Miners speed past Chinooks

PALMER — Listed at 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Mat-Su infielder Nick Brooks is one of the bigger Miners on the 2017 squad. But that doesn’t mean Brooks is not going to hustle down the baseline.

Brooks scored on a play at the plate, beating a throw from the shallow infield to provide the go-ahead run during a 10-4 victory over the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks Tuesday night at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

With the bases loaded, and Brooks at third, with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Mat-Su designated hitter Zack Sharpley chopped a ground ball to the right side of the infield. As Brooks charged toward home, Chugiak infielder Brandon Michie made the throw to the plate. Brooks was able to maneuver around Chugiak catcher Alex Crotty and beat the tag and give the Miners a 4-3 lead.

“I didn’t think he’d go home with it. It kind of caught me by surprise. That’s what the ugly slide was all about,” Brooks said after the win.

Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor said Brooks had the green light all along.

“It’s a running contact play, a scripted play,” Taylor said. “Running on contact on the ground, trying to force the issue. It worked out really well for us.”

With the bases loaded, and the score tied, Taylor said the Miners focused on moving the base runners.

“As soon as we see the ball down on the ground, he’s going. Worst-case scenario, if he gets in a run-down, we’re in the same spot,” Taylor said of the Miners still having a runner move from second or third regardless of what happens at the plate. “We’re trying to put pressure on the defense.”

Taylor praised the effort of Brooks to get home and get the go-ahead run.

“We really preach that,” Taylor said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for my guys. They run hard.”

The play was part of a seventh-run sixth that helped Mat-Su erase a 3-0 deficit and improve to a league-leading 9-3 in the ABL. Chugiak held Mat-Su to just a pair of hits through five innings before the Miners erupted in the sixth.

“We don’t give up,” Brooks said. “That’s one of the things we pride ourselves on, not giving up.”

Mat-Su batted around in the sixth, and managed to score its first four runs of the inning without getting a hit. Both Brooks and Rainer Ausmus were hit by a pitch in the inning. Andy Thomas and Justin Ammons drew back-to-back walks.

Ausmus scored on a Chugiak wild pitch to put the Miners on the scoreboard. Thomas and Ammons both scored when Austin Bell reached on a Chugiak error to tie the score at 3. Brooks gave his team the lead, scoring on the play at the plate on the Sharpley fielder’s choice. Late in the inning, Elijah MacNamee and Mike Antico both had run-scoring singles to blow the game open for Mat-Su.

“There’s a lot of ways to score in this game,” Taylor said. “Stay the course, and make the most of your opportunities.”

Zach Hardy retired three straight in the sixth and earned the win on the mound. Jake Butcher, a Palmer native and Colony High School graduate, worked the final three innings for the Miners.

“Stud,” Brooks said of Butcher. “The guy works hard. He’s always pushing, always doing his job.”

Butcher allowed two hits and an earned run in three innings. He fanned two and didn’t walk a batter. It was the third appearance of the year and the home debut for Butcher, who recently completed his junior season at Division II Minnesota-Crookston.

“He’s a real important arm for us,” Taylor said of Butcher. “That’s huge what he did. Just because he’s a local kid that goes to a Division II school, that doesn’t mean anything. He’s got really good stuff.”

Mat-Su’s victory snapped Chugiak’s five-game winning streak. Chugiak (6-6) carried a 3-0 lead into the sixth. The Chinooks scored all three of their runs in the fifth. Hayden Mixon knocked a two-run homer over the left field fence to give the Chinooks a 2-0 lead. Alex Crotty also scored on a Levi Gilcrease sacrifice fly in the inning.

Chugiak starter Mike Batten went 5 1/3, fanned four and allowed two hits in the no decision.

“He did a good job,” Taylor said of the Chugiak starter. “He pitched backward tonight. He kept us off balance.”

Tuesday’s game marked just the third regular season contest at home for the Miners this summer, and the team’s first home win since its home league opener June 7.

“It feels good to win a game at home finally,” Taylor said.

Mat-Su returns to the road Wednesday, facing the Anchorage Bucs at 7 p.m. at Mulcahy Stadium. Mat-Su’s next home game is Sunday at 4 p.m. against Chugiak.

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