Valley Legion team buries Service

ANCHORAGE — Matt Palmer’s prowess at the plate is among the reasons the 2015 Colony High School graduate was named the Southcentral Conference North Division Player of the Year following the high school season.

Palmer is now playing summer ball with the Valley American Legion baseball squad, and the former Knights standout has continued his stellar play at the plate. Palmer cracked a pair of doubles, finished with three hits and drove in four runs to lead the Valley American Legion team to a 10-3 victory over Service at Taylor Young Field in Anchorage Friday.

Buddy Dale also doubled and drove in a run to help the Valley team — a collection of talent from the Wasilla Post 35 and Palmer Post 15 squads — improve to 5-1 overall. Logan Sanders was 2 for 3 at the plate, with an RBI and run scored.

Dale and Joshua Finch each scored twice in the victory.

Sanders pitched four innings to earn the victory on the mound. He fanned five, and allowed two earned runs on one hit.

Valley splits at Kenai

KENAI — The Valley squad split a doubleheader at Kenai, but won the one that counted.

The Valley Legion team scored four times in the top of the 10th to earn a 6-3 extra-innings win over Kenai Tuesday on the Peninsula.

Sanders was 3 for 5 at the plate for the Valley team, and scored twice in the win. Dale, Palmer and Robert Cottingham had two RBI each. Palmer, Blake Marks, Brendan Jakeimiec and Sam Loyer also scored runs.

Loyer pitched the final three innings to earn the win in relief.

In nonleague action, Kenai scored in the bottom of the seventh to earn the 10-9 win.

Marks was 3 for 5 with three runs scored. Palmer, Cottingham and Jeffrey Forster drove in two runs each.