Miners' Offense Blasts Bucs
June 12, 2016 - Alaska Baseball League (Alaska)
Mat-Su Miners News Release
Anchorage, Alaska - The Mat-Su Miners offense exploded for seven runs in the first four innings to claim a 7-1 victory over the Anchorage Bucs and earn the team's first win of the season.
"To get into the left-hand column feels really good, especially to bounce back the way we did after we swung the bat in Kenai," Miners head coach Ben Taylor said. "It was a good night for us."
Leftfielder Garrison Schwartz opened the game for the Miners in the first with a single, while catcher Josh Rolette followed with another single later in the inning. An error on Bucs first basemen McCarthy Tatum allowed Schwartz to score on a ground ball by rightfielder Cam Montgomery on the ensuing at-bat.
With one out in the inning, first baseman Jake Scudder drove a deep double in the gap to score Rolette and Montgomery, giving the Miners an initial 3-0 lead.
"It's a little bit of a different swing with the aluminum bat and getting the barrel out front," Taylor said. "We were really tardy with our barrel all weekend in Kenai. We talked about controlling the middle of the field and we made a ton of hard outs to centerfield and the middle of the diamond. It was really fun to watch."
Shortstop Josh Bissonette provided the first home run of the season for the Miners (1-2) in the third inning, driving a fastball over the left-centerfield wall.
"It was a great feeling, especially going from aluminum to wood," Bissonette said. "The crack of a wood bat is probably one of the best feelings out there. I saw the pitch up and knew he was throwing me a fastball. I was just on time and ready to go."
Second baseman Jonah Garrison kicked off the fourth inning with a single, advancing to second moments later with a stolen base. With two outs in the inning, centerfielder Scooter Bynum connected on a stand-up triple to score Garrison and give the Miners a 5-0 advantage.
Schwartz followed Bynum's at-bat with a single to score the Fairbanks native, and Bissonette added an RBI double to extend the lead to 7-0.
"(Coach Taylor) was working with us yesterday and drilling us on getting the bat through the zone a lot better than we have been," Bissonette said. "The transition from aluminum to wood is a big difference, and he was telling us that we all have the talent in us and it was just a little screw that we needed to fix. He fixed it, and I think we all played a better game today than we have in the past two games."
Right-handed pitcher Justin Vernia provided the Miners with six scoreless innings in his Alaska Baseball League debut. The junior recorded five strikeouts and gave up three hits to earn the win.
"It was great," Vernia said. "Going out in the first inning with a three-run cushion is always a nice feeling. It gives you that comfort that if you give up one or two that we will still be in the lead and we have plenty more innings to score runs."
The Bucs (2-2) lone run came in the eighth inning on an RBI groundout.
Bucs starting pitcher Angel Landazuri went 3.2 innings against the Miners. The right-handed junior fanned four batters but gave up six runs on six hits. Anchorage native Zach Reid replaced Landazuri in the top of the fourth and provided two innings in relief, giving up one run on two hits.
The Miners offense combined for seven runs on eight hits, while the team's pitching staff held the Bucs to one run on five hits.
"This is what we expected of our pitching staff," Taylor said. "We've kind of been known as a team where pitchers develop and guys will do a good job."
The Miners return to Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer to host the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks in the team's home opener on Sunday at 4 p.m.
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Alaska Baseball League Stories from June 12, 2016
- Miners' Offense Blasts Bucs - Mat-Su Miners
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