Round-tripping

WASILLA — For the Colony Knights, winning is nothing new.

Colony pulled out to an early lead Saturday night at Wasilla Senior Field, forcing the Wasilla Warriors to play an elusive game of catch-up in the last game of the regular season.

And with the top nine Colony players scoring at least one run each, the Knights marched to a 15-1 victory over the Warriors.

Colony head coach Jamie Mayo said Saturday night’s game was business as usual for his experienced team that has a two-year Southcentral Conference record of 18-0.

“I would have to say this was a standard performance compared to how we usually play,” Mayo said.

Although a 14-run win might not seem average to some, Mayo said the team’s game play has been solid throughout the season.

“This is one of the better hitting teams we’ve ever had,” the coach said.

Along with heavy hitters, Mayo said the success of his team also relies on persistent pitching from an 18-year-old senior.

Rhowe Stefanski, Colony’s starting pitcher, said he couldn’t be much happier with the results of the game and looks forward to battling for the state championship.

“It feels pretty good,” Stefanski said. “We were in this position last year and we’re looking to improve.”

Colony came to the game with a great record and top-notch team, but Wasilla head Coach Myrl Thompson said it didn’t change his game plan. Overall, he wanted to stick to the usual routine and hopefully come out victorious.

Although Thompson said the team was hoping to end the season with a win, ineffective pitching and a strong Colony team left the Warriors trailing early.

“We got off to a rocky start pitching wise,” Thompson said.

Thompson sorted through the bullpen after the “rocky start”, but the Wasilla pitchers were unable to stop Colony from connecting.

“We’ve got to give kudos to Colony,” the coach said. “They’re a good hitting team.”

Although the Warriors are done for the year, Thompson said the season hasn’t been bad. The team has improved from last year and it will only lose one senior player.

As the Wasilla fans became restless, more action erupted from the bleachers. A fan, who was apparently frustrated with the game, was promptly ejected after using foul language.

The Knights will advance to the ASAA/First National Bank of Alaska 2009 State Baseball Championships and play Chugiak in the first round. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 4 at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.