Miners earn ninth straight home victory

PALMER — There was no stopping Erik Webb.

Late in the eighth with the Mat-Su outfielder at second and the game knotted at 2, Aaron Walters dropped a ball into short right centerfield.

And Webb took off running.

Webb rounded third and used a head-first slide to beat the throw at the plate and provide the go-ahead run in Mat-Su’s 3-2 win over the Anchorage Bucs Tuesday night at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

“He was going. There was no way we were holding him at third,” Mat-Su head coach Tyler LeBrun said after the win. “He was scoring.”

Earlier in the inning, Webb knocked a ball off the outfield wall for the second time in the game.

“He’s special,” LeBrun said. “He brings another intangible on the bases.”

The Central Missouri standout doubled twice, drove in two runs and scored the game-winner. Webb used his other double to drive in two runs in the third inning. The outfielder is now hitting .343 and has an Alaska Baseball League-high 20 RBI.

Tuesday’s victory followed a 4-3 extra-innings win over Chugiak on Monday, Mat-Su’s third walk-off win of the summer.

“They’re going to find ways to win, any way they can,” LeBrun said of the Miners.

Mat-Su’s win Tuesday was its ninth straight at Hermon Brothers Field. It was also the Miners third win over the league-leading Bucs in five days.

“The big goal was to take care of these guys in the series,” LeBrun said of playing the Bucs. “We were so far down in the series. Now we have a chance to win the series with these guys.”

The Miners are now 5-5 in 10 games against the Bucs this summer. As of Tuesday night, Anchorage (16-8) held a half-game lead over the Miners (15-8) at the top of the standings.

Randy Abshier made the start and pitched six scoreless innings, but received the no decision. Evan Floyd earned the win in relief, pitching a perfect eighth with a strikeout. Jacob McNairy closed the door, notching his fifth save of the season.

From the mound to the plate, to the play in the field, LeBrun praised his team’s gritty play. Mat-Su’s Collin Montez ended the game, grabbing the final out with a running catch at the left field wall.

“The guys are grinding. I can’t get over how proud I am,” LeBrun said. “They keep grinding, finding ways to win.”

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