Miners post big win over Chinooks

CHUGIAK — The Mat-Su Miners are on the verge of playing for an Alaska Baseball League title. Monday, the Miners were in championship form.

Mat-Su hammered a half-dozen extra base hits and Ryan Hendrix pitched seven scoreless innings as the Miners routed the Chugiak Chinooks 12-1 at Loretta French Field in Chugiak.

Terrence Connelly tripled and drove in three runs, and four different Miners finished with a double as Mat-Su improved to 18-10 in ABL play.

Mat-Su continues to hold a four-game lead over the second-place Anchorage Glacier Pilots in the ABL’s National Division. Anchorage beat the Peninsula Oilers 9-4 on Monday.

The winners of the National and American divisions will meet in the Top of the World Series, the ABL’s title bout, July 29-30.

The Alaska Goldpanners (16-6) currently lead the American lead, holding a 2.5-game lead over the Anchorage Bucs (17-12).

Matt Decker used a two-run double to help spark the Miners during a five-run second inning. Cameron Newell also had an RBI-single in the inning.

Connelly blew the game open in the fifth, driving in three runs on a bases-clearing triple. Later in the inning, Newell drove in two more runs with a single.

Newell led the Miners with three hits in the game. Cameron Frost scored a game-high three runs. Four different Miners had at least two RBIs, and four scored at least three runs. Seven of the nine Miners in the batting lineup had at least one hit.

Hendrix was strong on the mound for Mat-Su, scattering four hits over seven innings. The Texas A&M product fanned seven and didn’t walk a batter.

Jonathon Boyer, a Colony High School graduate, pitched the ninth for the Miners. Boyer faced four batters, and allowed only one hit.

Mat-Su takes the field in a key doubleheader against the Panners Tuesday at Hermon Brothers Field. The evening will feature the two hottest teams in the ABL. The Panners are 9-1 in their last 10. Mat-Su is 8-2 in its last 10 games.

Game 1 is slated for 4 p.m.