Pilots slip by Miners in 12

PALMER — After tying the score at 3 in the bottom of the ninth, the Mat-Su Miners put the go-ahead run in scoring position in three straight innings. But in the 12th, it was the Anchorage Glacier Pilots who took advantage of their opportunity to score.

Brady Hohl drove in a pair of runs with a single to left field in the top of the 12th to lead the Pilots to a 5-3 extra innings win over the Mat-Su Miners at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer Thursday night. After trailing 3-1, Mat-Su scored a pair of runs to claw back into the game, but weren’t able to answer Hohl in the contest that lasted just more than 3 hours and 30 minutes.

“We did a pretty good job of having quality at-bats all day,” Mat-Su head coach Brian Yocke said after the game. “But just not in the situation we needed them the most.”

Casey Coyle continued his hot summer start, doubling down the left field line in the bottom of the ninth to drive in Santa Clara recruit Michael Suiter and tie the score at 3. Coyle, an Oklahoma freshman catcher, sent a sharp hit right over the bag on the left side of the infield. The ball rolled to the corner, allowing Suiter to easily score from second.

Suiter was hit by a pitch for the second time in as many nights and got aboard to start the bottom of the ninth for the Miners. With one out, Coyle doubled. And with two outs, it looked like infielder Tim Zier’s fly ball to right field would drop in the corner, but Anchorage’s Trey Nieslen chased it down to get the final out.

Dominick Francia led off the bottom of the 10th with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a Stephen Branca fly out.

Late in the inning, with two strikes and Mat-Su hitter Adam Martin facing a full count, it looked like Francia was going to give the Miners the game-winning score. With the full count, Anchorage catcher Scott David took a pitch in his mitt and immediately fired a throw toward third base. The ball went into the outfield and Francia crossed the plate. But as David made the throw, the umpire had called the third strike on Martin, which ended the inning.

In the 11th, Suiter reached on an error to lead off the inning and made his was to third base. But three straight outs stranded Suiter at third.

“We’re having quality at-bats, we’re getting on base and moving runners,” Yocke said. “Now it’s just a matter of finding a way to get that run in.”

The four-game series between the rivals continues today at 7 p.m. at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.