
Adrian Mardueno, Bucs, 4
2 with 2

ADVERTISEMENT