The Miners collapse after the 5th inning; lose 9-5 against the Bucs

PALMER - Things turned for the worst for Mat-Su in the 6th inning.

The home team led 4-1 entering the 5th. Miners starter Candon Dahle went 4.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, striking out four. He reached the 5th inning for the seventh time this season – in seven starts.

Dahle’s last batter was right fielder Joey Neret. He had an RBI single. Mat-Su head coach Ty LeBrun turned to Murray State right-hander Preston Chaudin who got out of the inning on a 6-4-3 double play.

With two on and two outs in the top of the 6th, Anchorage first baseman Jaxon Sorenson, who was just 5-for-31 over his last nine games, earned a walk to load the bases. Then third baseman Alex Pendegrast hit a sharp groundball to the left side of the infield.

Chaos ensued.

Miners third baseman Alex Thurston began to range to his left but deferred to shortstop Emilio Barreras to make the play. Barreras got to the ball on a slide but his only options were to throw to third for the force out or not make a throw at all. He tried to throw to third with Thurston in a backpedal to the bag but the throw was off. It got to the backstop so the runner going to third went home. Catcher Steven Lancia fielded the errant throw and tossed it home to a covering Chaudin. However, the pitcher mishandled the catch which allowed a third run to score and let the batter, Pendegrast, get all the way to third base.

The score went from 4-2 Miners to 5-4 Bucs in that one crazy play.

Incarnate Word sidearmer Larry Westall entered for the top of the seventh frame. He hit the first batter of the inning. Two hitters later, Logan Hokuf, who began the day batting just a shade over .100 with a league-high 31 strikeouts, singled to right fielder to put runners at the corners. Then center fielder Lex Boedicker, who entered in the 4th after starter Myles Smith left with an injury, singled to score a run.

Two batters later, Barreras couldn’t field a hard-hit grounder to his backhand which scored another Buc. Sorenson immediately singled after that to make it 8-4.

Mat-Su’s best inning at the plate was the 4th. They batted around, with Nolan Tucker, Sebastian Tomerlin, Barreras, and Lancia each singling.

Between Tuesday’s loss at the Glacier Pilots and Friday’s loss at home against the Bucs. the Miners lost two starting pitchers: Grant Richardson and Ace Whitehead.

Both southpaws were dealing with discomfort in their throwing arms and therefore their respective college coaching staffs “shut them down” and flew them home. Richardson and Whitehead were super reliable pitchers who accumulated high strikeout totals. They were also great locker room/dugout/bus ride presences. The coaching staff has a plan to attack the last two-two and a half weeks of the season, but it will certainly be tougher. For one, Murray State reliever Ethan Lyke will now be forced to be a starter.