Miners break out of slump

ANCHORAGE — The Mat-Su Miners spent most of last week stuck in a slump.

The Miners played six games in four days. Five of those were road games and four came in doubleheaders played on back-to-back nights early in the week. Mat-Su struggled at the plate throughout the week, scoring only 10 runs while hitting a combined .167.

But on Friday, the Mat-Su bats came alive and the Miners smacked their way to an 8-2 win over the Anchorage Bucs at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

“They really looked like they were enjoying themselves,” Mat-Su head coach Russell Raley said of his team. “We had a couple of days before where a couple of things didn’t go our way. I really think they were tired and worn out.”

The rejuvenated Miners used a burst of offense to bounce the Bucs after consecutive losses to Anchorage. Mat-Su scored its eight runs on 11 hits. Seven of thos hits were four extra bases.

“Start racking up extra bases hits and good things can happen,” Raley said. “They were all hit well.”

Mat-Su catcher Wes Thigpen doubled three times and the Miners finished with four triples in the win.

“The extra-base hits were big,” Raley said. “I haven’t been involved in too many games where a team had four triples. That’s a pretty neat deal.”

Pablo Bermudez tripled twice in the win, and Andy Mee and Bret Schwartz also contributed a three-bagger each.

The Miners took a 3-2 lead into the seventh and did much of their damage in that inning, scoring four times in the top of the frame.

Matt Wessinger, who was 4-for-4 during a loss to Anchorage on Thursday, led off the seventh with a single and scored on Tyler Ruch’s hit.

Ruch later scored on Mee’s triple, and Nick DeBiasse walked and scored on Bermudez’ second triple of the game.

Mee scored his run during the seventh on an Anchorage passed ball.

The Miners took a 1-0 lead in the second when Bermudez tripled and scored on a Thigpen double. In the third, Mat-Su led 2-1 after Schwartz tripled and scored on Mee’s run-scoring single.

Mee, who also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth, led the Miners with four RBI in the win.

With the Miners producing at the plate, Mat-Su starter Joe Bircher silenced the Bucs’ bats. Bircher, who improved to a team-best 3-0 with the win, allowed four hits and two earned runs during 5 1/3 innings of work.

“I thought Joe did a good job,” Raley said. “He kept the ball down in the zone.”

The Bucs threatened in the sixth, but Mat-Su reliever Gage Smith helped the Miners escape a bases loaded jam.

Early in the innings, the Pilots tagged Bircher for a pair of hits. Dominic Piazza led off with a double and scored on a Zach Vincej single.

Smith entered the game, but loaded with bases when he struck Eddie Rohan with a pitch. With the bases loaded, Smith retired consecutive hitters to get the Miners out of the inning.

James Allen and Mee combined for three innings of scoreless relief.

The win snapped Mat-Su’s two-game losing streak. The Miners had lost five of their last six, and dropped to third in the Alaska Baseball League standings.

After playing on six consecutive days — the Miners hosted the Anchorage Adult All-Stars in a nonleague exhibition game on Saturday — the team has two days off. Mat-Su returns to the diamond Tuesday for a doubleheader against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage. Game 1 starts at 5 p.m.

Miners add infielder

The Miners have added infielder Reagan Moczygemba to the roster, Raley said on Saturday.

Moczygemba hails from a University of St. Mary’s program that also includes Jonathon Cisneros, who played first base for the Miners last season.

Moczygemba started 56 of his team’s 59 games during the 2010 season and hit .355 with 41 RBI and 41 runs scored for the Division II program.

“He’s put up good numbers the past couple years,” Raley said.

Moczygemba earned second-team All-Heartland Conference honors at shortstop as a junior.

Moczygemba is a shortstop by trade, Raley said, but can play about anywhere on the diamond. He spent a chunk of his time in the outfield for the Rattlers.

“He can do a little bit of everything,” Raley said. “We’re really looking for someone to step up a take control of that third base job.”

He was also second-team all-conference after a sophomore season in which he hit .322 with 44 RBI and 41 runs scored.

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