Miners score win over Chugiak

PALMER — The Mat-Su Miners are already one of the top offensive teams in the Alaska Baseball League. Now Mat-Su is getting the pitching performances the Miners have been waiting for.

Starter Ryan Hendrix scattered three hits and one earned run over six innings to lead the Miners to a 4-1 win over the Chugiak Chinooks at Loretta French Field in Chugiak on Friday.

Hendrix, a highly-regarded right-hander from Texas A&M, enjoyed his best outing of the year with the Miners, and earned his first win of the summer.

“Hendrix was awesome,” Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor said. “He really improved from his last time out.”

Hendrix fanned four against the Chinooks and only walked two. The lone run he allowed came in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Hendrix start also came during a week that featured Kyle Serrano’s eight-strikeout effort during a 10-4 win over the Chinooks on Tuesday. Tyler Stubblefied fanned 11 hitters in a 2-1 win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots on Monday.

“It’s huge,” Taylor said of the recent performances by his starting pitchers. “It makes a more complete team. Get these guys going, it makes us that much better.”

Hendrix was one of four pitchers used on Friday. Ryan Oglesby, a recent addition to the club, continued his stellar play pitching a perfect inning. Since making his Mat-Su debut June 21, Oglesby has not allowed a run in four outings.

Hayden Howard struck out a pair during an inning of work, and Vince Arobio pitched the ninth to earn his fifth save of the summer.

Arobio has not only emerged as Mat-Su’s closer, but the top closer in the ABL. Arobio leads the league with three saves and has a perfect earned run average in five league games.

“He’s our ninth-inning guy,” Taylor said. “When we need the lead held down, when we need three outs, it’s his ball.”

Nick Senzel and Mitchell Nau both went deep to lead the Mat-Su offense. Nau hit a solo shot in the top of the fifth inning to break a 1-1 tie. Senzel added a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning to extend a Mat-Su lead.

Paul Panaccione and Nick Senzel led the Miners with two hits each. Panaccione also drove in a run for the Miners.

Mat-Su also played at Chugiak Saturday. Results were not available as of press time. The Miners return home to host the Peninsula Oilers in a doubleheader, scheduled to start at 4 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

Heading into play Saturday, Mat-Su (7-3) stood in first place of the ABL’s National League.