Chinooks survive, escape with win over Miners

PALMER — Football is known as a sport with three facets to is game. Offense, defense and special teams.

But baseball also has its three key parts. There’s the team’s work on the mound, at the plate and on defense.

And sometimes, even when things are going great in one area, there may be a struggle in the other. Thursday was one of those nights for the Mat-Su Miners. Chugiak-Eagle River survived a late Mat-Su push, and held on for a 4-3 win over the Miners at Hermon Brothers Field.

“We were erratic tonight. It’s all part of the learning process,” Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor said after the loss.

Three Mat-Su pitchers combined to allow only five hits and two earned runs, but the Miners were only able to produce two runs of their nine hits in the loss. The Mat-Su defense turned a pair of double plays, including a big one in the top of the ninth, but also had three errors in the game.

“We didn’t play with great rhythm early in the game,” Taylor said. “It was one of those nights. “

But Taylor said he did see his team improve as the night went on.

“I really liked how we played on the back end,” Taylor said.

And he praised Mat-Su’s work on the mound.

“I thought we pitched really well tonight,” Taylor said.

Southeastern Louisiana right-hander Josh Green made his Mat-Su debut, started the game and worked four innings. He allowed two hits in the fourth and no earned runs. Green fanned five and didn’t walk a batter.

“I thought he was absolutely fantastic. Everything we wanted him to be,” Taylor said of Green.

Mat-Su had three of its nine hits in the first inning, but Chugiak starter Mike Batten was able to escape the inning unscathed.

“We swung the bats OK.,” Taylor said. “We had some spots where we had some opportunities and didn’t take advantage of it.”

Chugiak reliever Scott Smith was also able to get out of a jam late. Mat-Su’s Austin Bull drew a walk with two outs and Justin Ammons singled to left field, but Smith was able to force the final out to record the save.

After trailing 2-0, Mat-Su took a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning. Luke Coffey knocked a ball over the left field wall to leadoff the eighth and tied the score at 3. Chugiak’s Jeremy Johnson followed with a walk and later scored on a Justin Gomez single to provide the go-ahead run.

Trailing 2-0 in the sixth, Austin Dennis scored on a wild pitch to put the Miners on the scoreboard. Preston Pavlica also doubled in the inning. Zack Sharpley followed with an RBI single that scored Pavlica and tied the score at 2.

Mat-Su took its first lead in the seventh. Quinn Cotton walked, and scored on an Ammons RBI double.

Ammons and Cotton combined for five of Mat-Su’s nine hits.

The loss was just the second of the season for Mat-Su (7-2) and the first at home. Mat-Su returns to the road to face the Anchorage Bucs Saturday at 6 p.m. at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.