Nagasaka silences Miners

PALMER -- Hermon Brothers Field has been the site of some incredible pitching performances of late.

Just a night after Mat-Su starter Koley Kolberg pitched six innings of perfect baseball in a losing cause, the Miners were shutdown and shutout by a gem of a pitching performance from the Beatrice Bruins' Hideki Nagasaka.

The Beatrice right hander fanned 14 Mat-Su hitters en route to the 3-0 Briun win.

Nagasaka, a product of Japan's Tokai Dai University, allowed just two hits in nine innings of work.

"He's pretty good," Beatrice manager Bob Steinkamp said in an understatement. "He could probably pitch AA ball right now."

Steinkamp said the reason Nagasaka is pitching in the states this summer is to get seen by professional clubs. Steinkamp, a scout with Seattle, has arranged a private workout for the Japanese hurler with the Mariners for next week.

During the Bruins' road trip to Alaska, Nagasaka struck out 13 in a win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and recorded a save against Fairbanks, in addition to his performance against Mat-Su.

Mat-Su was able to get little going as they struggled at the plate against the small, yet powerful, right-hander.

"It's frustrating," Mat-Su manager Kevin Edwards said. "I guess you run into those."

Mike Kelly and Jeff Butts recorded the only Mat-Su hits. Nagasaka also walked three hitters.

Butts doubled past a diving Bruin centerfielder in the first inning for Mat-Su. Butts was stranded after a Miner strikeout and ground out.

Kelly singled and Matthew Inouye and Matt Eiler walked in the second, but the Miners failed to knock in the runs and stranded three runners in the inning.

Edwards pegged the Miners' struggles at the plate as mental.

"Mentality," Edwards said. "Got to be a hitter.

"That's how it goes, " Edwards added. "It does not matter what level. It comes and goes. Let's just hope that the streak is short."

Beatrice did not strike until the fifth inning. In the top of the frame the Bruins' Jeff Christy reached on a Ryan Beglin error and later scored on a Colin Shockey ground out to give Beatrice a 1-0 lead.

The Bruins added a pair of runs in the top of the eighth on an Alex Gordan bases -clearing triple.

"Once he got to the fourth or fifth inning, he just cruised," Steinkamp said of Nagasaka. "We were able to get a couple of things done on offense to come through."

Mat-Su starter Jason Snyder allowed just three hits and no earned runs in six innings of work. Snyder also struck out three and walked three.

Bryan Beck allowed a pair of runs on two hits in relief.

Random hits … One bright spot for the Miners was catcher Billy Munich. The Oregen State backstop through three runners out. Munich gunned two runners out at second and picked off a runner at first … Butts now has a six game hitting streak. The centerfielder is hitting .316 and has a team-high 12 hits … Snyder's start was his first in a Mat-Su uniform. Snyder currently boasts a 1.12 ERA.