Mat-Su uses a late surge to crush the Bucs 9-0

ANCHORAGE - One day after Miners starter Brandon Downer tossed a 9-inning complete game, the Mat-Su pitching staff allowed zero runs on just two hits.

Right-hand thrower Candon Dahle got his 8th and final start of the regular season. He was elite on Thursday at Mulcahy Stadium. He retired the first 10 batters that he faced; thus, taking a perfect game into the 4th inning. He took a no-hitter into the 5th inning. In fact, the only Buc to record a hit on Thursday was designated hitter Zach Thomas. The big righty had a double in the 5th and a single in the 9th, nobody else for Anchorage recorded a base hit.

Dahle struck out seven batters, including first basemen Dante Turgeon three times. Despite the home team initially giving reliever Larry Westall the win, it was Dahle who notched his third win of the summer.

Westall came in for the 7th inning and retired all six hitters he faced across two innings. Head Coach Ty LeBrun said afterward that once Mat-Su scored five runs in the top of the 9th, putting the sidearmer back out there didn't make sense because it would’ve given the Bucs “another look at him.”

Matthew Lighthall put three runners on with two outs in the 9th, but got shortstop Logan Hokuf to pop up to end the game.

The Miners didn’t score until the 6th frame. With one away, designated hitter Maddox Haley walked. Then second baseman Nolan Tucker went to opposite field on a tailing basehit. Left fielder Alex Pendegrast dove for it but missed big time so the ball went all the way to the corner. Haley, still struggling to run with the ankle injury, scored from first easily and Tucker got all the way to third.

Two batters later, third baseman Kaleb Hannahs sent a hard hit ground ball past the dive of Anchorage third baseman Jaxon Soreson to plate Tucker. It was 2-0.

Mat-Su scored two more times in the 7th: Catcher Steven Lancia laced an RBI double after left fielder Alex Vergara walked to lead off the inning. Vergara, by the way, walked three times. He also had a two-run home run in the 1st inning called foul because the umpires didn’t see it well.

Tucker got Lancia home on an RBI single to make it 4-0. Out of the 6-spot in the order, Tucker was the catalyst on offense on Thursday. (The batting lineup stayed the exact same from Wednesday to Thursday).

The top of the 9th was electric. The green and gold batted around. Five runs came in. Hannahs, shortstop Emilio Barreras, first baseman Cooper Vest, and Lanica had RBIs in the frame.

The Miners improved to 21-15 on the season and 5-4 against the Bucs in the season series. After Thursday, Ty LeBrun’s team is a full game up in the standings and will clinch home field for the first round if they beat the Bucs back in Anchorage on Friday.