Gunned down: Road Warriors best state's top team

WASILLA — Jacob Butcher may have found his new favorite bat.

With the bases loaded and his team clinging to a tight lead, Butcher fouled off a pitch and stepped out of the batter’s box. The Alaska Road Warriors centerfielder stepped toward the home dugout and switched bats with the man on deck.

Butcher stepped back up to the plate and quickly ripped a two-run double up the right field line during the fourth inning to help the Road Warriors score an impressive 7-6 win over the league-leading South Anchorage Wolverines at Lou McManus Field in Wasilla Saturday afternoon.

“My bat cracked on the inside,” Butcher said after the win. “I felt something crack. It didn’t feel right. I don’t think it was the (new) bat. I think it was more luck, but I was able to get the hit.”

Butcher collected a pair of hits and drove in three runs to help the Valley-based American Legion squad improve to 6-2 overall and stay near the top of the state standings. The Colony High incoming senior also used his arm late in the inning to help the Warriors preserve the one-run win.

With South threatening to cut into the Valley squad’s lead in the eighth inning, Butcher gunned down a runner at the plate. South’s Matt Ilailio doubled to the right field corner wall and Brad Butcher followed with a single to center field. After the South hitter put the ball into centerfield, Ilailio headed around third base ready to score.

“I was just trying to get the ball in,” Butcher said. “I heard their third base coach saying, ‘go hard, go hard.’ I knew he was going. I knew I had to make the play somehow.”

Butcher threw a rope in from centerfield, giving Alaska catcher Josh Grissom an easy play at the plate.

“I saw him coming and Butch step up and thought, ‘man, there’s a chance, but it’s going to be close,’” Road Warriors skipper Myrl Thompson said. “It wasn’t even close, and that guy was fast. (Butcher) has a rocket arm. He really does.”

Mitchell Chauvin also used his bat and arm to help the Road Warriors win. Chauvin was 3 for 3 at the plate. He drove in two runs and scored twice.

“His batting average is way up over .500 right now. He’s just ripping it,” Thompson said.

Chauvin also stepped onto the mound in relief and retired the final two South batters to earn the save.

“I feel really comfortable with him in there,” Thompson said. “He’s a gamer.”

Chauvin hit the mound with the Warriors clinging to a one-run lead. The Valley squad had entered the final inning with a 7-4 lead, but South’s Conner Cucullu jacked a two-run shot over the left field fence to bring the Wolverines within one.

Bryce Borngraeber pitched seven innings to earn the win on the mound for the Road Warriors. Borngraeber fanned five, but better than that, he pitched himself out of a pair of bases loaded jams.

In the fifth inning after scoring twice to cut the Warriors’ lead to 4-3, South used a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases with only one out. With the bases loaded, Borngraeber was able to strike one hitter out and force the final batter to pop up to Warriors infielder Ben Ross.

In the seventh, South tied the score at 4 and loaded the bases once again. This time, Borngraeber needed only one out to retire the side.

“That’s big because he hasn’t really faced that this year,” Thompson said. “He’s been pretty much dominant in the games he’s pitched in prior to this. It’s good to see he remained calm, kept his composure.”

Borngraeber had to battle at times during the game, and Thompson was impressed.

“He’s a young kid and he pulled off a win against a very, very good team,” Thompson said.

South took the lead in the fourth inning, using back-to-back Bryan Baker and Logan Aured doubles to go ahead 1-0. The Road Warriors answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning.

Ross and Damon Hammer drew consecutive walks in the inning, and Ross scored on a Chauvin single to tie the score at 1. Ian Stormont followed with a bloop single to left, which scored Hammer.

Butcher followed with his two-run double later in the inning.

The Road Warriors tacked on three runs in the seventh inning. Grissom doubled to left center field to lead of the inning and Ross followed with an infield single. Stormont collected his second RBI of the game with an infield single, and Grissom scored after Chauvin hit into a fielder’s choice.

Later in the inning, Chauvin scored on a Butcher sacrifice fly.

The Road Warriors continue play today with a doubleheader against the Kenai Twins at McManus Field. The first game is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com, follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports and find him by searching Valley Sports Huddle on Facebook.