Butts hammers first Miner homer

PALMER -- It took 14 games and more than 400 at bats, but the Mat-Su Miners got their first home run of the year.

With one swing of the bat, Miner center fielder Jeff Butts allowed the Mat-Su statistician to put at least one dash in the home run column.

In the bottom of the eighth inning of Mat-Su's 10-3 stomping of the Peninsula Oilers, Butts took a Mike Ekstrom pitch and put it right over the Diversified Tire ad on the Hermon Brothers right field wall.

"(The pitch) was out in front and the wind helped it out," Butts said of his dinger.

Thirteen games without a home run may not be as wierd as it sounds. Butts not only became the team leader in home runs, but the league leader in dingers. As of Tuesday Butts was tied for the Alaska Baseball League in home runs with one.

Everyone associated with the Mat-Su club will also agree that they are just not a home run team. Hitting the ball to the gap and moving runners is their game.

"We just really don't have any home run hitters," Edwards said. "Mitch Gregg and I were joking around, wondering if we would go the year without hitting one.

"Our four and five hitters are 5-foot, 10-inch," Edwards added. "In college the four and five hitters are 6-4 and pull everything with aluminum bats."

Hitting cleanup for the Miners now is Matthew Inouye, a speedy 5-9, right fielder. Though Inouye doesn't go yard on a regular basis, the Hawaii native leads the ABL with 15 RBIs.

The Miners do have potential pop in the bat.

Newcomer Joey Hooft has flirted with the dinger. The Miami product has sent a trio of balls to the wall.

Word is the Mat-Su pitching staff even had a friendly wager on the race for Mat-Su's first home run. A gentleman's bet so to speak. Rumor has it that Miner reliever David Johnson was the one to pick Butts.

It didn't take Mat-Su another 14 games and 400 at bats to get their second home run.

On Wednesday Jase Turner sent a two-run blast out of Hermon Brothers Field.