Warriors move into region baseball final with wild win over SoHi

PALMER — A game-deciding play at the plate kept Wasilla’s quest for the four-peat alive.

Pinch-runner Alex Clark scored in the bottom of the ninth to give the three-time defending region champion Warriors a 3-2 extra-innings win over Soldotna during the Southcentral Conference semifinals Thursday night at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer.

Clark, running for Wasilla’s Hank Boyer, cashed in on a Soldotna passed ball and error to score the go-ahead run. Boyer singled to put a runner on, and after Wasilla substituted Clark for Boyer, Clark moved from second to third on a Soldotna passed ball. The SoHi throw got by the third baseman, and that’s where things got a little wild, Wasilla head coach Ken Ottinger said by cell phone Thursday evening. Ottinger said he initially called for Clark to, “go,” but quickly changed his mind. Clark didn’t stop his sprint toward home.

“It was going into the outfield, but the grass (in the outfield) was so thick, it killed it,” Ottinger said of the movement of the baseball. “It was a close play at the plate. But it worked out.”

Clark’s run gave the Warriors a win in a pitcher’s duel that lasted two extra innings.

“You couldn’t ask for a better game, if you’re not the coach,” Ottinger joked.

While Ottinger’s heart rate may have been all over the place, he said both starters pitched very well. Boyer, Wasilla’s starter, allowed three hits and fanned eight over eight innings. SoHi starter Matthew Daugherty allowed just a pair of hits and struck out nine over 6 2/3 innings.

“Daugherty threw a hell of a game. Boyer threw a hell of a game on our side,” Ottinger said.

Austin Robertson earned the win in relief for the Warriors. Ottinger said Robertson got in trouble early, but did a great job of working himself out of the jam. Robertson walked the first hitter he faced and hit the next. But with two runners on, Robertson retired three straight in the top of the ninth.

“It was big time. Most kids fold under that pressure,” Ottinger said.

Boyer singled and scored on a passed ball to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the second. Terrance Slats scored on a Wasilla error to tie the game at 1 in the top of the third. Jimmy Arend drew a lead-off walk in the fourth and scored to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead. Hunter Thompson tied the game up again, with a single and a run in the bottom of the inning.

The conference will feature an all-Valley final, but Wasilla will have to wait until Friday morning to figure out its opponent. Palmer and Colony were set to play in the other semifinal, but the game was suspended in the top of the first with Palmer leading 2-0. Play will continue Friday at 9 a.m. at Hermon Brothers.

The Palmer-Colony winner will meet Wasilla in the championship game Friday at 7 p.m.

Wasilla 10, Kodiak 0

Wasilla, the No. 1 seed from the Southcentral Conference North Division, opened the tournament with a 10-0 win over Kodiak.

Ben Werner finished 3 for 3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Kyle Graham was also 3 for 3, and added two runs and an RBI. Jimmy Arend also drove in two.

Palmer 6, Kenai 1

Palmer, the No. 4 seed from the North, scored the biggest upset of the first day of the tourney, beating the South’s top seed, Kenai, 6-1.

Luke Guggenmos earned the win on the mound, scattering five hits over 5 2/3 innings. Skyler Hale allowed two hits during 1 1/3 worth of work. Guggenmos also fanned a half-dozen.

James Nelson led the Palmer offense, finishing with two runs and two RBI. Anthony Jones also scored twice.

Palmer broke open a tie game with three runs in the top of the fifth. Alasdair McKechnie sparked the Moose with a lead-off walk, and scored the go-ahead run. Guggenmos also walked and scored on Nelson’s two-run single.

Nelson scored late in the inning to give Palmer the 4-1 advantage.

Colony 13, Homer 11

Colony, the No. 2 seed from the North, jumped out to an early lead and held on for a 13-11 win over Homer, the No. 3 seed from the South.

The Knights used an eight-run second inning to take a 9-1 lead in the win. Homer tried to rally with eight runs in the sixth.

Eight different Knights scored at least one run. Trace Severson scored four times from his leadoff spot. Cooper Smith, Zach Satterly and Joe Ryan finished with two RBI each. Severson also had a team-high three hits for the Knights.

Soldotna 11, Houston 1

Soldotna scored 11 unanswered runs en route to an 11-1 win over Houston in the quarterfinals Thursday morning.

Noah Plumb knocked in Jayden Elson to provide Houston, the No. 3 seed from the North, with its lone run.

Houston will face Kodiak in the loser’s bracket Friday morning. Soldotna will play the Kenai-Homer winner in the loser’s bracket Friday.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.