Miners score midnight win

ANCHORAGE — Fans in the Mulcahy Stadium beer garden were having their fun heckling Michael Suiter. As soon as it was announced Suiter as a high school player, the chatter came flying.

But in the ninth inning, it was Suiter who had the last laugh.

The Hawaii high school product and Santa Clara incoming freshman hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to help seal the Mat-Su Miners’ 11-9 win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots during the annual Summer Solstice Showdown in Anchorage late Saturday night.

“He got a high fastball and got it out,” Mat-Su head coach Brian Yocke said. “It was a kind of a fun situation. They were ragging on him for being a high school guy. It was suiting he hits a home run and shuts up the crowd.”

Suiter’s blast over the left field fence was one of 16 hits for the Miners, who improved to 4-1 in Alaska Baseball League play.

“The bats are starting to come around,” Yocke said. “Hopefully it stays that way.”

A half-dozen Miners finished with at least two hits in the win. Infielder Stephen Branca continued his tear with a game-high three hits. Dominick Francia, Cam Kneeland, Adam Martin, Nick Rosso and Casey Coyle each finished with a pair of hits.

Francia and Suiter each drove in a pair of runs. Rosso and Coyle scored twice for Mat-Su.

Ryan Dull earned his first win, pitching in relief for the Miners.

Mat-Su took an early lead in the second inning. Rosso singled and later scored on a wild pitch to put the Miners on the board. Ryan Ford reached on a fielder’s choice and crossed home on a Mat-Su double steal late in the inning to give the Miners the 2-0 lead.

Mat-Su doubled its advantage in the third, with RBI doubles courtesy of Martin and Coyle.

The Miners took an 8-0 lead with three runs in the fifth.

Midway through the fifth, Francia singled to center field to push Coyle and Rosso home. Francia later scored on an Anchorage error.

The game marked the third annual Summer Solstice Showdown, an event patterned after the Fairbanks Gold Panners’ annual Midnight Sun game. The first pitch Saturday night came at 10 p.m. and the final out was recorded just after 1:15 a.m.

Yocke said playing under Alaska’s midnight sun will be a memorable experience for all involved, but the Miners coaching staff tried not to dwell on the late hour.

“We tried to make it as little of a deal as possible,” Yocke said. “We got the guys hitting early, took the afternoon off to get that nap in so there wouldn’t be any excuses.”

The Miners had Sunday and Monday off, but continue ABL play tonight, hosting the Pilots at 7 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field. It’ll be the first of four straight games against the Pilots.

“We’ve been telling them, it’s Pilots week,” Yocke said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.