American Legion: Alaska falls twice on second day of tourney

July 8, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

ANCHORAGE - Playing good enough to win isn't always enough.

Just ask the Alaska Road Warriors.

The Wasilla-based American Legion team out-hit both its opponents Saturday during the second day of the British Petroleum Invitational in Anchorage, yet would up on the losing end in both contests.

&#8220Both games could have went either way,” Alaska coach Steve Mossburgh said following a 6-5 extra-inning loss to Dimond Saturday afternoon.

Combined with a 6-4 defeat at the hands of Belmar, N.J., Saturday morning, the Road Warriors finished with a 1-2 in pool play. Alaska will play today at 5 p.m. in the tournament's fifth-place game.

Against Belmar, the Road Warriors lost despite getting a combined four-hitter from starter Cole Smith and reliever Matt Packa. The difference in the game was two costly errors that led to four of Belmar's six runs.

First baseman Mike Dotson and designated hitter Kody Ziter each had two hits for the Road Warriors, while right fielder Tyler Eli was 1-for-2 with two runs scored.

Despite the loss, Alaska could still have wound up playing for third place with a win or tie against Dimond in the afternoon game.

With a strict time limit on the length of games, the Road Warriors were within three outs of forcing a draw when Dimond's Henry Todd ripped a game-winning line drive over the head of Alaska's Corey Cowgill in left field.

Cowgill appeared to momentarily misjudge the ball, taking a couple steps in before hastily retreating toward the wall. The ball glanced off his outstretched glove, allowing the winning run to score from first base.

Mossburgh was hardly ready to place the loss on Cowgill's shoulders.

&#8220Our outfielders kept us in the game,” he said.

Indeed, Cowgill's tough running grab at the wall in the bottom of the seventh inning forced the extra frame, while one inning before center fielder Robert Fitch saved two runs with a brilliant diving catch to rob Dimond's Arik McAlees.

The loss also erased a gutsy performance by Alaska pitcher Chris Breck, who recovered from a rocky start to keep the Road Warriors in the game. Breck gave up five runs in the first two innings, then allowed just four hits the rest of the way. Breck was dominant after the second, at one point retiring 10 of 11 batters - including eight in a row.

Alaska missed a golden opportunity to take the lead in the third inning, failing to score a single run after loading the bases with none out against Dimond starter Trevour Riske. But Dimond reliever Justin Jones retired the first three hitters he faced to quash the rally and end Wasilla's biggest threat of the game.

&#8220We couldn't score those runs; that was big,” Mossburgh said of his team, which left 14 runners on base in the

game.

Alaska took a 1-0 lead in the first on an RBI fielder's choice from Fitch, but the Lynx quickly went up 2-1 in the bottom of the inning.

The Road Warriors again went ahead in the top of the second on the strength of three walks, singles from Cowgill and shortstop Josh Boring and Fitch's second RBI fielder's choice of the game.

Boring finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate, while Cowgill had a pair of hits and a run scored to go along with his RBI.

With three more in the bottom of the inning, the Lynx took the lead until Alaska tied things up with a two-out rally in the fifth.

Tyler Eli got things started with a single, stole second and later advanced to third when Jones hit Cowgill with a pitch. Eli then scored on a wild pitch to tie the score at 5-5.

The score remained that way until the bottom of the eighth, when Dimond managed to plate the game-winner.

Mossburgh said he wasn't disappointed with how his team played, but said the Road Warriors need to find ways to win the close games.

&#8220They're knocking on the door,” he said. &#8220They just need to kick it in.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com.

Scores

Thursday

Chugiak 6, West 2

Dimond 9, Service 5

Friday

South 16, West 0

Belmar (N.J.) 5, Dimond 1

Alaska 10, Service 4

Chugiak 14, Excelsior (Minn.) 8

Excelsior 6, South 5

Saturday

Belmar 6, Alaska 4

Belmar 12, Service 2

Dimond 6, Alaska 5

Excelsior vs. West (late)

Chugiak vs. South (late)

Lynx 6, Road Warriors 5 (8 innings)

ALASKA

name ab r h bi

Boring ss 4 1 3 0

Cowgill lf 3 1 2 1

CaSmith 2b 4 0 0 0

Fitch cf 4 0 1 2

Ziter 3b 0 0 0 0

Bydlon 3b 3 0 1 0

WSmith c 4 0 0 0

Briceland rf 5 0 1 0

Dotson 1b 3 1 1 0

Packa dh 0 1 0 0

Eli dh 2 1 1 0

Totals 32 5 10 3

DIMOND

Name ab r h bi

Strid ss/cf 4 1 2 0

Knowles c 3 1 0 1

McAlees 2b 4 2 2 1

Krogh 3b 3 0 1 1

Desmarais 1b 2 0 0 0

Panone lf 3 0 0 1

Riske p 1 0 0 1

Eastlick rf 1 0 0 1

Lauwers ss 2 0 0 0

Jones cf/p 4 1 2 0

Crider rf 2 1 1 0

Todd rf 1 0 0 0

Totals 30 6 8 6

Alaska 130 010 00-5 10 3

Dimond 230 000 01-6 8 0

E - Alaska 3, Dimond 0. LOB - Alaska 14, Dimond . 2B - McAlees. 3B - Krogh. SB - Dotson, Bydlon, Eli, Krider, Strid. CS - Jones. Sac - Casey Smith.

ALASKA IP H R ER BB SO

Breck 7 8 6 4 3 2

DIMOND

Riske 2 5 4 4 5 2

Jones 6 5 1 1 1 5

HBP - Cowgill by Riske, WSmith by Riske, Cowgill by Jones, Fitch by Jones, Desmarais by Breck, Desmarais by Breck. WP - Breck, Riske.

Mets 6, Road Warriors 4

ALASKA

name ab r h bi

Boring ss 4 0 0 0

CaSmith 2b 3 0 0 0

Eli rf 2 2 1 0

Fitch c 4 0 1 0

Ziter dh 4 0 2 1

Cowgill lf 4 1 0 0

Dupuis cf 2 1 0 0

Comerate 3b 2 0 1 1

Bydlon 3b 1 0 0 0

Dotson 1b 2 0 2 1

Totals 28 4 7 3

BELMAR, N.J.

Name ab r h bi

Kurtz p/ss 3 2 1 2

Williams pr 0 0 0 0

McGrath ss/3b 3 1 0 0

Cebulski c 1 0 0 0

Tarullo 2b 2 1 1 1

Cannon 1b 3 0 0 2

Peterson lf 3 1 2 0

Hueth 3b/lf 1 0 0 1

Clark cf 2 0 0 0

Kennett cf/p 1 0 0 0

Lacono rf 2 0 0 0

Rodgers rf/cf 0 1 0 0

Totals 21 6 5 6

Alaska 000 210 1- 4 7 2

Belmar 300 120 X- 6 4 2

E - Alaska 2, Belmar 2. SB - Kurtz, Peterson, Rodgers. Sac - Cebulinski.

ALASKA IP H R ER BB SO

Smith 2.2 1 3 2 5 0

Packa 3.1 3 3 1 3 1

BELMAR

Kurtz 5 7 3 2 3 3

Kennett 2 0 1 0 0 2

HBP - Cebulski by Packa, Eli by Kennett. PB - Fitch.