Miners bounce Bucs, stay undefeated

ANCHORAGE — The Mat-Su Miners have opened the 2015 summer season with five straight victories, and remain as the lone undefeated team in the Alaska Baseball League.

So far, stellar starting pitching is a big reason for such a strong start.

Sunday, Mat-Su starter Eli Morgan pitched five scoreless innings to help lead the Miners to a 6-3 win over the Anchorage Bucs at Mulcahy Stadium. Miners starting pitchers have now combined to work 18 straight innings without allowing a run. Friday, Calvin LeBrun pitched seven scoreless during a victory over Chugiak. Saturday, Zach Warren followed with six shutout innings during another win over the Chinooks.

“We challenged the starting pitchers in the first pitchers meeting, (Miners pitching coach Matt Greely) and I,” Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor said. “We demanded that every starting pitcher go out and give us between 18 and 21 outs a night. That’s what their job is.”

And that’s exactly what the Miners have seen from their starters during the first three league games of the season. LaBrun fanned seven, while allowing four hits and no walks. Warren also struck out seven, and allowed only two hits and a walk. Morgan fanned five hitters, allowed two hits and walked on batter.

“I’m more pleased how they’ve navigated through innings. We’ve done a good job winning even counts (0-0, 1-1, 2-2), and haven’t walked a ton of guys,” Taylor said.

The Miners have also been able to give the starting pitchers some run support. Sunday, Alex Caruso led off the game with a single, and scored on a Jake Schleppenbach ground out to give Mat-Su a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

The Miners tacked on two in the fifth, and never trailed.

Brick Paskiewcz, Vance Vizcaino and Hunter Simmons each finished with a pair of hits in the victory. Caruso scored twice. Paskiewcz, Schleppenbach and Simmons all drove in runs.

After an off-day Monday, the Miners start a stretch of eight games in seven days tonight with a match against the Anchorage Glaicer Pilots at 7 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field. During that stretch, the Miners host the Pilots tonight, Wednesday and next Monday. The stretch also includes four games against the Pilots in Anchorage. The rivals play a doubleheader Friday starting at six, the annual summer solstice game Saturday night with first pitch at 10 a.m. and again Sunday at 6 p.m. in Anchorage.

In the middle of that stretch is a home game against the Peninsula Oilers Thursday at 6 p.m.