Miners drop exhibition game amidst weekend of technical difficulties

PALMER — Heavy winds rocked Hermon Brothers Field to the point of a mid-game power outage the day after unsafe field conditions put a battle in Anchorage on hold.

The hectic Mat-Su Miners weekend transpired as follows:

Saturday, Jun. 10 at 3:10 p.m. -- The Miners depart from Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer, AK.

4:05 p.m. -- The Miners arrive at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

6 p.m. -- First pitch is thrown between the Miners and the Glacier Pilots.

7:05 p.m. -- Mat-Su reliever Brady Maylett calls the umpires’ attention to the instability of the Anchorage pitching mound.

7:16 p.m. -- The teams collectively decide to postpone the end of the game.

Sunday, Jun. 11 at 12 p.m. -- The Miners are called to the ballpark to play the Kingsmen.

2:07 p.m. -- First pitch between the Miners and the Kingsmen.

2:27 p.m. -- Hermon Brothers Field experiences a power outage eliminating features of the concession stand, broadcast, scoreboard, and public address system, but the game carries on.

3:34 p.m. -- Power is restored to the ballpark.

4:48 p.m. -- The Kingsmen record the final out for the win.

In Saturday’s game, Mat-Su starter Grant Richardson tossed three no-hit innings, striking out seven batters, hitting one with a pitch, and walking another. Maylett started the fourth inning of the 0-0 game, but after a five pitch walk to Anchorage center fielder Elijah Rodriguez and one pitch to first baseman Nathan Barrazza, he motioned to a piece of the turf mound that was giving him trouble, leading to the problem being deemed unfixable on the spot. The game will resume from that point on Wednesday, Jun. 21 and that will turn into a pair of seven inning games for a double-header.

Sunday’s game against the traveling independent Kingsmen Baseball team stayed scoreless until the top of the third inning when five Kingsmen batters reached base in a row for a four-run two-out rally.

Mat-Su right fielder Cooper Vest answered back in the bottom of the third with a three-run home run over the right field wall. He joined center fielder Kaden Carpenter and shortstop Emilio Barreras as the only members of the team to smash a homer, all of whom knocked their shots out to right field.

Unfortunately for the home crowd, the scoring halted there for the Miners. The Kingsmen won 5-3 in the seven-inning exhibition.

Right-hander Preston Chaudoin shined for the Miners with three innings of relief, striking out a pair, allowing two hits, and refusing to let a single run score.

The Miners stay at home for a Monday night battle with the Anchorage Bucs before heading on a two-day hiatus.