Pushing ahead: Miners continue to play aggressive in win

PALMER — The Mat-Su Miners don’t reserve the ninth spot for the weakest hitter in their lineup. Throughout the summer, the Miners have seen solid production from the final batter in the order.

Monday, another hitter in the nine-hole came through for Mat-Su. Infielder Tino Lipson was 2 for 3, scored a run and drove in another to help the Miners score a 4-2 win over the Chugiak Chinooks at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

“That’s sort of a philosophical thing on my part,” Mat-Su field manager Chris Gordon said of fitting hot hitters into the bottom of the order. “I really think you just don’t give away that spot. You don’t want them to pitch around the seven and the eight hitter because they know in the nine-hole there’s not a very good hitter. I feel like there’s some opportunity for some RBIs in that nine-hole.”

Lipson, who pushed his batting average to .339 in the win, singled twice against the Chinooks. In the second, with the Miners holding a 1-0 lead, Lipson used a single to drive in Branden Berry and extend his team’s advantage to 2-0.

“Lipson’s a talented hitter,” Gordon said. “He’s been hitting over .300 for us this year, and (today) he continued to do what he’s done.”

In the seventh, with the game knotted at 2, Lipson sparked the Miners again. The University of California-Davis sophomore led off the inning with a single and later scored on a Clint Freeman single to give the Miners the 3-2 lead.

Outfielder Bill Cullen, who is hitting .500 in his last seven games, continued his tear with a pair of hits and two more RBI. With Major League Baseball scouts in attendance Monday, Gordon said he hopes professional teams see more than just Cullen’s 5-foot-8 frame.

“Look at his tools, his numbers,” Gordon said of Cullen. “He can fly to first, he can steal some bases, he’s got pop, he plays pretty good centerfield and he’s got a decent arm, too.”

In addition to run-scoring singles in the first and the seventh, Cullen made a potentially game-saving catch in the top of the fifth.

With runners on first and third and the Miners leading 2-0, Chugiak’s Drew Shields crushed a ball into right center field. The ball seemed destined for the gap as it left Shields’ bat, but Cullen was able to chase it down and make the running grab.

Griffin Gum tag up and score from third on the play, but Gordon knows Chugiak could have easily tied the game.

“It was huge, and he made that play look easy,” Gordon said. “He ran a long, long way to get that ball.”

Mat-Su outfielder Ian Miller also went to the right field wall to make a catch and secure the third out of the fifth.

Miners starter Tyler Davis pitched a strong 4 2/3 innings, but it was Tanner Anderson who earned the victory in relief. Davis, who was on an 80-pitch limit, fanned five hitters while walking only one. He allowed three hits and one earned run.

“Davis was great. We had him on a pitch limit. He went 99 (pitches) in his last start, and we want to make sure he’s strong down the stretch,” Gordon said. “I would love to see him get one more out and get the decision, but it was the right decision to bring Jimmy (Reed) in. He’s been great against lefties.”

Reed, Anderson, Andrew McGee, Peter Kaplan and Jake Long all saw time on the mound in relief. Anderson allowed one earned run in two innings and earned the win. Long retired three of the four hitters he faced in the ninth and notched his first save of the summer.

The Miners stole five more bases in the victory. Miller swiped two bags, and now leads the ABL with 25 stolen bases. The Miners were caught stealing twice, and were nabbed twice while trying to stretch an extra bag after a hit, but Gordon said the Miners want to continue to use their speed to put pressure on opponents.

“We’ve got to press the issue. We’ve got to put the pedal down,” Gordon said.

Mat-Su improved to 12-18 with the win and continues to creep up on fifth-place Chugiak (12-15) in the standings.

The Miners are off today, but continue the homestand with the first of three straight games against the Peninsula Oilers Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Hermon Brothers. The Miners also host the Oilers Thursday at 6.

Mat-Su begins ABL/MLB Showcase play Friday at 1 p.m. against the Oilers at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com, follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports and find him by searching Valley Sports Huddle on Facebook.