Glacier Pilots take down Anchorage Bucs to pick up another Mayor’s Cup baseball trophy

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots captured the Mayor’s Cup on Sunday with a close victory that wrapped up a close three-game series against the Anchorage Bucs.

The Pilots used strong relief pitching and a pair of sacrifice flies to triumph 5-3 at sun-soaked Mulcahy Stadium to win the annual series between the Alaska Baseball League rivals.

They won two out of three games, all of which were decided by one or two runs. The Pilots took the opener Friday night, 6-4 in 10 innings, and the Bucs came back Saturday for a 3-2 win.

After trailing 1-0 after one inning on Sunday, the Pilots scored twice in both the second and third innings for a 4-2 lead. The Bucs scored once in the sixth to make it a one-run game, and it stayed that way until the top of the ninth, when the Pilots pushed an insurance run across the plate with their second sacrifice fly of the game.

Pilots starting pitcher Owen Hackman gave up three runs on four hits in five-plus innings, and then the bullpen took over. Hayden Walker, William St. Marseille and Joey Rodriguez retired nine of the Bucs’ final 10 batters, with Marseille and Rodriguez each contributing a no-hit inning.

It was the second straight Mayor’s Cup for the Pilots, who swept the 2019 series. Last season was cancelled because of the pandemic.

The Pilots lead the series 19-11, according to the team’s website. The Mayor’s Cup dates back to 1990.