Miners post another walk-off win

PALMER — The Mat-Su Miners have been the masters of the walk-off in 2014, and the Valley team continued their late inning magic Saturday night.

Matthew Decker drove in a pair of runs with a walk-off double to help Mat-Su beat the Chugiak Chinooks 5-4 at Hermon Brothers Field.

It was Mat-Su’s fourth time this summer the Miners have captured a win with a game’s final at-bat. The Miners also improved to 20-11 in Alaska Baseball League play, and are now tied with the Alaska Goldpanners for the most wins in league play.

The ABL Northern Division rivals were tied at 3 heading into extra innings. Chugiak took a brief lead in the top of the 10th with Steven Karkenny’s RBI single.

Trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the 10th, Mat-Su needed only three batters to win the game. Paul Panaccione led off Mat-Su’s half of the inning with a single, and Jonny Locher followed with a double.

Decker provided the game-winning hit for the Miners. Panaccione easily crossed the plate from third to tie the game, and Locher scored from second to provide the game-winning run.

Locher and Decker led the Miners with two hits each. Locher scored a team-high two runs, and Decker drove in two. Locher, Josh Meyer and Cameron Frost also drove in a run each.

Vince Arobio, the last of seven pitchers used by the Miners, earned the win on the mound.

Mat-Su caps its regular-season with a doubleheader against the Anchorage Bucs Sunday at 4 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field. Postseason play begins Tuesday for the Miners. Mat-Su, the Northern Division champ, will face the American Division champion for the ABL title in the Top of the World Series, which begins Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Anchorage. A third game, if necessary, would be Wednesday at 7.

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