Miners win series in Fairbanks

FAIRBANKS - Mat-Su head coach Matt Dorey knows his Miners have yet to play their best baseball this season.

Dorey's still waiting for everything to come together, and that could make some coaches feel a little uneasy about things.

But Dorey can be patient, especially when his club is sitting at the top of the Alaska Baseball League.

Mat-Su scored three wins over its chief rival, the Alaska Goldpanners, and won five games overall during a six-day, seven-game road trip to the Interior. The victories moved Mat-Su to 9-6 in league-play, and into a first-place tie with the Anchorage Bucs.

&#8220I like the mentality of our guys. They're coming together,” Dorey said. &#8220We were in kind of a hostile environment, and those guys pulled together and rallied. The whole week they played as a team.”

Chris Wietlispach tossed a complete game three-hitter to lead the Miners to a 6-1 win over the Panners on Tuesday. That is the win that pushed the Miners into a tie for first.

The Yale sophomore allowed just one run - a Beau Mills solo shot in the fifth - and fanned seven Alaska hitters.

&#8220He's done that all year,” Dorey said. &#8220He's one of the most competitive kids we have. He competes on every pitch. He gets guys out with whatever he has that day.”

Mills' homer marked the first run Wietlispach has allowed this season. Prior to that play, he'd gone through 23 innings with a unblemished earned run average.

&#8220He's established himself as the ace of the staff,” Dorey said.

Catcher Jay Ponciano, the newest addition to the Mat-Su roster, posted two hits and drove in three runs in the win. Ponciano, who will begin his freshman season at Washington State next year, singled and drove in two runs in the top of the second inning. Centerfielder Joe Ercolano gave Mat-Su the 3-0 lead with an RBI-double.

Alaska hosted Mat-Su in a pair of doubleheaders. Wietlispach's three-hitter was in the first of a two-game set on Tuesday. Alaska notched a 12-4 win in the second game.

The Miners swept the doubleheader on Monday, winning 7-6 and 4-1.

Joey August's bases-clearing triple in the top of the 11th inning gave the Miners a 4-1 win in the second game of the doubleheader on Monday.

With the score tied at 1-1, Daniel Magness reached on an error, Brent Milleville singled and Donald Brown walked to set up the bases loaded situation.

Brian Chrisman was given the win in relief. Mark Willinski earned the save.

Travis Coulter's two-run single in the second inning helped the Miners grab a 7-6 win in the first game of the series.

Milleville, Brandon Bowser and John Hee also drove in runs.

Mark Grbavac posted the win on the mound.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.