Infielder's big night lifts Miners to win over Pilots

ANCHORAGE — Nash Knight entered Friday’s game against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots with only three hits and no RBI in Alaska Baseball League play.

But on Friday, the Mat-Su Miners infielder enjoyed a breakthrough night.

The Dallas Baptist product collected three hits and drove in three runs to lead the Mat-Su Miners to a 9-7 win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Knight, who pushed his batting average from .130 to .222 in the win, grabbed his biggest hit in the eighth inning, doubling to drive in the go-ahead runs that helped the Miners improve to 5-5 overall and 3-5 in ABL play.

In the eighth, with the teams locked at 7, Mat-Su outfielders Bill Cullen and Bobby Boyd each singled to put two runners on. Knight followed with a double that cleared the bases.

Knight was one of a pair of Miners to finish with three hits in the game. Boyd was also 3 for 3 and scored three runs. Mat-Su finished with a dozen hits in the win. Clint Freeman had two hits.

The Miners didn’t lead until Knight’s double in the eight. Anchorage built itself an early lead with four runs in the second inning, but the Miners were able to respond with three in the third.

The Miners quickly loaded the bases in the third. The leadoff hitter, Ian Miller, was hit by a pitch, and Boyd and Knight followed with back-to-back singles.

Infielder Tino Lipson singled and drove in Miller. Boyd scored on a Chris Taladay double.

Mat-Su added another run later in the inning.

The Miners posted three more runs in the sixth. Freeman led off the inning with a single and later scored on an Anchorage error. Boyd also singled and scored in the inning.

Mat-Su tied the game in the seventh with a Freeman home run. It marked Freeman’s second home run in as many days.

The Miners return to Anchorage to face the Bucs today at 2 p.m. at Mulcahy. The Bucs make the trip to Palmer to play Mat-Su at Hermon Brothers Field Monday at 7 p.m.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com, follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports and find him by searching Valley Sports Huddle on Facebook.