The Chugiak Mustangs won their second state baseball championship in two months on Saturday, and for the second time, pitcher Jimmy Lanier came up big in the big game.
Lanier pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout to lead Chugiak past Kenai 6-0 in the if-necessary championship game of the American Legion state tournament at Mulcahy Stadium.
The game was the second of the day between the teams. Kenai held off Chugiak 7-6 earlier to force a rematch in the double-elimination tournament.
The championship capped a 29-3 Legion season for Chugiak, which in June won the state high school championship to complete a 15-4 campaign. Lanier shut out South 5-0 in the title game of the high school state tournament.
By capturing their second state title in three years and their eighth overall, the Mustangs qualified for the Northwest Regional tournament this week in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Chugiak and Lanier took control from the start.
Chugiak opened the game with consecutive singles by Vander Lekites and Jakub Kindred, with Lekites scoring on Zachary Brueggemann's sacrifice fly to give his team a 1-0 lead.
Lanier struck out two of the three batters he faced in the bottom of the inning to help set the tone.
Charlie Bucolo blasted a three-run homer in the third inning to make it 4-0, and Sam Hanson and Kindred drove in insurance runs in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Lanier struck out six and walked six in nine innings. He loaded the bases in the ninth with two walks and a hit batsman, but escaped to preserve the shutout.
In Saturday's first game, Kenai banged out 12 hits and Josh Darrow drove in three runs to give the Twins a shot at their fouth state title. Kenai's last state title came in 2012.
Darrow was 2 for 5 to spark Kenai. Kyle Johnson pitched five innings for the win, allowing two hits, striking out three and walking four.
Among Chugiak's eight hits was a home run by Bucolo.
Past state champions
1967 – West
1968 – West
1969 – East
1970 – Fairbanks #11
1971 – East
1972 – Bartlett
1973 – Fairbanks #11
1974 – East
1975 – Fairbanks #11
1976 – Service
1977 – West
1978 – Fairbanks #11
1979 – East
1980 – East
1981 – Bartlett
1982 – East
1983 – Juneau
1984 – Juneau
1985 – Kodiak
1986 – Dimond
1987 – Dimond
1988 – East
1989 – Chugiak
1990 – Wasilla
1991 – Kenai
1992 – East
1993 – Chugiak
1994 – Chugiak
1995 – Kenai
1996 – Chugiak
1997 – Service
1998 – Chugiak
1999 – Dimond
2000 – Dimond
2001 – Service
2002 – Dimond
2003 – East
2004 – East
2005 – East
2006 – East
2007 – South
2008 – Chugiak
2009 – South
2010 – Dimond
2011 – Dimond
2012 – Kenai
2013 – Chugiak
2014 – South
2015 –? Chugiak