Miners drop regular season opener to Chinooks

Despite five no-hit innings paired with 10 strikeouts to start the ballgame from Jaxon Baker, the Mat-Su Miners (0-1) fell to the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks (1-0) in a tight 2-1 contest to open up league play at Lee Jordan Field on Saturday evening.

Chugiak scratched the first run across in the bottom of the third after a pitch in the dirt got away from Will Millard, allowing Kai Butler, who reached on a leadoff walk, to score from third. Five of the six Chinook hits came when Zach Bowman came in relief of Baker. Bowman was able to get away unscathed while on the mound in his 2 1/3 innings of work, but the go-ahead Chinook run would be charged to him after Pheonix West hit a line drive off the leg of Miner pitcher Colin Roos for an RBI-infield single that scored Kirby Jennkins. 

Mason Trotter gave Mat-Su trouble in his 4 1/3 innings of work where he gave up one run on one hit. That first hit for the Miners didn't come until Kanyon Millar doubled down the left field line in the fourth inning. Mat-Su saw a baserunner reach in all nine innings. but hit one for 18 with runners on, and hit zero for 13 with runners in scoring position. 

Defensively, Mat-Su put together a clean game highlighted by Jackson Babcock's outfield assist from right field to third base to throw out the lead runner. 

The Miners are back in action on Wednesday, June 10 for a non-leaague game against the Chinooks at Hermon Brothers Field. It will be the 2026 home opener for Mat-Su. The game will be available to stream on the Mat-Su Miners Baseball YouTube channel.

Kaden Bessent

Miners 2026 Broadcaster