Pitcher helps himself

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

WASILLA - Talk about helping out your own cause.

If it was not enough that Palmer High School senior pitcher Joe Smith tossed a five-inning no-hitter, Smith sparked the Moose offense with a pair of dingers in a 10-0 win over Valdez at the Wasilla Senior Field on Friday.

On the mound, Smith worked quickly and faced just 16 hitters. Smith allowed just two base runners - one Buccaneer reached on an error and another was walked - and he struck out four batters.

"I felt really good, really in control," Smith said.

Smith struck out the side in the top of the third.

"He throws well when he's on and today he was on," Palmer head coach Steve Mossburgh said. "Good breaking pitch, good fastball."

At the plate, Smith smacked a pair of balls over the left centerfield fence. In the second, Smith sparked a five-run inning for the Moose with a solo shot. Once the ball left Smith's bat, it looked like it would drop into play. But as Smith was set in a dead sprint, heading toward second base, the ball continued to sail in flight through the air, like it had a flight attendant aboard.

"(The pitch) was in on my hands and I just turned on it," Smith said. "I expected it to drop in behind the left fielder."

Smith, who has four home runs this season, said after a play in Kodiak earlier this season, if there is any chance the ball will stay in play, he is sprinting around the bases.

"When we were in Kodiak, I hit one to the fence and I thought I hit it over," Smith said. "I kind of walked to first base and only got a single."

And the Palmer coaches remind him about that.

"He kind of admired it and got a base hit out of a double. And Coach kind of yelled at him," Mossburgh said with a smile. "That's why he's running hard. We tell them not to give up on it and make that turn. You can do your home run trot later."

There was no question Smith's second home run, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, was leaving the field.

"Second one was solid," Smith said. "It was piped."

Smith and fellow senior David Breck each went 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of intentional walks.

Breck singled and doubled.

David Doerr also had a pair of hits and scored two runs.

Smith led the Moose with three runs driven in. Cole Smith and Jeremiah Heikes each added an RBI.

Palmer 12, Houston 0

Heikes threw a one-hitter to lead the Moose to a lopsided win over the Hawks.

"He mixed up everything well," Mossburgh said.

Heikes allowed only two Hawk hitters to reach

safely.