Three homers and great relief pitching propel the Miners to a third straight win against the Glacier Pilots

PALMER — For the second time in the week, Hermon Brothers Field was a place of celebration for the Miners against the Glacier Pilots.

What began as a familiar story – a deficit – ended in just as familiar a tune – triumph – for Mat-Su. The home team won 10-5 on Thursday night and evened up the season series with Anchorage 3-3.

The road squad went ahead in the second inning with three runs. The lead off man in the inning, second baseman Will Henson, earned a walk. Then right fielder Elijah Rodriguez singled. Two batters later, Huck Wathan, who was 1-for-29 at that point, ripped an RBI double. The ninth hitter in the order Joey Wright worked a walk after him, which was followed by leadoff man Kan Taguchi walking with the bases loaded.

Two batters after him, first baseman Nathan Barraza had himself an RBI walk as well.

Mat-Su starter Grant Richardson actually struck out three batters that inning, but also allowed that three runs to score.

The Miners tacked on one run in the bottom of the inning after each of catcher Steven Lancia, left fielder Maddox Haley, and right fielder Kaden Carpenter singled.

A wild pitch in the top of the third brought home the Pilot’s fourth run of the game to make it 4-1.

But it was almost as if Mat-Su had them right where they wanted. After all, the Miners had two straight comeback wins versus the blue and white in the previous two meetings.

11 batters came to the dish in the bottom of the fourth for the Miners. Carpenter walked to lead things off. Then on a 2-0 count to the DH Landon Rogers, Anchorage took starter Ian Torpey out for Joe Inglesias.

Boy did Inglesias struggle.

He tossed two more balls to walk Rogers. Then Emilio Barreras stepped in the box. The shortstop hadn’t homered in three weeks to the day, against the same Pilots. But on Thursday night, the 29th, the GCU product fouled off two bunt attempts before going yard over the right field fence again.

And just like that, the game was tied. 4-4.

With momentum, the nine batter in the lineup, Nolan Tucker, launched a pitch to the warning track in right field. Unfortunately for Mat-Su, it wasn’t quite enough for a back-to-back homerun situation. (this is foreshadowing)

An error put the leadoff batter Kaleb Hannahs aboard. Then first baseman Cooper Vest placed a double into left-center field.

This set up center fielder Alex Vergara. The reigning ABL MVP, making his 2023 debut on Thursday, punch a single into left field that scored Hannahs and put Vest on third base.

During Lancia’s at-bat, Inglesias threw a wild pitch to score Vest. After a five-run fourth inning, the Miners led 6-4.

Without Head Coach Ty LeBrun for the game due to his ejection on Tuesday night against the Bucs, Acting Head Coach Kyle Watson had a plan in place for the relievers. Side note – Pitching Coach Steve Hecker got ejected during Thursday’s game as well, so all the managing duties were left to Watson, and pitcher Ace Whitehead acted as the first base coach.

The plan, to go from Vinny Bianchi to Larry Westall to Ethan Lyke to Will Rizzo, worked out.

Bianchi, perhaps the most reliable middle-inning reliever on the Miners so far this season, went three innings (4-6) allowing one run. Barreras, at shortstop by the way, ended the top of the 6th inning by catching a line-drive with the bases loaded and stepping on second base for the double play because the baserunner lept off the bag for third.

Larry Westall took care of the bottom of the order, in order, in the 7th inning.

In the bottom of the frame, Carpenter singled, Rogers walked, Barreras singled on a bunt, Tucker laced an RBI single up the middle, and Hannahs drove in a run on a sac fly to extend to lead to 8-5.

Ethan Lyke worked out of a pair of singles in the 8th, with the help of an outfield assist from Carpenter. The right fielder fired to Barreras covering the second base bag as baserunner Blake Jackson put on the brakes rounding the base. He wasn’t back in time.

Lyke, to his credit, also struck out two hitters in the inning.

Then in the bottom of the 8th, Vergara, who mashed 23 home runs this past season at Lipsomb, turned on a pitch and sent it over the left-field fence. He was met with roars from the crowd and congratulations from his current (and former) Miners teammate Lancia.

Lancia hit a long foul ball on a 2-0 count. Then on a 3-1 count, he too hit a bomb over the left field fence. It was an awesome moment.

Will Rizzo shut things down in the 9th like he’s done so many times before. He ended things by freezing Huck Wathan on a breaking ball.

Mat-Su improved to 9-8 with the win.