Goldpanners bomb Miners

FAIRBANKS — A long day on the bus followed by a long night at Growden Field combined for a rough start to the Mat-Su Miners’ three-day road trip to the Interior.

Casey Munoz smacked a grand slam to spark a seven-run second inning and lead the Alaska Goldpanners to a 9-2 win over the Miners at Growden Park in Fairbanks.

The Panners (20-12) took the Alaska Baseball League lead with the win, and the Miners (19-13) were pushed into third with the loss. The Anchorage Bucs improved to 20-13 and snuck into second with an 8-3 win over the Chugiak Chinooks Thursday.

Mat-Su is now a half-game behind Anchorage and a full-game behind the Panners in the standings.

The Miners’ long Thursday started with a 9 ½-hour ride on the team bus from the Valley to Fairbanks. The game’s start time was pushed from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday evening.

The three-horse race for the ABL title continues today when Mat-Su and Alaska meet in a doubleheader at 5 and 7:30 p.m. in Fairbanks. The rivals cap the regular season in Fairbanks Saturday night.

The Anchorage Bucs play at Chugiak today at 6 p.m.

Gio Brusa hit a solo home run for the Miners and led Mat-Su with two hits. Patrick McGrath also had a pair of hits and an RBI for Mat-Su.