Miners split at ABL/MLB Showcase

ANCHORAGE — The Mat-Su Miners split a pair of nonleague games during the ABL/MLB Showcase in Anchorage Saturday afternoon.

Mat-Su (26-8 overall, 23-7 in Alaska Baseball League play) opened with a 2-1 win over the Chugiak Chinooks in seven innings, before falling to the Anchorage Bucs 2-0 in a five-inning game. The contest against the Chinooks had been scheduled for Friday, but was rained out.

Chris Hall and Tyler Wolfe both drove in runs to help Mat-Su score the win over the Chinooks. Jake Schleppenbach and Jack Zoellner scored runs for the Miners. Jedd Fagg finished with a summer-high two hits in the win.

Both of Mat-Su’s runs came in the fourth inning.

Byron Hood earned the win on the mound in relief. Hood pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and one earned run. Zebastian Valenzuela made the start, allowing only one hit in three innings pitched.

Following Mat-Su’s win over Chugiak, Anchorage’s Peter Lenstrohm and Billy Sanford combined to pitch five scoreless innings to lead the Bucs to a 2-0 lead over the Miners. Sanford, allowed two hits and walked one, and earned the victory on the mound.

Mat-Su was held to only three hits in the loss. J.J. Hanock doubled, and Wolfe and Matt Diorio had a single each.

The ABL/MLB Showcase was created to allow Major League scouts to see all six ABL teams in one event over a weekend each season.