Miners hand Nooks home shutout

Tim Barto-Chinooks

Game 15 Summary​

It was not a good afternoon for the Chinooks on Sunday.  The Mat-Su Miners paid a visit to Lee Jordan Field and scored one run in the top of the first, making use of an error, a walk, and a single. They never looked back, going on to score 11 more times while pounding out 14 hits.  And that's all there was to it, really, as the home team failed to get a runner across the plate for the second straight game. 

On the bright side, five Fish hit safely, including leadoff hitter Kade Smith who went two for four.  Shane Stephan, a freshman from Lancaster Bible College, and one of two returning Chinooks, notched his first ABL hit of 2024 with a nicely executed opposite field single in the sixth inning. 

Prior to the start of the game, the Chinooks paid tribute to Jon and Kitty Groth, who have been with the team since Athletes-In-Action moved the team down from Fairbanks in 2012.  The Groths make their home in Texas, but spent their summers in Chugiak-Eagle River, coaching, mentoring, and doing everything that goes into running a summer college baseball team.  They were presented with homemade leis, a plaque, a photo, a personal gift, and honorary Eagle River citizenship.  The Groths are headed to Xenia, Ohio to assist with the other A.I.A. summer baseball team, the Scouts.  

God Speed, Jon and Kitty.

Final score:  Miners 12, Chinooks 0.

The Chinooks are now five and ten in league play (six and twelve overall).  The next game is on Tuesday at 6:00 pm at home against the Miners.