Miners continue to have edge over Bucs

PALMER -- Chris Mason and the Mat-Su Miners continue to have the Anchorage Bucs' number.

Mason won his second consecutive start against the Bucs and Mat-Su improved to 3-1 against its Alaska Baseball League foe with a 2-1 win over the Bucs at Hermon Brothers Field on Saturday.

Mason scattered nine hits over six innings and allowed just one earned run in the contest and improved to 3-0 on the season. The North Carolina Greensboro product struck out five hitters and didn't allow a base on balls.

Scott Simon provided the offense for the Miners. Simon drove in both of the Miners runs on a single late in the sixth inning.

Mat-Su averted potential disaster in the fifth inning. Mason allowed a Joey Wilson single, a Truan Mehl bunt single and Brandon Roberts laid down a bunt and reached on a Mason error to load the bases. With the bases jammed and no outs, Mason forced three consecutive outs to get out of the inning.

"That was the determining factor in the game," Mat-Su manager Mike Buchmiller said. "(Mason) made some big pitches. The damage could have been a lot worse."

Trailing 1-0 in the sixth inning, Simon smacked a single to centerfield and drove in Clayton Carson and Brett Bigler.

"Our pitchers are doing a great job of keeping us in games and we are able to score a few runs to get the job done for them," Carson said.

Carson opened the inning with a double to left centerfield and Bigler followed with a walk.

Now the only thing standing in between the Anchorage Bucs and an undefeated season is the Mat-Su Miners. The Bucs fell to 12-3 overall and 3-3 in ABL play. The loss leaves Anchorage in a tie for fourth place in league standings.

Mat-Su improved to 4-3 in ABL play and 9-5 overall. The Miners, who start a seven-game road trip in Fairbanks with a 7 p.m. date against AIA, are now in a second-place tie in the league standings.

Mat-Su 11, Anchorage 1

Matt Weston, Matt Edwards, Josh Satin and Billy Munich each notched three hits in the Miners 11-1 win over the Bucs at Hermon Brothers Field on Friday.

The Miners hammered Anchorage with 17 hits in the contest.

Kevin Tomasiewicz allowed just three hits over seven innings and earned the win.