Road Warriors rally to stay undefeated

WASILLA — Yep, they’re for real.

Any doubt about the Alaska Road Warriors and their hot start was squashed as the Wasilla-based Road Warriors scored eight late runs to rally to a 13-8 win over state power South Anchorage last Friday in Anchorage.

“Any time you can get one on South, on their own field, that’s pretty huge,” Road Warriors head coach Myrl Thompson said of the Wolverines, a group that recently led South Anchorage High to a prep state championship.

Alaska (3-0) is the state’s lone undefeated team after the win. Even though it’s still very early in the 2013 season, Thompson sees his club as one to contend with.

“We figured we’d be up there,” Thompson said.

South used a pair of three-run innings to hold a 3-0 lead after the first and a 7-3 advantage through the fourth.

But thanks in part to a two-run top of the fifth and a monster seventh, the Road Warriors kept in it.

“The ability to remain calm and cool, even behind, and keep chipping away. They did that really well,” Thompson said.

Morgan McJimsey led the Warriors at the plate, finishing 3 for 4 with three runs and five RBI in the win.

Ben Ross was 4 for 5 with four runs and two RBI. Jonathon Boyer had three hits, two runs and an RBI. Shane Andrews had two hits and drove in three runs.

The Warriors finished with 16 total hits in the game. Four Road Warriors runs came in the seventh inning, and the Valley squad scored three more in the eight.

Dalton McHugill pitched four innings in relief and earned the win. The incoming Colony junior fanned five hitters.

The Road Warriors, who start the season with a five-game road stretch, continue road play today, facing Dimond at 6:30 p.m. at Bax Field in Anchorage.

The Wasilla team will make its home debut against West Anchorage Saturday at 1 p.m. at McManus Field.