Panners strike first in ABL championship series

PALMER — During the 2014 Alaska Baseball League regular season, Mat-Su Miners lefthander Tyler Stubblefied was just about untouchable. But Tuesday, the Alaska Goldpanners had their way against Mat-Su’s standout southpaw.

The Panners tagged Stubblefield for nine hits and five earned runs over 2 and 2/3 innings, and rolled to a 14-0 win over the Miners in Game 1 of the ABL Top of the World Series at Mulchay Stadium in Anchorage.

Stubblfield allowed only one hit and faced only eight batters through his first two innings of work. But Alaska erupted in the third. The Texas A&M incoming sophomore pitched to 10 hitters in the third inning before leaving the mound. Stubblefield allowed five singles and two doubles during the stretch.

The outing was an aberration for Stubblefield, arguably the league’s top pitcher during the regular season. Stubblefield led the league with a 1.06 ERA, was second with five wins and third with 45 strikeouts. In six-regular season starts, Stubblefield pitched three complete games and a shutout, and four hits or fewer three times. The five earned runs he allowed Tuesday matched the five earned runs he allowed in 42 2/3 innings during the regular season.

It’s the second time in the week Stubblefield has faced the Panners. Last Tuesday, Stubblefield pitched a four-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over the Panners.

Relievers Jonathon Reid and Jonathon Boyer also pitched for the Miners Tuesday. Boyer, a Colony High School graduate, allowed two hits and no earned runs during 1 2/3 innings of work.

The Mat-Su offense collected seven hits in the loss. Designated hitter Mitchell Nau, who homered twice in Mat-Su’s regular-season finale on Sunday, led the Miners with two hits. Jordan Rodgers doubled for Mat-Su, and was one of five Miners with one hit.

The ABL Top of the World Series pits the National Division champion against the American Division champ in a best-of-3 series. Mat-Su won the National Division with a 21-12 league mark.

Despite the loss, the Miners are still alive in the hunt for their fifth league title since 2004. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 4 p.m. Game 3, if necessary, would start about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.