WASILLA — All the offense Kenai needed was a few bloops and a couple of bunts. The rest was up to Larson Kohler.

Kohler pitched a complete game to lead the Kenai Twins to a 5-2 win over the Alaska Road Warriors at McManus Field in Wasilla on Wednesday.

“The last four outings you couldn’t ask for anything better,” Kenai head coach John Butler said of the work of his starter. “His last three outings, including this one, he’s thrown three complete games.”

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Kohler allowed eight Alaska hits in the game, and didn’t allow the Road Warriors to score until the bottom of the sixth inning.

“He was focused in there,” said Butler, noting Kohler’s work with his fastball and breaking ball. “He was spotting his fastball really well.”

Alaska head coach Steve Mossburgh could only sit frustrated after the loss.

“Their pitcher did a decent job, but we just didn’t’ hit,” Mossburgh said.

Although the Warriors struggled through a slow day at the plate, what really stuck in the Alaska skipper’s craw was a few uncharacteristic mental miscues in the field.

Kenai capitalized on Alaska mistakes in the top of the third. That, combined with a pair of bloop singles, helped the Twins put together a 4-0 lead.

After Kenai’s Ben Stalker doubled down the right field line, Justice Elston found a hole in the Alaska defense and reached via the bunt in the third.

Josh Gilbert and Kris Netschert each collected bloop singles in the inning, and Bobby Myles also reached on a bunt. Kenai scored runs on each of the three hits.

Butler said he fully expected Mossburgh to know the Twins would bunt in the third inning.

“He knows what we’re going to do,” Butler said of his counterpart in the home dugout. “He was telling his players what was going to go on. They just didn’t execute.

“And that’s good for us. You do it until they stop you.”

Alaska got on the scoreboard in the sixth when catcher Wes Smith singled and scored on a Kody Ziter double.

Ziter reached on a Kenai error and scored on a Chris Bydlon single in the bottom of the ninth.

Smith led the Warriors with a pair of hits in the game. He also threw out four baserunners. Smith gunned down two runners in the fifth.

“Smith had a good day behind the plate,” Mossburgh said.

Cole Smith started and pitched six innings for the Warriors, while reliever Matt Packa worked the final three innings of the game.

“The pitching was good,” Mossburgh said. “We just didn’t hit the ball.”

Alaska 4, Kenai 2

WASILLA — Sterling Nielson pitched four solid innings to lead the Road Warriors to a 4-2 nonleague win over the Twins in the second game of the doubleheader at McManus Field on Wednesday.

Only Kenai’s 5-2 in the first game counts toward league standings.

Rhowe Stefanski pitched the final three innings of the victory.

Warriors host Todd Ryan

WASILLA — The annual Tood Ryan Memorial Tournament, hosted by the Alaska Road Warriors, started Thursday at McManus Field in Wasilla.

The six-team tourney continues with three games today.

East Anchorage and West Anchorage meet at 11 a.m. in the first game, Service will face Napoleon, Ohio, at 2 p.m. and the Road Warriors will host Fairbanks in a nine inning league game at 5 p.m.

Fairbanks and Alaska will each play two games on Saturday.

The 49ers meet West at 10 a.m. and will follow against Napoleon at 1 p.m.

The Road Warriors face Service at 4 p.m. before playing East at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Fairbanks plays  East at 11 a.m., Service meets West at 2 p.m. and the Road Warriors take on Napoleon at 5 p.m.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.