Miscues hurt Miners, Bucs pull closer to league leaders with 6-1 win

PALMER - Mat-Su Miners head coach Matt Dorey was not exactly sure what to think after his team's 6-1 loss to the Anchorage Bucs at Hermon Brothers Field on Wednesday.

“I'm kind of at loss for words,” a noticeably frustrated Dorey said. “We've had some success, but for whatever reason, we're not playing very good baseball right now. And it's showing on the scoreboard. Maybe the grind is getting to us?”

The Miners, playing in their 17th game in 18 days, allowed five runs in the middle innings, and allowed the Bucs to pull within a game of league-leading Mat-Su.

Anchorage, 12-9 in league play, scored three runs in the fifth, and two more in the sixth to break the game open.

“We're not getting dominated on either side of the ball. But I think a couple of big plays here and there are leading to a couple of big innings,” Dorey said.

Anchorage cleared the bases and snapped a 1-1 tie, capitalizing on a Mat-Su error early in the fifth.

With runners on first and third, Anchorage shortstop Chais Fuller smacked a hard ground ball toward the right side of the Miners infield. Mat-Su first baseman Daniel Magness fielded the ball cleaning. But as pitcher Wayne Daman and second baseman Travis Coulter sprinted to cover the bag, Magness' throw sailed between the two players and to the right field fence. Both runners score on the play, and Fuller advanced to second. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Anchorage took a 4-1 lead when Fuller scored on a Dominick Duggan sacrifice fly.

Fuller sparked the Bucs again in the sixth, knocking a two-run single just out of the reach of a diving Coulter. Fuller once again came to the plate with two men on, and cleared the bases.

“We're putting ourselves in a whole, and we're not swinging the ball well enough to get out of it,” Dorey.

Three of Mat-Su's eight hits were doubles, but the Miners were unable to string together enough hits to get back into the game.

Joe Ercolano scored on Donald Brown's double to right field in the third inning to tie the score at 1-1. Brown doubled again in the ninth inning. Coulter nearly scored on the play, but Fuller's relay beat the Washington State product to the plate.

Brown and Ercolano each posted two hits in the game. Magness, Brent Milleville, John Hee and Jay Ponciano each had a single.

Heading into play on Thursday, Mat-Su (13-8) held a slim half-game lead over the Peninsula Oilers.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.