A day after Wasilla and West posted shutouts in the Alliance Baseball League state tournament, pitching staffs from both teams were generous Saturday at Mulcahy Stadium.
The teams combined for 12 hits, 14 hit batsmen and 21 walks, with Wasilla winning it with a three-run outburst in the sixth inning to triumph 10-8.
Both teams left 15 men on base, and there was only one 1-2-3 inning — West went quietly in the bottom of the first.
In Saturday’s first game, South showed no mercy toward the Kenai Twins, roaring to a 15-1 victory in a game that ended after 4.5 innings because of the mercy rule.
In the late game, Juneau beat Dimond 4-2 in a meeting between teams bruised by shutouts the day before. It was the second loss in two games for Dimond, the tournament’s top seed.
Friday’s opening day of action showcased pitchers Leland Wilson of West and Jacob Gilbert of Wasilla, who struck out 16 and 13, respectively. On Saturday, both players wielded big bats.
Wilson had two of West’s eight hits, but it was Gilbert who made the biggest difference. With the game tied 7-7 after five innings, he had a hit, a run and an RBI to help spark Wasilla’s game-winning rally in the top of the sixth.
Logan Bailey and Gilbert delivered back-to-back RBI doubles and the next two batters were hit by pitches, setting the stage for a bases-loaded walk that scored Gilbert and made it 10-7.
West loaded the bases with three straight hit batsmen, but Wasilla escaped unscathed. The Warriors threw out the lead runner at home on an infield grounder and turned the next ground ball into an inning-ending double play.
West got one run back in the seventh.
Gilbert and Waylon Payne each drove in three runs and Andrew Brown drove in two for Wasilla. Luke Langnes had three RBI and Wilson and Eli Seaver each had two hits for West.
The late game pitted powerhouses Dimond and Juneau, neither of which managed to score a run on the tournament’s opening day. Top-seeded Dimond fell to Wasilla 2-0 and defending state champion Juneau lost 3-0 to West on Friday.
Juneau seized a 3-1 lead in the third inning. A Porter Nelson single drove in the first run, and four batters later Brock McCormick knocked in two runs with a two-out single. Dimond’s attempt to throw out Juneau baserunnner Oliver Mendoza at the plate failed — Mendoza scored from second base on McCormick’s hit — but Lynx catcher Logan Sweet’s throw to second base beat McCormick, trying for the extra base, for the final out.
Dimond put five runners in scoring position in subsequent innings but only managed one run. In the fifth inning, Adam Boyce walked with two outs and scored from first base on Ryan Henrickson’s double, cutting Juneau’s lead to 4-2.
Juneau starter Austin McCurley went 6.33 innings for the win, scattering four hits while walking three and striking out two.
In South’s win over Kenai, the Wolverines jumped to a 7-0 lead in the first inning by sending 11 batters to the plate. All of their offense — seven runs, four hits, four walks — came with two outs.
Gabe Wilson’s two-run homer was the inning’s big hit.
Wilson added an RBI double in South’s seven-run third inning, which included a two-run double by Josh McGovern and a two-run single by Dylan Maltby. In two tournament games, Maltby is 5 for 6 with a triple, two doubles and two singles.
South had a dozen hits, half for extra bases. Andrew Buckendrog was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, Reid Brock was 2 for 3 with two runs, Maltby was 3 for 4 with two RBIs, McGovern was 2 for 3 with three RBIs and Grant Heikkila was 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs. South’s No. 9 batter, Heikkila has driven in four runs in two games.
Alliance Baseball League state tournament
All games at Mulcahy Stadium
Friday’s results
West 3, Juneau 0
South 7, Chugiak 6
Eagle River 5, Kenai 1
Wasilla 2, Dimond 0
Saturday’s results
South 15, Kenai 1
Wasilla 10, West 8
Juneau 4, Dimond 2
Sunday’s games
11 a.m. — Kenai vs. Chugiak
2:30 p.m. — Juneau vs. Wasilla
6 p.m. — Eagle River vs. South
Monday’s games
2 p.m. — Chugiak vs. Eagle River
5:30 p.m. — West vs. Dimond
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