Right-hander leads California team to Todd Ryan title

WASILLA — Not many teams have slowed down the Wasilla Road Warriors this season. But the Road Warriors had their hands full Sunday, during the final day of the Todd Ryan Memorial at McManus Field in Wasilla.

Led by starting pitcher Winston Wilson, the California-based Team Avenue Aces scored a 4-2 win over the Warriors in the Todd Ryan championship game. Wilson, who recently capped his freshman season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, tossed a complete game three-hitter, and fanned 13 Road Warriors.

“He’s good, probably better (than anyone we’ve seen),” Wasilla head coach Myrl Thompson said.

Wilson, throwing consistently in the mid to high 80 mph range, kept Wasilla scoreless until the sixth.

Trailing 4-2 in the sixth, Josh Boyer sparked the Warriors with a pinch-hit double. Boyer’s double was Wasilla’s first hit of the game. Boyer also provided his team’s first run, scoring on a Mitchell Chauvin single. Chauvin scored on a passed ball late in the inning.

Jeffrey Forrester also had a hit for the Warriors.

Wilson was a workhorse for Team Avenue, but Wasilla also enjoyed a solid outing from its starter. Chauvin pitched seven innings in the loss, allowing six hits and two earned runs.

“Chauvin pitched an awesome game,” Thompson said. “He was very good.”

Thompson said Chauvin’s ability to use multiple pitches, and locate his pitches, was key in the outing. Chauvin threw 93 pitches, and 60 were for strikes.

“That’s not bad at all,” Thompson said. “He was locating pretty well, keeping them off balance. He changed speeds pretty well.”

Two of Team Avenue’s four runs came in the top of the first inning.

Team Avenue is a program made up of players ages 15 to 19, and features athletes from across the country. The organization is based in Fresno, Calif., but travels across the country to compete in tournaments.

Team Avenue was one of two teams from outside of Alaska in the six-team Todd Ryan Memorial Field. A squad from Colchester, Vt., competed in the tournament that also featured East Anchorage, Bartlett and the Palmer Pioneers.

The Team Avenue-Wasilla championship was one of three games scheduled for Sunday, but was the lone game to be played. The Palmer-Bartlett and Colchester-East games were both rained out.

Wasilla 2, Bartlett 1

WASILLA — Wasilla starting pitcher Tyler Hansen helped the Road Warriors edge an improved Bartlett team 2-1 during the second day of the Todd Ryan Memorial, Saturday.

Hansen one earned run over six innings pitched, and Tyler Boensch earned the save for the Road Warriors.

Blake Marks doubled and scored the game-winning run on a Bartlett error in the sixth inning give the Warriors the 2-1 lead. Wasilla took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Ben Ross drove in Chauvin to give the Warriors the early advantage.

Bartlett tied the score at 1 in the fifth.

In other tourney action Saturday, Team Avenue edged Colchester 1-0, and East beat Palmer 22-6.