Knights rally to beat SoHi, qualify for state

PALMER — It took an extra inning, but the Colony Knights are headed to the state tournament.

Colony rallied from an early deficit and edged Soldotna 6-5 in eight innings during the second-place game of the Southcentral Conference Championships baseball tournament Saturday at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

“They battled like the pretty much have all season,” Colony head coach Jordan Chadwell said.

Colony entered the tournament 4-6 in conference, play but knocked off Homer and rival Palmer during the first day of the tourney. After falling to Wasilla in the title game Friday night, Colony rebounded again and topped the Stars.

“They showed a lot of fight,” Chadwell said of his team’s work throughout the season. “And it paid off in the region tournament.”

Zach Satterly knocked a ball into left center field and Cooper Smith scored from first in the bottom of the eighth to give the Knights the walk-off win over the Stars. Smith singled with one out in the inning to get on base.

Trace Severson pitched six innings of relief and earned the win on the mound for the Knights. Severson took the ball in the top of the third with the Knights trailing 5-0. Severson didn’t allow a run during his six innings of work.

“He did a great job. He was big for us,” Chadwell said.

Colony got on the scoreboard with two runs in the third and tied the game with a three-run sixth. Daniel Collins scored on a Joe Ryan single and Severson scored on a Soldotna error in the third to cut SoHi’s lead to 5-2.

In the sixth, Kolten Ketchum singled and Smith doubled, and both scored on a Satterly double. Satterly scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 5.

Satterly led the Knights with two hits and three RBI in the game. Smith had two hits and scored twice.

Colony drew Mid-Alaska Conference champion Lathrop and will play the Malemutes Thursday at 10 a.m. in the first round of the ASAA/First National Bank State Baseball Championships at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Chadwell said the Knights don’t know much about the Malemutes, but are spending their time focused on what they need to do.

“Right now we’re just concentrating on fixing our mistakes,” Chadwell said. “All we can do is play our best brand of baseball come gametime.”

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