Miners and Pilots take game one

by Lauren Petri

August 1st

In the first game of the playoffs between the second seeded Anchorage Glacier Pilots and third seeded Anchorage Bucs, the Bucs started off hot, scoring two runs off of two hits. Lex Boedicker scored on a double by Dante Turgeon and Curtis Hebert scored on a sacrifice fly by Alex Pendergast. These two runs however, would be the only two the Bucs would score all night as after the first inning, Pilots’ starter Tai Atkins would pitch six more innings of scoreless baseball, striking out eight and only allowing four hits. Atkins totaled 104 pitches on 27 batters. The Pilots’ offense on the other hand got off to a slow start, but took the lead in the third, scoring three runs on only one hit as Sky Wells hit two batters and walked two others. The Pilots would tack on three more runs in later innings, on only three hits. The Bucs would allow a total of 13 free bases to the Pilots in the form of walks, hit by pitches, errors, and wild pitches, and that would be their downfall.

In game one between the first place Mat Su Miners and fourth seeded Peninsula Oilers, the Miners starter Brandon Downer pitched seven scoreless innings (I feel like I’ve said this a lot about Miners’ starters recently), without recording a strikeout, but walked one and allowed four hits. Downer totaled 91 pitches on 24 batters. The Miners’ offense got hot early, scoring three runs in the first inning. Cooper Vest had a lead-off double and scored on a groundout by Steven Lancia. Kaden Carpenter singled and advanced to third on an error by pitcher Ryne Palmer. A single by Nolan Tucker scored both Carpenter and Maddox Haley. The Miners add on two more in the later innings as Alex Vergara scored on a double by Haley, and Kaleb Hannahs scored on a single by Vergara.The Oilers score their lone run in the eighth inning as Cole Nachreilner came in to score on an error by Emilio Barreras.

The Bucs and Oilers need to give tomorrow all they have in order to push for a game three, but the Pilots and Miners will do everything in their power to stop them.

Final Score:

Anchorage Glacier Pilots 6, Anchorage Bucs 2

Mat Su Miners 5, Peninsula Oilers 1