American Legion: Alaska pounds Bartlett, Eagle River

June 24, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - A little rest can go a long way.

Coming off a week-long break, the Alaska Road Warriors put up a pair of double-digit wins at McManus Field over the weekend, knocking off Bartlett 20-8 Friday and taking down Eagle River 24-2 on Saturday.

&#8220The last couple games, the bats have really come to life,” Road Warriors coach Steve Mossburgh said following the Eagle River win.

Wasilla racked up 35 hits during the two games, including 15 against Bartlett and 20 against Eagle River. Combined with a victory over West last weekend, the two wins pushed Alaska's winning streak to three games and lifted the team to 5-4 overall on the season.

Mossburgh said the wins have enabled his team to rebuild its confidence after Alaska dropped four in a row earlier in the year.

&#8220I think we can play with anybody,” he said.

Against Eagle River, Alaska came out swinging and never stopped, putting up two runs in the first inning, five in the second, nine in the third and eight in the fourth.

First baseman Carl Brent led the Road Warriors with six RBI, going 3-for-5 with a double.

Brent was far from the only Alaska player to have a good day at the plate. Center fielder Rob Fitch scored four runs, one of which came after he ripped a double down the left field line in the first and raced around to score when the Eagle River left fielder misplayed the ball.

Shortstop Josh Boring and right fielder Eric Washington each had four hits on the game, and third baseman Chris Comerate scored all four times he came to the plate.

Wasilla also played solid defensively. The team's only defensive miscue came when pitcher Chris Breck threw a double play ball into center field in the top of the second.

The error was Breck's only mistake of the day. The Colony High 17-year-old pitched a five-inning complete game, allowing just three hits while striking out six and walking none. Breck retired the side in order in three of his five innings pitched and fanned all three hitters he faced in the fourth.

Breck's performance was good news for an undermanned pitching staff that got even thinner Friday when Casey Smith injured his elbow during a collision at second base. Smith's injury came just days after Mike Shaw broke his hand in the batting cage.

&#8220That took a hit on our pitching staff,” Mossburgh said.

It's unknown how long either player will be out, though Mossburgh said it's unlikely either will be able to return until at least the state tournament in August.

Alaska will put its three-game winning streak on the line today when the Road Warriors hit the road to Anchorage, where they'll play West today at 5 p.m. at the Klatt Road sports complex.

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

ROAD WARRIORS 24, WOLVES

Eagle River 020 00 - 2

Alaska 259 8x - 24

ROAD WARRIORS 20, BEARS 8

Bartlett 300 400 10 - 8

Alaska 300 400 10 - 20