Baseball / Miners take early lead in ABL playoff series

Miners take early lead in ABL playoff series

Date:  Source: Alaska Baseball League

PALMER — Mat-Su Miners head coach Ben Taylor reached into his bag of tricks Wednesday night, and the call produced the game-winning run on the opening night of the Alaska Baseball League playoffs.

Mat-Su’s Spencer Henson stole home during the bottom of the sixth to help the Miners scored a 5-4 win over Chugiak in the first game of a best-of-3 series at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer. It was all part of a double steal. With runners at first and third and the game tied at 4, Mat-Su’s Josh Hatcher was caught in a rundown between first and second. As the Chugiak defense focused on Hatcher, Henson sprinted toward home.

“We might be last in the league in stolen bass, but our percentage of success is pretty high,” Taylor said after the win. “We pick our spots, and the guys did a hell of a job running the play

As soon as the defense tried to catch Hatcher, Henson, a 6-foot-2 and 230-pound infielder and designated hitter, made his way toward home, dove head first and slid across home plate well ahead of the throw.

“That was awesome. That boy can move,” Miners outfielder Kona Quiggle said.

As Henson slid across the plate, Hatcher was safe at second.

“He’s a real athletic kid,” Taylor said of Henson. “And when that’s run right, things tend to work out.”

Hatcher, a Mississippi State product who played in the 2018 NCAA Division I College World Series, also finished with a single and triple in the win.

“He’s fantastic. He’s only been with us for about a month, but he makes a huge impact for us,” Taylor said.

Mat-Su and Chugiak combined for four home runs in the game. Both teams also had extra-base hits off the wall, and Mat-Su had at least three flyouts that were caught at the wall.

“The ball was jumping here,” Taylor said. “I haven’t seen the ball jump like this on a weathery day in a long time.”

Quiggle blasted a two-run shot in the third that tied the game at 2.

“It was 3-1, I was head in the count,” Quiggle said. “I was looking for my pitch and he threw it.”

Nick Brooks knocked a solo shot off the scoreboard in right field to tie the game at 3 in the fifth.

Jordan Wharton and Nick Kreutzer hit home runs for Chugiak.

Josh Haley allowed just a hit over 2 1/3 innings of relief and earned the win on the mound. Bryce Tassin, who was recently named the ABL’s Top Prospect earned the save.

The best-of-3 series continues Thursday at 6 p.m. at Hermon Brothers.

By Jeremiah Bartz Frontiersman.com

 

An upset-minded Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks squad fell just short in its attempt to upend the Alaska Baseball League regular season champion Mat-Su Miners Wednesday, falling 5-4 in the first game of a best-of-three ABL playoff series at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

The Chinooks — who qualified for the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons since moving to Chugiak in 2012 — led 2-0 after the first inning on the strength of Jordan Wharton’s two-run homer.

The Miners’ Kona Quiggle matched Wharton’s two-run blast with one of his own in the bottom of the third to tie things up, but the Chinooks again went in front, taking a 4-3 lead into the sixth inning after a Nick Kreutzer dinger in the fourth and an RBI single by Anthony Forte in the fifth.

The Miners took the lead for good in the sixth, tying things on a sacrifice fly by Austin Pinorini and pulling in front on a double steal that saw Spencer Henson race home as Josh Hatcher swiped second.

The Chinooks outhit the mighty Miners 11-10, with Kreutzer going 3-for-4 and Wharton, Baily Collins and Michael Barker collecting two hits each.

Starter Luke Kindreich gave up five runs in 5.1 innings to take the loss for the Chinooks. Mat-Su reliever Josh Haley pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to earn the win.

In the league’s other playoff series Wednesday, the Anchorage Bucs downed the Peninsula Oilers 1-0 in 12 innings at Mulcahy Stadium.

The two teams play again at 6 p.m. Thursday at Hermon Brothers, which is located on the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer. For more information, visit alaskabaseballleague.org. 

Alaska Star