Miners start ABL season with two wins, loss

June 24, 2005

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Frontiersman sports editor

PALMER - After allowing four runs in the top of the third and stranding three runners in the bottom of the inning on Wednesday, the Mat-Su Miners looked on track to post a forgettable loss to the Alaska Baseball League-rival Anchorage Bucs.

A late surge put the Miners back in position for the comeback, but the Bucs held on to capture a 5-3 victory at Hermon Brothers Field.

"We left 12 runners on base," Mat-Su head coach Jimmy Smith said. "But our guys battled the whole time and gave us a chance to tie the ballgame up."

Mat-Su put itself within striking distance with three runs in the seventh, and had the winning run at the plate in the ninth. Brett Bigler drove in Ryan Krauser with an infield single, and later scored on a Michael Taylor single early in the seventh. A John Hester sacrifice scored James McCarthy, and the Miners cut the deficit to 5-3.

McCarthy walked and Taylor singled in the ninth to put a pair of runners on for the Miners in the ninth. Anchorage closer Eric Nelson retired the final two Mat-Su hitters to record the save.

Brett Bruneel allowed nine hits and walked three, and was tagged with his first loss of the summer. Although only two of the four runs he allowed were earned, Bruneel faced 25 hitters in five innings.

"He was up in the zone a little bit and he got hit," Smith said. "He didn't have command of his fastball, and if you don't have command of your fastball, it's going to be a struggle all day."

The Miners did get a strong performance from their bullpen. In his first appearance of the season, Matt Oye retired each of the three Bucs he faced. Marc Rzepczynski did not allow a hit and walked one in three strong innings of work.

"Oye and Rzepczynski did a good job of coming in, throwing strikes and stopping them from scoring," Smith said. "(The bullpen) is doing a good job lately. They're coming together."

Miners 4, Bucs 3

Mat-Su won its ABL opener, a 4-3 win over the Bucs at Mulchay Stadium on Monday.

The Miners took a lead with a pair of run-scoring singles in the early innings. Matt Johnson drove Matt Bransfield across home plate with an RBI single in the second inning. A Michael Taylor single scored James McCarthy in the second.

Bransfield drove in two runs on a double to give the Miners a 4-1 lead in the fourth.

Brandon Murphy pitched seven innings and earned the win. Josh McLaughlin sealed the game with the save.

Miners 4, Pilots 3

The Miners improved to 2-0 in ABL play with a 4-3 win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Mulchahy Stadium on Tuesday.

Mat-Su scored a pair of go-ahead runs in the fourth. Brett Bigler grounded out, but drove in Ryan Krauser. Nick Haley singled and scored Matt Johnson.

B.J. Rosenberg earned the win, and improved to 3-0. The University of Louisville product allowed five hits and three runs in just more than seven innings of work. McLaughlin struck out the final four Pilot hitters of the game to earn his ABL-leading fourth save of the season.