For the first time this season, rain washed out an Alaska Baseball League game at Palmer’s Hermon Brothers Field.
Pouring rain — a welcome relief in a state where there are more than 200 wildfires burning — postponed Tuesday night’s game between the Mat-Su Miners and Anchorage Glacier Pilots. It will be made up Friday in a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m. at Hermon Brothers.
“I’m happy about it, to be honest. I think about all the firefighters out there,” Mat-Su Miners general manager Pete Christopher said.
“It hasn’t rained since the players have been here the first week in June.”
A little more than one week remains in the ABL regular season, which ends Friday, July 31. After that comes the Top of the World Tournament, which runs Aug. 1-6 and will culminate in the crowning of a league champion.
Four of the league’s five teams will advance to the tournament, and right now the big question is which team will be left out.
The Miners (22-15 through Monday’s games), Pilots (20-16) and Anchorage Bucs (26-12) are locks to make the tournament. Up for grabs is the final spot, which will go to either the Chugiak Chinooks or the Peninsula Oilers. The Chinooks (13-25 through Monday’s games) lead the Oilers (13-26) by half a game.
Mat-Su is the reigning champion.
Heading into the season’s final stretch, Mat-Su’s Erik Webb is closing in on the batting title. He leads the ABL with a .350 batting average — Peninsula’s Bobby Goodloe and the Bucs’ Chad Castillo are next at .336 – and also leads the league in RBIs and hits, with 29 of each.
The Bucs boast two of the top pitchers in Robert Hamby, who is 5-0 with four saves, and Colton Rendon, who has nine saves and a 0.82 ERA. The Pilots counter with Hunter Rigsby, who leads the ABL with a .076 ERA, and Matthew Sanchez, who has a league-high 44 strikeouts.
Alaska Baseball League standings
Anchorage Bucs 26-12
Mat-Su Miners 22-15
Anchorage Glacier Pilots 20-16
Chugiak Chinooks 13-25
Peninsula Oilers 13-26
Wednesday’s games
Bucs at Oilers, 6 p.m.
Miners at Pilots, 7:10 p.m.
Thursday’s games
Bucs at Oilers, 6 p.m.
Chinooks at Pilots, 7:10 p.m.
Friday’s games
Pilots at Miners (doubleheader), 4 p.m.
Bucs at Oilers, 6 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Pilots at Chinooks, 6 p.m.
Bucs at Oilers, 6 p.m.
Sunday’s games
Bucs at Oilers, 2 p.m.
Pilots at Miners (doubleheader), 2 p.m.
Monday’s game
Pilots at Chinooks, 6 p.m.
Tuesday’s game (July 30)
Chinooks at Miners, 6 p.m.
Wednesday’s game (July 31)
Miners at Chinooks, 6 p.m.
(End regular season)
ABL LEADERS
Batting average (minimum 100 at-bats)
Erik Webb, Miners, .350
Bobby Goodloe, Oilers, .336
Chad Castillo, Bucs, . 336
Cole Tate, Bucs, .303
Camden Vasquez, Oilers, .299
RBIs
Erik Webb, Miners, 29
Matt Ottino, Pilots, 28
Ryan Sullivan, Bucs, 26
Haden Keller, Chinooks, 25
J. Paul Fullerton, Chinooks, 25
Runs
Erik Webb, Miners, 29
Matt Ottino, Pilots, 25
Isaac Barrera, Bucs, 25
Justin Kirby, Miners, 24
Ethan English, Chinooks, 23
Steals
Daylen Calicdan, Pilots, 15
Jess Davis, Chinooks, 14
Malcolm Tipler, Pilots, 11
Coby Boulware, Miners, 11
Earned-run average (minimum 17 innings)
Hunter Rigsby, Pilots, .76
Colton Rendon, Bucs, .82
Calvin Farris, Oilers, 1.04
Jeremy Cook, Bucs, 1.44
Randy Abshier, Miners, 1.52
Kyler Bush, Miners, 1.54
Strikeouts
Matthew Sanchez, Pilots, 44
George Arias, Miners, 41
Randy Abshier, Miners, 40
Zach Sundine, Chinooks, 37
Tyler O’Clair, Chinooks, 34
Innings pitched
Sam Brace, Chinooks, 50.1
Zach Sundine, Chinooks, 43.1
Ian Meijo, Bucs, 41.2
Matthew Sanchez, Pilots, 41.2
Randy Abshier, Miners, 41.1
Wins
Robert Hamby, Bucs, 5
Anderson Needham, Pilots, 4
Saves
Colton Rendon, Bucs, 9
Jacob McNairy, Miners, 7