Small ball a big part of Mat-Su's success

PALMER — It’s not a secret in the Alaska Baseball League. Mat-Su loves to play small ball, and it’s paying off big for the Alaska Baseball League-leading Miners.

“It’s our game,” Mat-Su Miners head coach Ben Taylor said after his team’s 10-2 win over the Chugiak Chinooks Wednesday evening at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

Through Wednesday’s win, the Miners have an league-high 21 sacrifice bunts, about twice as many as any other team in the ABL. That’s in addition to the team’s number of bunt singles, which stands in the double digits.

“This is what we do. That’s how we play. That’s Miner baseball right now,” Taylor said.

And as the Miners continue to burn teams with the bunt, opponents are forced to play differently on defense against Mat-Su. Wednesday, after Chugiak made an adjustment on defense, pulling its infielders closer to the plate, the Miners found another way to score runs against the Chinooks. In the eighth inning, with runners at second and third, Mat-Su’s Levi Jordan cracked a hard liner off the glove of Chugiak shortstop Aaron Schackleford. The ball bounced into the outfield and both runners scored off the Jordan single. Later in the inning, Miners designated hitter Jacob Hughey lined a shot off the glove of Chugiak first baseman Ethan Wiskur, who was also playing in. The ball, once again, got away, and Jordan was able to score.

“(Opponents) have to cheat in to defend the bunt. We’ve got some guys that can run. If the ball gets booted or something, we can take the extra base,” Taylor said. “It’s fun to watch these guys when they are really on point.”

Taylor said his team’s success with the small ball game forces opponents to think differently.

“It puts pressure on the defense. It causes guys to pitch around certain hitters, which gives guys behind them more pitches to hit,” Taylor said.

Mat-Su used small ball to rally from an early deficit in the fifth. Madison Nickens led off the inning with a bunt single, and advanced to second on a Josh Bissonette sacrifice bunt. After Jordan drew a walk, Jake Scudder sent a rocket down the right field line to score both Nickens and Jordan, and give the Miners the 3-2 lead.

“Our power guys, Scudder and those guys, are really starting to come on and drive in runs,” Taylor said.

Wednesday night, Scudder took the league lead in both doubles (eight) and RBI (20).

A pair of players more known for pitching for the Miners came through for Mat-Su at the plate. Jacob Hughey, inserted in the lineup as the designated hitter, finished with three hits and three RBI. Tyler Wyatt earned the start and third, and blasted a home run in the second inning.

“Guys are stepping up, putting their hand up (to play),” Taylor said. “Guys are keyed in. They want to get their at bats.”

Trent Shelton earned the win on the mound in relief for the Miners, pitching 2 2/3 innings.

ABL-leading Mat-Su improved to 17-12, and own a two-game lead over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots (16-15) at the top of the standings.

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