Miners dominate; come within one game of winning ABL regular season title

The Mat-Su Miners defeated the Chugiak Eagle River Chinooks 12-2, moving just one game away from the Alaska Baseball League regular season title.

No one knows when the Miners will lose again, but it wasn’t Sunday night. Mat-Su dominated the Chinooks from beginning to end to secure a series win over every team in the ABL this summer.

Michael Malki started on the bump, and the only things that effected him was, well, Michael Malki. He pitched four innings, didn’t give up a run, and gave up just one hit. However, his pitch count got strained after six walks, including four in the first inning. However, he was untouchable again.

Jack Ensell gave up the only two Chugiak runs of the game, but Chappell and Miskelly were perfect in the eight and ninth.

Greg Pierantoni racked up five RBI on the day, and the Miners picked up their fourth mercy-ride win of the season.

The only things this win does is show the rest of the league that despite being comfortably in first place the Miners are not slowing down. A win over the Anchorage Bucs Tuesday secures the Miners a third regular season title in five years. However, the Miners haven’t finished the playoffs atop of the league since 2018, but whispers of the Miners finally finding gold are starting to get a little bit louder in Palmer.

Miners survive against Chinooks to keep the winning streak alive

The Miners defeated the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks Friday night 4-3, extending the win streak to 12 games and surpassing the record for most wins in a row in Ty Lebrun’s tenure.

This one didn’t come as easy for the Miners, as the Chinooks nearly got a third win at Hermon Brothers Field this summer. The Chinooks started with an early lead after Jake Mitchell hammered a two-run double into left center field, and it would stay that score until u til the bottom of the fourth. The Miners scored off an error before James McGee tied it with a fielders choice.

However, that wasn’t the last the Chinooks would see of James McGee. A two-run blast that bounced, yes bounced, off the top of the left field wall and over for a game-deciding two-run homer.

“I’ve never had something like that happen in a game. It bounced straight up off the wall and over. I’m just happy I put enough on it to get it to bounce my way,” McGee said as he laughed in the postgame.

The dinger out Mat-Su up 4-2, and the Chinooks did get one back in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the McGee home run.

Cole Marthiljohni had another great start for the Miners, going five innings with just two runs given up and struck out seven. Jason Long had a decent start for the Chinooks, but it was stained by one home run.

The Miners get to 12 win in a row, and for the first time, are looking for 13 straight under head coach Ty Lebrun.