Stranded baserunners cost Miners Monday affair

PALMER -- For the fifth time this season, the Mat-Su Miners scored all their runs in one inning, dropping to the Anchorage Glacier Pilots 7-2, stranding six runners in scoring position.

Anchorage felled Mat-Su on Thursday, Jun. 8 in their first meeting of the season thanks to a series of misplays, and the Miners committed three errors in Monday’s loss.

Anchorage started off on the right foot with a pair of runs in the first inning. Third baseman Will Carpenter doubled to drive home the game’s first tally in center fielder Blake Jackson. Designated hitter Andrew Lamb singled home left fielder Kan Taguchi later in that frame.

Jackson moved into scoring position as a result of a peculiar error when Mat-Su second baseman Braydon Rogers misplayed a ball trying to avoid a collision. That moved Jackson to third and Taguchi into second.

Those unearned runs were not the end for Miners starter Candon Dahle. Jackson and Taguchi combined for a pair of hits in the second inning resulting in another Anchorage run.

Catcher Huck Wathan reached on an error at third base in the top of the fourth inning. Mat-Su third baseman Kaleb Hannahs picked a ball down the third baseline, but threw it offline to first. The catcher moved on to third, and then scored on Dahle’s third wild pitch of the evening. That made it a 4-0 lead for the Pilots.

The Miners rallied in the bottom half of the inning without recording a hit. Left fielder Maddox Haley scored on a walk to shortstop Alex Thurston, and Rogers scored on a wild pitch.

The M’s stopped their scoring there, and the game ended in a 7-2 loss for the home crowd.

Catcher Grant Fahrlander had a positive outing: After rifling his first hit of the season the day before, the Texas product slammed a pair of base knocks in Monday’s battle.

Additionally, Miners left-handed pitcher Preston Chaudoin allowed one hit and struck out five batters in 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.

The Miners remain at home on Tuesday when the Chinooks come to town. Mat-Su has bested Chugiak in both meetings this season, winning 4-2 in the Season Opener on Monday, Jun. 5 and shutting them out at Lee Jordan Field on Friday, Jun. 16. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.