Eagles upset Road Warriors during first day of legion state tourney

WASILLA — One rough inning led to an early loss for the Wasilla Road Warriors in the state tournament.

Sixth-seeded West Anchorage used four runs in the top of the eighth to upset the third-seeded Road Warriors 5-3 in the first game of the first day of the Alaska American Legion State Baseball Championships Tuesday Morning at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Wasilla had just scored a pair of runs to take the 2-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh. Cyrus Lovell and Dawson White drew consecutive walks to lead off the seventh for the Warriors. Carson Boyette entered the game as a pinch-runner for Lovell, and later scored on a West Anchorage passed ball. That tied the score at 2. Ben Werner gave Wasilla the lead with a single that scored White

But things fell apart for the Road Warriors in the eighth.

With one out West’s Shawn Jones singled, and was the first of a half-dozen straight Eagles to reach base. Chris Crespo also singled in the inning, and three different Eagles drew walks. Alex Alvarez reached on a Wasilla error.

Jones scored West’s first run of the inning to tie the score at 2.

West followed by drawing consecutive walks with the bases loaded. A Thomas Albert Zettler walk pushed Jack Opinsky across the plate, and Crespo scored on a Leland Wilson walk.

Zettler scored on a Wasilla error to give West the 5-2 lead.

The Road Warriors did add a run in the bottom of the ninth. Werner singled and drove in his second run of the game to cut West’s lead to 5-3.

Wasilla was held to only four hits in the loss. Arend and Werner had two hits each. Werner drove in two runs, and White scored twice.

Despite the loss, Wasilla does have the opportunity to battle back in the double-elimination tournament. The Warriors fall into the loser’s bracket, and will play seventh-seeded Chugiak Wednesday at 9 a.m. at Mulcahy. Service beat Chugiak 8-6 in the first round.

Pioneers fall in Matson Invite

The Fairbanks 49ers jumped in Palmer quick, and scored a 15-2 win over the Pioneers during the Matson Invitational Tuesday afternoon at Bartlett High School in Anchorage

Fairbanks scored seven runs in the top of the first inning, and added five in the fifth. The 49ers scored at least one run in five straight innings. Meanwhile, Fairbanks starter Isacc Roehl scattered four hits and two earned runs during a five-inning complete game.

Kolten Ketchum led Palmer with a single, run and RBI. Trace Severson also scored and James Nelson drove in a run.

Palmer now drops into the tournament’s loser’s bracket and will play either Ketchikan or Bartlett Wednesday at noon at Bartlett.

The Matson includes the eight Alaska American Legion programs that did not qualify for the state tournament, which also started Tuesday in Anchorage.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.