Late runs give Anchorage win

PALMER — The Anchorage Glacier Pilots scored three late runs to grab a 6-5 win over the Mat-Su Miners at Hermon Brothers Field on Thursday.

Tony Asaro and Jonathon Jones drove in runs in the eighth inning, and Joseph Terdoslavich scored the eventual game-winner to give the Pilots (19-9) their sixth win over the season over the Miners (13-14).

The victory also gave the league-leading Pilots a four-game lead over the second-place Peninsula Oilers (14-13).

The Miners, trailing by two runs going into the bottom of the ninth, had the tying on board in the final inning.

Troy Scott opened the ninth with a triple to deep center field and scored a Tyson Jaquez sacrifice fly to cut the score to 6-5.

Jordin Hood followed with a double, but was left stranded on second base.

Mat-Su collected 12 hits in the win. Scott led the Miners going 3-for-5. Kyle Jensen, D.J. Gentile and Steve Domecus each had two hits.

Anchorage left fielder Carl Uhl, a former Mat-Su Miner, reached on a bunt single and scored on a Todd Sebek double to give the Pilots the 1-0 lead in the top of the third, and Scott answered with a run-scoring single in the bottom of the inning to tie the score for the Miners.

Sebek was central to a bit of controversy in the sixth inning. The right fielder reached on an error and appeared to be gunned down at second base by Domecus, Mat-Su’s catcher, who was covering on the play.

After the ball got by Scott at first base, Domecus ran and slid to the ball, and then made the throw to catch Sebek at second. But as Sebek prepared to walk back to the visitor’s dugout, the home plate umpire ruled that the ball had gone under the fence that boarders the first base side, and out of play. The Mat-Su coaching staff argued, contending that the Domecus grabbed the ball while the play was still alive.

Sebek, ruled safe, eventually scored to give Anchorage the 2-1 lead.

Domecus and Sean Rockey each drove in runs for the Miners in the sixth to tie the score at 3-3, and Mat-Su took the 4-3 lead in the seventh on Gentile’s RBI-triple.

Charles Ruiz was tagged with the loss after allowing two earned runs in two innings of work.

Jeremy Atkins started the game for the Miners, allowing five hits and one earned run in six innings.

The Miners now have a busy few days at Hermon Brothers starter with an abbreviated doubleheader today at 3 p.m. against the AIA Fire.

AIA and Mat-Su will finish a game that was suspended due to rain in the seventh inning on Tuesday. The two rivals will continue play in the seventh with the game tied 2-2. A seven-inning game will follow at 5 p.m.

Mat-Su and the Anchorage Bucs will continue another suspended game on Saturday at 3 p.m. This contest was postponed due to darkness in the 13th inning with the score tied 3-3 on July 15.

A nine-inning game will follow at 6 p.m.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.