Miners mark historic night with win

ANCHORAGE — Saturday marked the 34th anniversary of the Alaska Baseball League in Palmer and the Mat-Su Miners celebrated with a victory.

The Miners — who made their debut as the Valley Green Giants on June 12, 1976 — scored a 2-1 victory over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Mat-Su’s Andy Mee gave the Miners the lead at the plate and saved the game on the mound as Mat-Su improved to 2-0 in ABL play. In the top of the fifth, Mee singled to give the Miners the 2-1 lead. The Florida Atlantic product knocked a ball past Anchorage shortstop Ernesto Ortiz to allow Matt Wessinger to score.

In the ninth, after playing the first eight innings in right field, Mee recorded his first save as a member of the Miners.

Mee retired the first two hitters of the inning, but Anchorage followed with back-to-back singles. With two men on, Mee caught Tim McCollum looking to end the game.

Joe Bircher earned the win on the mound for Mat-Su, allowing only three hits and one earned run, while fanning five over 5 2/3 innings. Jason Trivett was also strong in relief for the Miners, striking out three during a scoreless and hitless 2 1/3 innings.

Tyler Ruch and Wesley Thigpen each led the Miners at the plate with a pair of hits. Ruch gave the Miners the early lead, scoring on a Nick DiBiasse single in the first period. After Anchorage tied the score with Ortiz’s run-scoring triple in the third, Mat-Su took back the lead in the fifth.

The Miners are off today, but return to Hermon Brothers Field Monday to host the Fairbanks-based Athletes in Action Fire at 7 p.m. The game is the first of nine during an eight-day stretch. The Miners host six home games during that span, including a Father’s Day doubleheader on June 20.