Miners rally past Chinooks

CHUGIAK — Quinn Cotton made two trips to the plate with the bases loaded Wednesday night. The Mat-Su Miners outfielder was robbed by a web gem in the fourth, but cashed in on his next opportunity.

As the Miners trailed 6-5 with the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, Cotton used a two-run single to provide the go-ahead runs during a 7-6 win over the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks at Lee Jordan Field in Chugiak.

In the fourth, with the bases loaded and two outs, Cotton ripped a pitch to the right side of the field. As the ball appeared headed for the gap, Chugiak second baseman Brandon Michie made a leap into the air, snagged the line drive to make the play worthy of a spot on SportsCenter’s nightly Top 10.

“The kid made a hell of a play. I thought (I had it), off the bat, but he really got up there for it,” Cotton said.

Fast forward to the eighth inning. Same situation, and same approach, Cotton said.

“Just trying to stay to the middle of the field, try to get some runs in, keep us in the game,” Cotton said.

Cotton went right up the middle of the field, and both Austin Dennis and Austin Bull scored to give the Miners the lead. Cotton finished with a pair of hits in the game, continuing his steady pace at the top of the order. Cotton, who recently completed his freshman year at Grand Canyon University in Arizona, said it’s the first time he’s hit leadoff since his junior year of high school.

“It’s good,” Cotton said of his role. “It’s nice to start the offense and try to get on base. Coach wants me up there, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m just trying to help the team any way I can.”

Cotton has at least a hit in 13 of his 16 games this season. The Parker, Colorado, native leads the Miners with a .356 batting average and 23 hits despite missing about a week with a nagging injury.

“Quinn Cotton can be very, very special,” Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor said after the win. “He’s the gas that makes the engine go. He’s a longball threat. He’s a speed guy. He’s a double waiting to happen. He’s as dynamic of a player as we’ve had up here during my five years with the Miners.”

Cotton had one of Mat-Su’s four hits in the eighth inning. Andy Thomas and Dennis collected back-to-back singles, and Bull legged out an infield single to load the bases. Preston Pavlica was hit by a pitch and Thomas scored to cut Chugiak’s lead to 6-5. Cotton followed with his two-run single.

“It was a good road win,” Taylor said. “That was a tough game. They play us hard. It’s always good to steal one on the road.”

The Miners also got a gutsy performance from starter Andrew Nardi and more good work from their bullpen. After allowing three runs in the bottom of the first, Nardi settled in. During one stretch, the lefthander retired 10 straight Chinooks.

“Nardi really competed late in the game, and we needed it,” Taylor said. “He really competed for us late in the game, really matured for us late in the game. We needed what he gave us in his last three, four innings.”

Three relievers combined to allow just one hit and strike out six during four innings of work. Nolan Monaghan, a Wasilla native, worked two innings and earned his first career win. Monaghan fanned three. Thaddeus Ward worked a perfect eighth, and Josh Green fanned two of the three hitters he faced to record his second save in three appearances.

Blake Benefield helped give Mat-Su an early advantage, hitting his Alaska Baseball League-high sixth home run of the summer in the bottom of the first. Benefield also leads the ABL with 23 RBI.

Mat-Su (13-7) used the win to maintain its half-game lead at the top of the ABL standings. The Miners return home to face the Anchorage Glacier Pilots Thursday at 7 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

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