Tyler “Spoooooooon” Spoon helped propel the Pilots to their 7th straight Mayor’s Cup
With an 8-5 win over the Bucs last night, the Anchorage Glacier Pilots have secured the 2012 Mayor’s Cup hardware. This year’s victory makes it seven straight for the boys in blue.
Monday’s opening match was a win for the Bucs, who clenched the game by a final score of 5-4. Mike Theodore gave up just two earned over six innings while Jeff Grijalva one-hit the Pilots over three in relief to get the win. Chase Compton was 3-for-4 with 2 rbis and a run, and Collin Ferguson and Ryan Leonards both hit safely twice. The Glacier Pilots’ offense was led by Kevin Swick who amassed three hits on five at-bats plus a pair of RBIs and a run, and Chris Mariscal, who went 2-for-4. Tyler Spoon was 2-for-5 with two runs.
The Glacier Pilots stormed back to take game two, jumping out to an early lead. They spread the hits around the lineup, but Axel Johnson reached base with hits twice and picked up a run and an RBI while Tyler Spoon drove in two. The Bucs tried to come back in the sixth — Chase Compton had three hits in the game — but the Pilots weathered the storm and tacked on another insurance run to win it 4-2. Sam Johns pitched six innings without surrendering an earned run, while Trevor Bayless, Mike Daugherty and Travis Pitcher (save) combined for three scoreless innings. For the Bucs, Andrew Ferreira struck out six in two innings of work.
In the rubber match, the Bucs surged ahead with five runs off the bats of Collin Ferguson (2-for-4, 2 rbi), Danny Susdorf (1-for-4, 1 run, 1 rbi) and Tanner Rust (2-for-4, 2 rbi) behind starting pitcher Tanner Kichler. But Kichler got into trouble in the 6th and the Pilots put up a four-run rally to take the lead once and for all. The offense was, again, a well-distributed team effort but Axel Johnson led the charge, going 2-for-4 with 3 rbis and two runs. Travis Pitcher got the save again, striking out two in a hitless ninth inning to take home the cup. The final score was 8-5.
The (typically) three-game series between the two inhabitants of Mulcahy Stadium has been played annually since 1990 to determine the baseball kings of Anchorage. With this year’s victory, the Pilots lead the Bucs in series’ wins by a margin of 16-7, although in games played the tally is much closer: 34-25. There has never been a three-game sweep.
Jesse Jack is a life-long Alaskan (except for a stint in Montana) who studies Civil Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage from August through May, and lives at the ballpark during June and July. 
