Early Offense Sparks Miners Past Chinooks
June 16, 2016 - Alaska Baseball League (Alaska)
Mat-Su Miners News Release
CHUGIAK, Alaska - The Mat-Su Miners offense exploded for five runs in the first inning against the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks to earn a 8-3 road victory on Wednesday.
The Miners (5-2) capitalized on two doubles, a single, a home run, a sacrifice fly and an error in the opening inning to secure a 5-0 advantage early in the game.
"We've got to win ballgames," Miners head coach Ben Taylor said. "With the way the schedule is, we're on the road. You've got to win no matter where you're playing."
First baseman Jake Scudder jumpstarted the Miners offense with a sacrifice fly in the first to score leftfielder Garrison Schwartz. Rightfielder Cam Montgomery followed with an RBI double to stretch the lead to 2-0.
Catcher Josh Rolette added the Miners third home run of the season with a two-run shot over the right field fence on the following at-bat.
"I was just looking for a good pitch to hit and he left one right over the plate and I was able to get ahold of it," Rolette said.
After a fielding error allowed third baseman A.J. Lee to reach base, designated hitter Jacob Hughey tacked on an RBI single to give the Miners a 5-0 advantage.
The Miners added to the lead in the fourth inning following a balk from Chinooks pitcher Bonsell. The team would score again in the ensuing inning on an RBI groundout from Hughey.
Rolette said the early lead was a pivotal advantage for the Miners.
"It's a psychological win on our part," Rolette said. "They're constantly trying to catch up to us."
Miners right-handed pitcher Tyler Wyatt briefly flirted with a no-hitter in the matchup. The freshman threw five hitless innings before giving up a single to Chinooks second baseman Will Bass in the sixth.
"He threw a ton of strikes tonight and competed in the zone," Taylor said. "He had a really good feel for his breaking ball, which was a big improvement from the way he threw in his first start."
The Chinooks (2-4) threatened to score in the bottom of the sixth, when Bass, Mason Mallard and Hunter Vansau singled in consecutive at-bats to load the bases with one out. Wyatt escaped the jam with a double play on a groundout from third baseman Tim Millard.
Aaron Shackelford would lead off the bottom of the seventh for the Chinooks with a triple in the right-centerfield gap. First baseman Ethan Whisker would follow with a sacrifice fly on the ensuing at-bat to plate the Chinooks first run.
Wyatt finished the game with one earned run in seven innings on the mound. The freshman allowed four hits and tallied five strikeouts.
Gage Burland relieved Wyatt and surrendered a two-out RBI single from Millard in the eighth inning and an RBI groundout from Bass in the ninth. Burland finished with three strikeouts and gave up one walk in his relief appearance.
Four Miners ended the night with multi-hit performances. Montgomery, Rolette, Hughey and Levi Jordan all recorded two hits apiece.
"I've been struggling a little bit, but I'm starting to see the ball better and get it going," Rolette said.
The team returns to Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer tomorrow for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Anchorage Bucs.
Alaska Baseball League Stories from June 16, 2016
- Early Offense Sparks Miners Past Chinooks - Mat-Su Miners
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
