Race for First 

Garrett W. Gagnon 

Friday, July 21

The Anchorage Bucs won a pivotal Friday night game against the Mat Su Miners, a final score of 9 to 5… Dolly Parton was not in attendance. The Miners hopped ahead with a 4 to 1 lead in the 4th inning, but the Bucs answered with a 3 run 6th, then a 3 run 7th. Alex Pendergast had a 2 hit night, and Jaxson Sorenson drove in 2 himself. Michael Sarhatt, JD Goodcase, and Michael Nunez tossed a good game together for the Bucs. They struck out 7, held the Miners to 5 total runs, and thanked their hitters for the run support. With this win, the Bucs improve to 19-16 in the standings. They are locked in a heated race for first place with the Miners and Glacier Pilots. With the Miners losing this head to head matchup and the Glacier Pilots dropping two straight, first place is right there for the Anchorage Bucs to claim. Their offense is possibly the best in the league, but will they be able to play clean defense when it counts? Can they out-slug the competition, or will the arguably more “fundamentally sound” Glacier Pilots pull it together? Can the Miners break their losing streak and reclaim the top spot? It will be an action packed weekend of ABL baseball that will undoubtedly determine much in the final standings.