Miners use late-inning heroics to beat Pilots twice

ANCHORAGE — The Mat-Su Miners stayed on their hot streak with some late-inning heroics beat the Anchorage Glacier Pilots twice in the last three days and to stay atop the Alaska Baseball League Standings. The Miners won in walk-off fashion on Saturday Night at Hermon Brothers Field against the Pilots when Casey Rother was hit by a pitch. On Monday night at Mulcahy Stadium, David Bermudez drove in J.D. Urso in the top of the 11th inning and the Miners held on for the 4-3 win.

On Saturday, Texas A&M University Freshman Wyatt Tucker started on the mound and threw five innings, striking out seven and allowing just one hit. Neither team was able to score until the 7th inning, when Blake Wink drove in Alec Jones and Fausto Lopez for the Pilots. In the bottom half of the inning, a J.D. Urso groundout scored pinch runner Ricky Nunez from second. In the 8th inning, Josh Mrozek singled to lead off the inning and was driven in by a single from Tyler Rando to tie the game.

Kent State Freshman Evan Wolf relieved Tucker on the mound for the Miners and worked one and one third of an inning before handing the ball over to closer Evan Floyd from the University of West Florida. Floyd struck out two Pilots in 2 and two thirds innings of work and earned the win for Mat-Su. In the bottom half of the ninth inning, Tyler Wilson led off the inning with a single. The Pilots intentionally walked Mrozek to load the bases for Casey Rother, who was hit by a pitch to end the game, giving the Miners the 3-2 walk-off win.

On Monday, Texas A&M University Sophomore Will Johnston held the Pilots to only three runs in his nine innings pitched, allowing just six hits while striking out 14 of the 33 batters he faced. Casey Rother had two hits and drove in two runs and J.D. Urso also had two hits as well as a stolen base. Rother and Aaron Walters both knocked RBI singles in the top of the 7th inning before New Mexico State sophomore Ethan Mann hit a solo homerun for the Pilots in the bottom half of the inning to tie the game at three runs apiece.

Another Texas A&M University sophomore Alex Magers pitched in relief of Johnston over two innings, earning the win on the mound. Magers gave up just one hit and stranded a runner on third base in the 10th inning. Urso drove in David Bermudez in the top of the 11th inning and Magers and the Miners defense were able to hold off the Pilots for the 4-3 win.

The Miners are now in sole possession of first place, two games ahead of the Anchorage Bucs in second place. The Miners record is 12-6 and they will take on the Chugiak Chinooks at Hermon Brothers on Tuesday.