Pilots edge Miners in 10 innings

PALMER — On some days, the ball simply doesn’t bounce your way.

Wednesday was one of those days for the Mat-Su Miners.

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots used a run in the top of the 10th to grab a 2-1 extra-innings victory over the Miners at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

It was the second straight victory for Anchorage (3-2) over the Miners, and the second straight night the Pilots managed to find a way to eek out a one-run win despite stellar work on the mound by the Miners (3-2).

“Again, the pitching staff delivered,” Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor said after the loss.

Three Mat-Su arms combined to allow five hits and one earned run, while striking out 11. In a 4-3 loss Tuesday, a trio of Mat-Su pitchers scattered six hits and two earned runs, while fanning a combined 13 batters. In two games against the Pilots, the Mat-Su pitching staff struck out more than a quarter of the hitters they faced, 24 strikeouts in 84 Anchorage at-bats.

Wednesday, starter Zebastian Valenzuela allowed three hits, no earned runs and struck out three over five innings. Corbin Martin allowed a hit and fanned two in two innings. Brigham Hill struck out six, while allowing a hit and a run in three innings.

“The pitching was fantastic. I thought defensively we played really well, and to be honest, I thought we swung the bat,” Taylor said. “There must have been like a dozen balls hit right at guys. We just couldn’t get a ball to drop.”

The Miners smacked a number of hard ground balls that failed to find a hole in the infield, liners straight to outfielders and there were the near misses. In the sixth, Brick Paskiewicz hit a bloop to center and Vance Vizcaino legged out an infield single to follow. With two on and two outs, Jake Schleppenbach ripped a liner down the left field line. What could of easily scored both runners, was just foul.

In the bottom of the ninth, with Mat-Su trailing 1-0, the Miners finally caught a break. Matt Diorio drew a lead-off walk, and hustled around to score from first on Tyler Wolfe’s double to left field. Diorio’s run tied the score at 1 and forced extra innings.

“It was fantastic,” Taylor said of Diorio’s effort. “It’s not surprising he did something to try to help us win the ball game.”

Carson Crites led off the top of the 10th with a single and scored on a Kyle Watson fielder’s choice to provide the game-winning run for the Pilots. Despite a strong throw by Mat-Su third baseman Nyles Nygaard, Crites was safe at home.

Paskiewicz led the Miners with three hits in the loss, and raised his batting average to .500. Vizcaino, Wolfe and Nygaard finished with a hit each.

Mat-Su takes a break from a long stretch of games against the Pilots Thursday night to host the Peninsula Oilers at 7 p.m. at Hermon Brothers. Friday, the Miners travel to Anchorage to face the Pilots in a doubleheader that starts at 6 at Mulcahy Stadium.