Road Warriors six outs shy of spot in state title game

Aug. 10, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

ANCHORAGE - A dream tournament came to end in nightmarish fashion for the Alaska Road Warriors Wednesday evening at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

The Susitna Valley Post 35 American Legion team watched helplessly as the top-seeded Chugiak Mustangs raced out to a 9-0 lead in the top of the first inning, eventually galloping to a 21-2 victory and eliminating the Road Warriors from the 2007 Alaska State Tournament.

Alaska finished the tournament in third place.

&#8220Today Chugiak just had it,” Alaska outfielder Tyler Eli said following the game, which was shortened to five innings due to the mercy rule.

Despite the lopsided loss, Road Warriors players were overwhelmingly upbeat following the final out, taking time to pose for a team picture and trading lighthearted jokes while turning in their uniforms for the year.

The prevailing attitude among the players had nothing to do with the Chugiak massacre and everything to do with the preceding week of baseball, which saw the team advance to within six outs of its first title game appearance since 1990.

&#8220It definitely feels good to come this far,” Road Warrior Matt Packa said. &#8220I thought we'd make it far, but not as far as we did.”

Alaska opened the tournament with a dominant 12-5 win over Service last Saturday, then defeated East 12-9 in a nail biter Monday. The East win set up a winner's bracket showdown Tuesday against South in the double-elimination tourney, with the winner advancing to Thursday's championship.

In its first two games, the fifth-seeded Road Warriors overcame average pitching and defense with rock-solid hitting up and down the lineup. Against Service, Alaska out-hit the Cougars 10-8, including two each from shortstop Josh Boring and center fielder Rob Fitch, as well as a monster homerun by designated hitter Kody Ziter.

Then against East, Alaska erupted for 20 hits, led by a 4-for-6 showing by Tyler Eli and three-hit games from Fitch and third baseman Carl Brent.

While the entire team hit the ball well throughout the tournament, Eli was particularly impressive. Evoking images of an earlier Ty, Eli tore the cover off the ball in his four tournament games, finishing with an astounding .529 batting average, three doubles, two triples and three stolen bases.

&#8220He just killed the ball,” Road Warriors head coach Steve Mossburgh said of Eli's performance.

The rest of the squad wasn't too far behind. Fitch had six hits and six RBI, Brent had four hits and four RBI, left fielder Corey Cowgill had six hits and first baseman Mike Dotson and Ziter each had four. Over the course of the four games, Alaska had 47 hits and scored 33 runs.

&#8220We hit the ball well the whole tournament,” Mossburgh said.

That included the semifinal tilt with South, the tournament's second-seeded team. The Road Warriors out hit the Wolverines 12-11, and had a 7-5 lead after the seventh inning before seeing the Wolverines put up six runs in the final two innings to steal an 11-7 win.

Shortstop Casey Smith led the way against South, racking up three his while scoring twice, including the tying run in the fifth and adding an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on Eli's sacrifice fly.

But with just six outs to go, the Road Warriors ran out of gas, allowing six runs in the final two innings and seeing their dream fall by the wayside.

Pitcher Chris Breck, who relieved starter Cole Smith in the sixth inning, faltered in the eighth, allowing a two-run double in the eighth and a spirit-crushing three-run homer in the ninth.

&#8220That was terrible,” Breck said. &#8220One of the worst moments of the year.”

Breck wasn't entirely to blame for the South meltdown. The Road Warriors also committed five errors in the game and left the bases loaded in three separate innings.

The loss was stunning in that Alaska had stolen the momentum by first tying the game in the fifth, then taking the lead on a Cowgill triple in the sixth that scored Dotson - known more for his brawn than wheels - all the way from first base.

Breck had pitched well up until the eighth, not allowing a runner to get past second base and calmly staring down a South heckler before getting a strikeout to end the seventh inning.

Following Wednesday's elimination, Alaska players were unwilling to admit the South game had anything to do with the Chugiak loss.

&#8220I don't think so,” Breck said. &#8220We could have done better.”

But Mossburgh said it's likely the South loss had something to do with the team's poor showing against the Mustangs.

&#8220I think it was a big letdown,” he said. &#8220They knew they were right there.”

Instead of bemoaning what could have been, players and coaches agreed that the state tournament run was a positive one despite the tough two final ones.

&#8220They did what they could do,” Mossburgh said. &#8220You can't ask for more than that.”

And with 13 varsity players expected to be back for next year's team, things were looking remarkably bright for the Road Warriors Wednesday despite the gloomy tale told by the scoreboard.

&#8220I think we're going to be really good,” Breck said.

Breck said this year's state run likely will help next year's team as it tries to go even further into the bracket.

&#8220We'll have the experience next year and the nerves won't be as bad,” he said.

The Road Warriors will lose just three starters to age and most players agreed that if the team can shore up its pitching and defense, a state title isn't out of the question.

&#8220Our pitchers need to throw more strikes and we've got to make the simple plays,” Packa said.

But that's next season. On Wednesday, with the 2007 campaign just minutes over, players gathered around the back of Mossburgh's truck - many in just their t-shirts and sliding pants - and turned in their uniforms, each taking a turn to hug the coach and his wife, Tanya as they did so. While the memory of Wednesday's tough loss was still fresh in their minds, it appeared as if the tough loss would fade much quicker than those from the decidedly successful season, as players wore big smiles and appeared genuinely happy with the year's outcome.

Tyler Eli, one of the three starters who won't return, explained why the players seemed so satisfied with what they'd accomplished.

&#8220This was a fun ball club.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com