FIREFIGHTERS

PALMER — James Allen had to put out a fire Monday night.

The Mat-Su closer forced the final four outs to douse an Athletes in Action rally and save the Miners’ 6-5 win over the Fairbanks-based Fire at Hermon Brothers Field.

Allen, a Kansas State sophomore, allowed a hit and a walk, but struck out two over 1 1/3 innings to grab the save in his Mat-Su Miner debut.

Allen was one of five pitchers used in a marathon of an Alaska Baseball League game, which lasted just about three hours. Gage Smith didn’t allow a hit over 2 2/3 scoreless innings and earned the win in relief.

Mat-Su improved to 3-0 in ABL play, while AIA (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season.

The Miners collected five straight hits during a four-run fifth inning. Four of those five hits drove in runs.

With the score tied at 2, Andy Mee bounced a ball of the bottom of the center field wall to score Bret Schwartz and give the Miners the 3-2 advantage. Nick DeBiasse sliced a hit into left field, and Mee beat the throw to the plate to give the Miners the 4-2 lead. Mat-Su quickly padded its advantage when Pablo Bermudez hooked a ball into the right field corner. DeBiasse scored on the Bermudez double. Bermudez scored when catcher Wesley Thigpen sent a bloop into right that fell like a knuckle ball into the hole. The Thigpen RBI gave the Miners the 6-2 advantage.

AIA cut into Mat-Su’s cushion with three runs in the top of the eighth. The first three Fire hitters of the inning eventually crossed the plate.

Cody Terry walked and scored on a Kellen Bozeman double. Will Watson singled and scored on a Keith DePew ground out. Bozeman crossed home on a passed ball to bring the Fire within one.

After relievers Eric Holmes and Jon Hughes combined for two-thirds of an inning in the eighth, Allen entered the game with two men on and two outs. Allen walked the first hitter he faced, Tyler Windall, but struck out Aaron Parnell to end the inning.

In the ninth, Terry led off the inning with a single, but was caught trying to steal second. Allen retired the next two hitters to record the save.

The Miners took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring both runs with two outs. Bermudez walked and scored on a Thigpen double. Thigpen scored on an AIA wild pitch.

Five different Miners finished with two hits in the game. Thigpen was one of four Miners to drive in runs and led the squad with two RBI.

The game was the first of nine during an eight-day span for the Miners.

Mat-Su hosts the Anchorage Glacier Pilots tonight at 7 p.m. and the Alaska Goldpanners Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Miners have already seen the Pilots four times this season. Mat-Su started the season with three, seven-inning exhibition games against the Anchorage club, and earned a 2-1 league win over the Pilots Saturday in Anchorage. Wednesday will make the Miners’ first meeting of the season with the Fairbanks-based Panners.

Mat-Su’s nine-game stretch also includes a Father’s Day doubleheader against the Anchorage Bucs at Hermon Brothers on Sunday.

Random hits … The Oklahoma Sooners blanked Virginia 11-0 Monday to advance to the NCAA Division I College World Series. That means Mat-Su head coach Russell Raley will be away from the team a bit longer. Raley is an assistant coach on the Sooner staff and has been with his team as they battled through the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Super Regionals. Mat-Su assistant Craig Ringe has served as skipper while the Miners wait for Raley to arrive … Nearly all of the talent on the 2010 roster is in uniform. Players have been trickling in for the past week. Pitchers James Allen (Kansas State), Jon Hughes (Santa Clara) and Joaquin Hinojosa (Texas A&M), catcher David Lyon (Kent State) and outfielder (Matt Ozanne) are now in town. Pitcher Geoffrey Davenport, whose Arkansas Razorbacks were just eliminated from the postseason, is expected to arrive soon. Florida State pitchers Scott Sitz and Robert Bennicasa will be joining Raley in the College World Series. The Seminoles also advanced … Monday night marked Q99.7 Day at the Park. Q99.7’s AM affiliate, 1430 Hometown Radio, is the radio home for the Mat-Su Miners this summer.