Warriors, Knights rally for state baseball wins

SITKA — Wasilla is in the state tournament for the first time in 13 seasons. Colony has been a state tourney regular in recent years, but has had trouble getting through the first round.

But Thursday was a good day to be a Valley baseball player.

Both Wasilla and Colony moved forward, marking the first time a pair of Valley baseball teams earned first-round state tournament wins since the Alaska Schools Activities Association sanctioned a state baseball tourney in 2000.

Wasilla scored a late run to edge West Valley 5-4 and Colony rallied to post a walk-off 7-6 win over Lathrop during the first round of the 2014 ASAA/First National Bank State Baseball Championships at Moller Park in Sitka.

With the game tied at 4 in the sixth, Wasilla’s Blake Marks scored on an error to provide the go-ahead run during Wasilla’s victory over West Valley.

With Marks on second, Wasilla appeared to ground into an inning-ending double play. But the throw to first got away from the Wolfpack first baseman, Wasilla head coach Jason Terryberry reported by cellphone Thursday afternoon from Sitka.

“I saw Blake coming around (third), and he didn’t even slow down,” Terryberry said. “He rounded third and saw the ball get away, and he knew he had a chance. He ran hard. If he would have hesitated, he probably wouldn’t have made it.”

Terryberry praised Marks for the intelligent base running. Terryberry said the Warriors scored their first run in similar fashion. Early in the game, Matt Thomas scored a run, capitalizing on a West Valley error.

“The same type of thing,” Terryberry said. “(The ball) got away from a fielder.”

Terryberry said it was a back-and-forth game overall. The Warriors led early before allowing three Wolfpack runs in the fourth. Wasilla came back and tied it at 4, before getting the game-winner in the sixth.

“The guys fought hard. Everybody played their role,” Terryberry said.

Mitchell Chauvin started the game for the Warriors. Tyler Hansen earned the victory on the mound in relief. Tyler Boensch pitched the final inning to notch the save.

Terryberry said the Warriors were excited to score the program’s first state tournament when since Wasilla won in the semifinal round of the 2001 tournament.

“It feels great, definitely feels great,” Terryberry said. “We’re just looking forward to the next one.”

Wasilla will play either Eagle River or host Sitka in the semifinals Friday at 7 p.m.

Colony bounced Mid-Alaska Conference champion Lathrop out of the winner’s bracket with late heroics in the bottom of the seventh.

“It was good to get the first game out of the way,” Colony head coach Jordan Chadwell said by cellphone from Sitka Thursday afternoon. “I kind of compare the first game of the state tournament to the first game of the season. The first couple of innings there’s nerves. The guys are pressing. Getting out of the first three innings, and not getting too far behind sometimes seems like half the battle.”

As the game progressed, Chadwell said he saw what he wanted to see from his players.

“After the fourth inning they settled in, were hitting the ball like we do, fielding the ball like we do. They were more relaxed,” Chadwell said.

Matt Palmer sparked the Knights with the bases loaded in the fifth. Palmer knocked a bases-clearing double into the gap. Colony scored another run later in the inning to erase a four-run deficit.

“We just continued to hit the ball,” Chadwell said.

Ryan Judd gave Colony the walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh. Judd put the ball into play and Palmer scored to give the Knights the 7-6 win.

“It was great. It was a big relief for the kids,” Chadwell said.

The victory marked Colony’s first win in the first round since the Knights beat West Valley 16-12 in 2008. This is Colony’s third straight trip to the state tourney, and sixth since 2008.

Colony plays either South Anchorage or Juneau-Douglas Friday at 4 p.m. in the semifinals.