Baseball season now in full swing

The season is just three weeks long, or to put it more correctly, just three weeks short. Valley teams play 12 games each. They are about a third of the way through.

Last week the Palmer Moose swept the Valdez Buccaneers at Hermon Brothers Field. They won the first game 5-0 and the second 3-1.

Blake Aro, who pitched the second game of the double-header, threw for the complete game.

Afterwards, he thought he hadn't allowed any hits.

"Did I have a no-hitter?" he said. "Did I?"

But the scorekeeper, who just happened to be Aro's mother, Lynn, broke the bad news. There was just one hit on Aro. It came in the third inning.

The good news was that Aro struck out most of the 21 batters he faced.

"He had 15 strikeouts and one hit," Lynn Aro said, pointing to the score sheet.

It appeared as if Aro's arm was getting tired in the fifth. He threw some pitches in the dirt and a few wild ones. But he got it together in the sixth and sizzled in the seventh, easily striking out all three batters.

"He does that sometimes," his mom said. "He gets tired, then he comes back."

In the second inning, Palmer's Brenden Wheeler got on base by hitting a grounder to the shortstop, who overthrew the ball to first. He stole second and made it to third on another grounder, this time hit by Kyle Loyer.

Wheeler came home on another Valdez infielder error. The Moose were already one up. Wheeler crossing the plate made the game 2-0.

The Buccaneers answered in the top of the third when, with Jacob Case on base, Nathan Ayotte hit a ball that went right between Palmer shortstop Jason Caldera's legs.

But the Moose capped it in the sixth on a single by Brian Weller, who got to second on a passed ball, third on a strikeout, and home on Kyle Loyer's single to center field.

Buccaneers assistant coach Butch Failing said the team is struggling partly because Valdez has too much snow to practice.

"The field is still covered," he said. "We have had to practice in the gym."

Maybe that's partly the reason the Bucs lost two to Wasilla the day after losing two to Palmer.

Wasilla defeated Valdez on Saturday 17-4 and 16-8. The first game of the double-header was stopped in the fifth inning because of the 10-run rule. The second game went a full seven.

On a day filled with sun and food — the teams barbecued between games — Wasilla's PJ Bean and Josh Lauruhn combined pitching efforts to let in five hits, give away four walks, and dish out four strikeouts in the first game.

Bean also went 2 for 4 at the plate. And John Schmelz went 1 for 2, with a double.

The game was error-free, which is a rarity in high school baseball.

"It's something real good," Wasilla coach Jim Ressler said.

The combined pitching efforts of Andy Walker and John McKiernan produced 11 strikeouts and seven walks in game two. They gave up seven hits.

One was a Buccaneer homer by Case.

After the homer, the next Valdez batter smashed a line-drive right into McKiernan's stomach.

The Warrior pitcher rolled around on the mound for awhile, before shaking it off and finishing the game.

"Six inches up and it would have broken some ribs for sure," Ressler said.

Lauruhn went 2 for 4 at the plate. Schmelz, Lauruhn and Mike McManus all had doubles in game two.

Ressler said being so far ahead gave him the opportunity to use some of his swing players. Jimbo Ressler, Brandon Halverson and Bret Younts all saw some playing time.

Earlier in the same week Wasilla beat Palmer 9-4. Warrior pitcher Owen Butcher gave up no walks, eight hits and struck out three Moose batters.

Owen also scored three runs on two base hits.

Left fielder Doug Bean got two runs on two hits, a single and a double.

For Palmer, Joseph Caldera pitched a complete game, giving up four walks and seven hits. Caldera walked four.

The Warriors dominated the Moose, scoring one run in the first inning, one in the second, five runs in the fifth and two in the sixth, making the game 7-0.

Palmer tried to come back, scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth and one more in the seventh.

The Warriors are currently 4-0 in Region play. They are 4-2 overall, losing both preseason practice games, one to East, the other to Bartlett.

Ressler says Wasilla's recent wins have given the team confidence.

"Our work ethic and our discipline is paying off too," he said.