Bucs use deep ball to sink Miners

Mat-Su's bid for an Alaska Baseball League title took a hit Sunday as the Miners fell to the Anchorage Bucs 7-4 at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Miners' starter Chris Wietlispach, who had been nearly flawless this summer, was hammered by the Anchorage lineup. Wietlispach started the game with a league-leading 0.48 earned run average, but allowed eight hit and seven runs.

Anchorage used a pair of home runs to snap ties, hand Wietlispach his second loss of the year, and push the Miners to 16-15 in ABL play and four games behind the league-leading Peninsula Oilers.

With the score tied 2-2 in the third, Ike Davis put the Bucs ahead with a two-run homer.

With the score tied once again, this time at 4-4, Dustin Hood cracked a three-run homer over the Mulcahy wall in the seventh.

Mat-Su, in action after a rare two-day rest, scored twice in the top half of the first to take the early lead. Joe Ercolano, Travis Coulter and Donald Brown posted consecutive singles to load the bases, and Brent Milleville singled to score Mat-Su's first run. Paul Gran's sacrifice drove in another Mat-Su run.

Gran notched a run-scoring triple in the fifth.

Season winding down

The Mat-Su Miners have only two home games left on the 2006 schedule.

The Miners have a few special promotions planned for the final games of the season.

Wednesday, when the Miners hosts AIA at 6 p.m., is UPS Day at the Park. Free tickets are available at the UPS Store. It is also the Miners' fan appreciation night. The club will open the gates at 3:15 p.m., and allow fans to watch batting practice, score autographs of their favorite players or picture with their favorite players.

On Saturday in the regular season finale, the Miners host the Alaska Goldpanners at 5 p.m. Grandview Inn and Suites is the sponsor of the day at the park. The game was originally schedule for June 26, but cancelled due to weather. Tickets for thoriginal date will be honored on Saturday.

Mat-Su plays its final road game of the season on Friday, traveling to Anchorage to face the Glacier Pilots at Mulcahy Stadium. The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m.

- Jeremiah Bartz