June 22, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/Frontiersman

PALMER -Through the first four games of the Alaska Baseball League season, the Mat-Su Miners found just about every way to win a ballgame. On Wednesday, the Miners finally figured out how to lose.

MATT TUNSETH/Frontiersman Mat-Su pitcher Bryce Morrow delivers a pitch during Wednesday’s 5-1 loss to the Athletes in Action Fire at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

Mat-Su looked sluggish Wednesday, managing just six hits and committing two uncharacteristic errors in a 5-1 loss to the Athletes in Action Fire. The loss broke the Miners' four-game winning streak and allowed the Fire to avoid the sweep.

“It's a long process,” Miners head coach Jeff Pritchard said following Wednesday's loss.

The loss was a new feeling for the team, which had taken dramatically different paths to pick up wins through the first four games. The team opened with a blowout win in the season opener, followed that with an extra-innings victory, ran their way to a third win and picked up a fourth by winning ugly.

The eventful start may have had something to do with the team's performance Wednesday, as the Miners couldn't seem to get things going on a hot, muggy evening.

“I think it's an important lesson,” Pritchard said.

While the head coach said it might be good overall for the team to taste defeat, he said he doesn't plan on making the lesson a habit.

“I don't think I want to spend the whole season reciting Aesop's Fables,” he said.

The Fire took an early lead Wednesday against Miners starter Bryce Morrow, picking up two runs in both the first and third innings to go up 4-0. Morrow lasted just three and two thirds innings before giving way to George Brown in the fourth.

Mat-Su mounted a brief rally attempt in the bottom of the sixth when center fielder Carl Uhl doubled off starter Justin Wood and advanced to second on left fielder Ryan Hanlon's single. Uhl scored on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Don Brown, but reliever Bryce Demolee was able to shut the inning down without further damage.

Wood was responsible for much of the Miners' misery, scattering five hits over five and a third innings. AIA's bullpen was nearly flawless, allowing just one hit in three and two thirds.

The Miners didn't help starter Morrow much in the field, committing two errors on the left side of the infield on routine ground balls to third baseman Derek Price and shortstop Derek Helenihi.

“He was getting a ton of ground ball,” Pritchard said of Morrow, who allowed just five hits but also walked five batters.

Pritchard said the loss was simply a case of Mat-Su failing to utilize its strengths - aggressive baserunning, timely hitting, solid defense and sound pitching.

“We didn't get much of a chance to really play our game tonight,” he said.

That wasn't the case Tuesday, as the Miners put themselves in position to win by keeping the pressure on the defense.

The Miners took the lead in the fourth on a passed ball that came after Helenihi advanced first baseman Michael Ewing to third with a sacrifice bunt.

“We put ourselves in position to get some breaks,” Pritchard said.

Mat-Su also added a run in the seventh on a balk, then scored twice more in the eighth to put things away.

Following the 2-1 series win, Pritchard said he's happy with how things are progressing for the squad through one week of play.

“In the first five games we've seen pretty much all phases of the game,” he said.

Miners players have consistently talked about a strong bond that's forming among the team, and on Wednesday Pritchard said he, too, believes that to be the case.

“It's just a group of good people and that's the best you can hope for,” he said.

FIRE 5, MINERS 1 (Wednesday)

ATHLETES IN ACTION

name ab r h bi

McGraw rf 1 1 0 0

Morris dh 5 1 1 0

Keller lf 4 1 2 0

Miller 1b 4 1 0 0

Staples 3b 5 1 2 3

Lancaster c 3 0 1 0

Nieuwenhuis cf 4 0 1 1

Skinner ss 4 0 1 1

Winn 2b 4 0 1 0

Totals 34 5 9 5

MAT-SU

Uhl cf 3 1 1 0

Hanlon lf 4 0 2 0

Brown rf 3 0 0 1

Rasmussen dh 4 0 1 0

MEwing 1b 3 0 1 0

Helenihi ss 4 0 0 0

McConnell c 3 0 0 0

Price 3b 2 0 0 0

Terhune 2b 3 0 1 0

Totals 29 1 6 1

AIA 202 010 000 - 5

MINERS 000 001 000 - 1

E - Price, Helenihi. DP - AIA 2, Miners 1. LOB - AIA 9, Mat-Su 5. 2B - Uhl. SB - Keller (2). CS - McGraw, Winn, Rasmussen. SF: Brown.

AIA IP H R ER BB SO

Wood, W 5.1 5 1 1 1 4

Demolee .2 1 0 0 0 0

Noyes 2 0 0 0 2 0

Tweddale 1 0 0 0 0 0

MAT-SU

Morrow, L 3.2 5 4 3 5 1

Brown 2.1 2 1 0 1 4

Cullen 2 2 0 0 0 1

Montgomery 1 0 0 0 0 2

MINERS 5, FIRE 1 (Tuesday)

ATHLETES IN ACTION

name ab r h bi

Clair 3b 2 0 0 0

Root rf 3 0 0 0

Bando rf 0 0 0 0

Keller lf 4 0 0 0

Miller 1b 3 1 1 1

Morris dh 4 0 2 0

Holinger c 4 0 0 0

Nieuwenhuis cf 4 0 2 0

Skinner ss 3 0 0 0

Winn 2b 3 0 1 0

Totals 30 1 6 1

MAT-SU

Uhl cf 3 0 2 0

McMurray c 4 0 1 0

Brown rf 3 1 0 0

Rasmussen dh 4 2 1 0

MEwing 1b 2 0 0 2

Helenihi ss 2 0 0 2

August lf 4 0 1 0

Price 3b 1 0 0 0

Terhune 2b 4 0 1 0

Totals 26 5 7 2

AIA 000 100 000 - 1

MINERS 010 100 120 - 5

E - Clair, Skinner. LOB - AIA 6, Mat-Su 7. 2B - M. Ewing, Rasmussen, Nieuwenhuis. HR - Miller. SB - Helenihi. CS - Helenihi, August, Clair.

AIA IP H R ER BB SO

Light, L 6.1 5 3 1 4 1

Harper 1.2 2 2 0 3 1

MAT-SU

Rivers, W 6 6 1 1 3 3

Peterson 2 0 0 0 1 3

Erickson 1 0 0 0 1

HBP - By Harper (Price).PB - McMurray, Holinger (2).