Bizarre forfeit hands Road Warriors win

WASILLA — A controversial call helped the Alaska Road Warriors avoid being swept in opening day of play Friday at the American Legion Todd Ryan Memorial Tournament at McManus Fields.

The Road Warriors lost to East 8-2 in their early game before taking the diamond against Service in the nightcap. After a close couple of innings, Service broke the game open with a six-run fifth inning — a lead Service would grow.

The score was 11-3 in the top of the seventh inning when Service’s Chase Barrus stepped to the plate for the Cougars with the bases loaded. Barrus hit a weak grounder to first baseman Mike Wagner, who threw the ball home for the force out. Catcher Chris Bydlon then rocketed the ball back to second baseman Taylor Palmer who was covering first in a double play attempt to get Barrus at first.

But as the ball got to Palmer, he and Barrus collided. Field umpire Carl Brent immediately ejected Barrus for running into Palmer. As this happened, Service head coach Steve Nerland, who was coaching third base at the time, threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, “That’s the game, we forfeit.”

Nerland then walked off of the field, conceding the game in the final inning even though his team lead by eight runs.

After a moment of confusion that rushed through the stands, Nerland said he had put all of his subs in during the game, and with the ejection of Barrus he had no players left.

Nerland and the Cougars didn’t stick around long enough to attempt to get much of an explanation out of Brent. On why Barrus was ejected on a call both teams thought was questionable, Nerland said, “I don’t know why he was ejected, you’ll have to talk to the umpires about that one.”

Home plate umpire Todd Helm elaborated on the call by Brent.

“It was an ejection by the base umpire for the player intentionally stepping on the leg of the first baseman,” Helm said. On whether he thought the play was intentional, “That’s his (Brent’s) call. It’s a judgment call on our part as the umpires.”

Although Brent couldn’t be reached for comment following the game, the Road Warriors didn’t celebrate the call that, as assistant Road Warrior coach Gary Skan said, “bailed out” the home team.

“We didn’t deserve to win this game,” Skan said, noting that the Warriors had played an error-filled contest up to the point of the call. “Unfortunately, we did win in that way, but it’s not a victory in any sense of the word. I mean, it’s on paper as a ‘w,’ but that’s it.”

Skan said although it was a play that happened quickly, in his opinion it was a call that should not have been made.

“It was a fair play. Our second baseman was straddling the bag like he should not have been,” Skan said. “The runner had nowhere to go, he brought his hands up to protect himself.”

The forfeit relieved the Road Warriors from a game where their bats were frozen by Service’s pitcher freshman Bryan Beard.

“He dominated us tonight,” Skan said. “He’s got some more development to do, but as a freshman to come in and dominate an upper-classman team like we have here, it’s pretty impressive.”

David Newman made the start for the Road Warriors. Newman pitched strong for the first four innings before Skan said he started to tire.

“It’s the best I’ve ever seen him throw,” Skan said. “He got tired there in the fifth and started trying to aim that ball. It doesn’t help that we gave them a couple extra outs that inning.”

The forfeit win salvaged the earlier game against East where Skan said once again the Road Warriors bats went silent.

“We just had no hitting,” he said. “We had four called third strikes, three or four errors, and we’re just not being aggressive enough.”

East scored four runs in the third, three in the fourth and five more in the fifth to claim the 8-2 win. Kyle Bovy went 2-3 in the game with a double and RBI single, while Chris Bydlon had an RBI single for the home team.