Miners smoke fire

The 2005 edition of the Mat-Su Miners said goodbye to Hermon Brothers Field with a bang Monday night.

Cody Rizzo and Brett Bigler each homered to lead the Miners past the Athletes in Action Fire 11-0.

Rizzo, a University of Notre Dame junior, smacked a three-run home run over the Hermon Brothers Field fence in the third inning to give the Miners a 5-0 lead. Bigler launched a two-run dinger out of the park in the fifth inning to extend the lead.

The Miners churned out 10 hits in the game. Rizzo, Nick Haley, James McCarthy and Matt Bransfield each scored two runs.

Mat-Su not only got plenty of offense, but also a stellar pitching performance from righthander Brandon Murphy. The University of Illinois product threw a complete game three-hitter. The win was Murphy's fifth of the summer - an Alaska Baseball League best.

Oilers 4, Miners 2

Luke Salas gave the Peninsula Oilers their first win of the summer over the Mat-Su Miners with a two-run double in the fifth inning Wednesday at Seymour Park in Kenai.

Jake Kahaulelio also drove in a pair of runs for the Oilers.

Miners 5, Bucs 4

Josh McLaughlin struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth to preserve a 5-4 Mat-Su victory over the Anchorage Bucs.

The save was McLaughlin's 11th of the summer. The College of Charleston product lowered his ERA to 0.87.