First inning effort burns Fire

FAIRBANKS — When looking at offensive production, Mat-Su head coach Conor Bird is thinking of the first two weeks of the Alaska Baseball League season as sort of a spring training — a time of adjustment.

But after his team’s 14-5 rout of the Athletes in Action, Bird is hoping that adjustment period is over.

The Miners scored seven runs in the first inning and cruised to the lopsided win over the Fire at Growden Park in Fairbanks on Wednesday.

“It’s like spring training. It takes the bats a little while to get going,” Bird said, noting his players transition from the aluminum bats used in the college game to the wood bats used in the ABL. “There’s that same adjustment here.”

The Miners, who have flirted with the .200 mark in total team batting average throughout the first 17 games of the season, saw their average rise more than 12 points Wednesday after collecting 16 hits in the win.

“I think our guys know how much talent we have,” Bird said. “It’s just a matter of putting it together.”

The Miners were able to put together a backbreaking first inning that featured seven straight Mat-Su hits.

The Miners collected three singles, a double and two home runs before the Fire were able to record the second out of the game.

Ty Rasmussen’s fifth home run of the season gave the Miners the early 2-0 lead. Later in the inning, fellow University of Washington product Troy Scott homered for the second straight night to give Mat-Su the 5-0 advantage.

Jordin Hood and Wes Dorrell also had run-scoring hits in the inning. Dorrell was 2-for-2 with two RBI in the first inning alone.

Mat-Su chased Fire starter Todd Jeffries after just two-thirds of an inning of work and AIA was forced to use five relievers in the game.

“Any time you can get into someone’s bullpen that quickly, it will pay off down the line,” Bird said. “It has a trickle down effect. They’ll be playing catch up.”

The Miners, who used Scott’s ninth inning homer to beat the Fire 5-4 on Tuesday, also played AIA on Thursday and finish the four-game set today at Growden.

Dorrell and Scott each led the Miners with three hits in the game. John Shaffer added a pair of singles, and was one of 11 Miners to record hits in the win.

Dorrell, Mat-Su’s designated hitter, led the Miners with five RBI. He sent a three-run shot over the Growden fence in the fourth inning.

Jeremy Erben earned the win on the mound for Mat-Su, allowing just one earned run in five innings of work. The Oklahoma product also fanned five AIA hitters.

The Miners entered action Thursday night at the top of the ABL with a 7-5 league record. The Pilots, who hosted a team from Taiwan in nonleague action Thursday, stood a half-game behind the Miners.

For more on Thursday’s action, see www.frontiersman.com following the game.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.