Wasilla graduate helps Miners clinch home-field advantage in postseason

PALMER — The Mat-Su Miners clinched home-field advantage in the Alaska Baseball League postseason, and a Valley product helped them do it.

Nolan Monaghan, a 2016 graduate of Wasilla High School, pitched five scoreless innings to lead Mat-Su to a 7-0 win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots Thursday afternoon at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer. Monaghan, a former Wasilla High School and American Legion standout, allowed only two hits and fanned five as he helped the Miners improve to an ABL-best 26-14. Mat-Su will now host throughout the ABL playoffs, which start Wednesday.

“We needed length out of Nolan. We needed him to really, really compete. He did both for us, and it was absolutely fantastic,” Miners head coach Ben Taylor said after the win.

The game marked Monaghan’s 11th appearance on the mound and his longest outing of the season.

“It’s the toughest we’ve seen him all summer, and there’s not a better time,” Taylor said.

Of his five strikeouts in the game, none were bigger than his fifth. With two outs and runners at the corners, and Anchorage’s Chandler Anderson facing a full count, Monaghan got Anderson to swing and miss at the third strike to end the inning.

“That was the perfect ending for his start,” Taylor said.

After the win, Monaghan said he felt great about his start.

“A lot better than my last start,” Monaghan said. “A lot of adjustments were made.”

Monaghan said he felt like he got stronger as the game went on.

“What my kind of flaw is, the first inning I’m the most uncomfortable. As the game goes on, you get into the flow, the rhythm of the game,” Monaghan said.

Monaghan is one of two Valley graduates on the Mat-Su roster this season. Right-hander Jacob Butcher, a Colony High School graduate, is also on the pitching staff. For more on both Butcher and Monaghan, see the Sunday edition of the Frontiersman.

Monaghan said playing with the Miners has been a great experience.

“It’s unreal honestly. They took me in and told me I’m not a local kid. I’m a California (junior college) arm, and I’ve got something to prove,” Mongahan said.

Monaghan recently completed his freshman season at Feather River Community College.

Reliever Zach Hardy allowed a hit over two scoreless innings of relief for the Miners, and the Mat-Su offense collected 14 hits in the win.

ABL batting leader Quin Cotton was 3 of 4 at the plate, and raised his batting average to .355. Elijah MacNamee was also 3 of 4. Ryan Haug, Austin Bull and Rainer Ausmus had two hits each. Cotton and Andy Thomas scored two runs each. Seven different Miners drove in runs.

Later Thursday evening, Mat-Su (27-14) pushed its league lead to five games with a 3-2 win over the Pilots. Ausmus scored the go-ahead run on a Bull sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Ausmus, who hit his first home run of the summer earlier in the game, scored twice and drove in two. Nick Brooks also scored a run.

Jake Suddreth earned the win in relief and Josh Green notched his sixth save of the season.

With the wins, Mat-Su swept a doubleheader for the second straight day. The Miners beat the Bucs twice on Wednesday.

The Miners have three games left in the regular season, and now will host during the postseason.

“It’s huge for us. We know we’re going to play at least two more games at Hermon Brothers Field, hopefully a couple more than that,” Taylor said of clinching home field advantage.

Mat-Su hosts the Bucs Saturday at 6 p.m. and caps the regular season Tuesday with a doubleheader against the Pilots at 3 p.m. The ABL postseason starts Wednesday.

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