Moose finish fifth in Division II state baseball tourney

After a pair of tough losses to Kenai Peninsula schools, the Palmer Moose were forced to settle for fifth in the ASAA/First National Bank Division II State Baseball Championships at Wasilla High School.

Kenai scored a 12-5 win over the Moose in the third-place game Saturday at Wasilla. The Kards took a 6-1 lead through two innings, and added three runs on both the fourth and fifth innings.

The Moose scored three of their five in the third inning. Levi Patton-Meyer had a two-run single during the inning. Seven different players had a hit for the Moose. Jackson Charton and Landon Boland both had doubles. Gabriel Wheeler scored two runs for Palmer.

Soldotna earned a 10-5 win over Palmer in the semifinals. The Stars jumped to a quick 4-0 lead in the first and tacked on five in the sixth. The Moose had cut Soldotna’s lead to 5-4 with three runs in the fourth.

Kinan Greco led Palmer with two hits and two runs. Charton drove in two runs.

Wheeler enjoyed a huge night in the opening round.The Palmer senior hit for the cycle, smacked two home runs, drove in five and scored six times to help the Moose cruise past Delta 29-1 during the quarterfinals.

Wheeler hit both of his home runs in the fourth inning, tripled in his first at-bat in the first and doubled in the third. He also threw in a single during the lopsided win.

The Moose finished with 25 hits in the five-inning mercy rule win. Palmer led 14-0 through the third and added a dozen in the fourth.

Reed Craner, Spencer Jacobs and Zander Landon also tripled. Greco finished 4 for 5, with two RBI and three runs scored. Jacobs was 4 for 5, with four driven in and two runs.

Colony finished 0-2 in the Division I state tournament at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

South Anchorage rallied to spoil Colony’s bid for a spot in the Division I semifinals.

The Wolverines scored four in the top of the seventh and edged the Knights 5-4 Thursday in the Division I quarterfinals at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

The Knights took a 2-1 lead into the final inning. After South’s four runs in the top of the seventh, Colony was able to plate two in the bottom of the inning but fell just short.

The Knights trailed 1-0 early, but Nathanael Wilson and Jaren Venie both scored on a South error to give Colony the lead.

Juneau-Douglas got past Colony 8-6 in the consolation semifinals.

The Bears led 8-3 in the final inning. The Knights scored three in the top of the seventh.

Brayden Parrent led Colony with two hits, three RBI and a run. Caleb Hilty had a hit, an RBI and scored two runs.

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