Bucs edge Miners in 11 innings

PALMER — Anchorage need extra innings, but the Bucs found a way to slip past the Mat-Su Miners.

Todd Lott led off the bottom of the 11th with a triple and scored on Cole Kleszcz to lift the Bucs to a 7-6 win over the Miners Saturday night in Anchorage.

Mat-Su (7-3) scored twice in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 6. Miners reliever Thaddeus Ward retired the side in the bottom of the frame to force extra innings.

With the Miners trailing 6-4, Austin Bull led of the ninth with a single. Quinn Cotton and Justin Ammons followed, with both reaching on Anchorage errors. With the bases loaded, and Elijah MacNamee hit into a fielder’s choice and both Bull and Cotton scored to tie the game at 6.

Mat-Su led twice during the loss. Blake Benefield hit a solo shot, his Alaska Baseball League-leading fourth home run of the summer, in the top of the fourth to give the Miners a 1-0 lead. Anchorage scored twice in the bottom of the inning to take a 2-1 advantage, but the Miners jumped back in front with three in the top of the sixth.

Austin Dennis walked and scored to tie the game at 2. Nick Brooks reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on a Ryan Haug double to give Mat-Su the 3-2 lead. Haug also scored on a Rainer Ausmus double in the inning.

Mat-Su finished with 10 hits in the loss. Benefield was 3 for 5 to lead the Miners. Seven other Mat-Su players finished with one hit. Ward was tagged with the loss in relief, after allowing 5 hits and two earned runs over 3 1/3.

Mat-Su returns to Anchorage to face the Glacier Pilots Sunday at 7 p.m. at Mulcahy.