Memorable Miner season comes to end

WICHITA -- The Mat-Su Miners saw a memorable run toward a third National Baseball Congress World Series title come to an end on Saturday. In the championship game of the 70th World Series the Aloha Knights defeated Mat-Su 7-0.

Kyle Parker threw a five-hit shutout to lead the Knights, undefeated in the tournament, to the crown. Parker struck out seven hitters and walked just two in nine innings.

Mat-Su starter Matt Manship was strong through five innings, striking out 10, but ran into trouble in the top of the sixth inning. Manship, a Stanford University standout, saw everything fall apart he as he walked two hitters, balked, struck a batter with a pitch and allowed three hits, before leaving the game with just one out in the inning. The Knights tagged Mat-Su for five runs

in the inning.

The Miners finished 7-2 in nearly two weeks of competition in the World Series. Mat-Su had the longest road to the championship game, working its way through the losers bracket and into the finals of the championship bracket. The club was the top hitting team of the tourney, with a .342 batting average and sported a 2.69 team ERA.

Four Miners -- Chris Mason, Scott Simon, Clayton Carson and Nick Kliebert -- were named to the All-NBC team following the championship game. Mason, arguably the Miners' MVP of not only the tournament, but the 2004 season, earned three of the Miners' seven wins and registered a 1.84 ERA. Simon hit .514 and led the tournament with 19 hits and eight RBI. Carson batted .355 with 11 hits and 7 RBI. Kliebert hit .351 with 11 hits and 7 RBI. Left off of the list was Bret Bigler, who hit .405 with 15 hits and 6 RBI.