Mat-Su falls to Bucs as Anchorage bats get hot late

The Anchorage Bucs have defeated the Mat-Su Miners 4-2 in Anchorage Friday night. The Bucs climbed to 7-1 in the Alaska Baseball League standings while the Miners took a step back again and fell back to 4-3.

The Bucs struggling with runners in scoring position was the story of the night. Neither team had anything in terms of hits in the first three innings, but the Bucs had plenty of chances early, having the bases loaded in the second and fourth innings and scoring zero runs. Anchorage would leave their first eight runners on base stranded.

The Miners took advantage of their only hit of the first five innings when Miners’ third baseman Karson Grout hit an opposite field home run that snuck over the left field wall to take a 2-0 lead.

However, the Miners couldn’t evade the Bucs forever as Anchorage finally scored on a Luke Taylor two RBI double in right center field to tie up the game in the bottom of the seventh. James Provencio followed up Taylor with a pinch-hit RBI single into center field to take the lead for Anchorage.

The Bucs added another run in the eighth, and after two hits in the top of the 9th for Mat-Su, Buc’s reliever Jack Giordano closed the game for Anchorage and secured the 4-2 win at home.

Both the Bucs and Miners have an off day tomorrow, but the Miners play a game at home versus Chugiak before traveling back to Anchorage to replay the Bucs in what will be a massive game for the Miners to not fall in a deeper hole for the top of the ABL standings.

First pitch on Sunday vs the River Chinooks is scheduled for 4 p.m.