Warriors score wild win over Knights

WASILLA — Another day, another wild win for the Wasilla Warriors.

A night after fending off Palmer late, Wasilla cut a Colony rally short and earned a 9-7 victory over the Knights Tuesday at Wasilla High School.

“What I love about these kids, they take a punch and they keep fighting,” Wasilla head coach Ken Ottinger said after the win. “I’m very proud of them.”

Wasilla led early, but Colony pieced together a pair of runs in three different innings, including the bottom of the seventh.

“We started off strong, but Colony came to play,” Ottinger said.

Ottinger said the game is an example of the competition in the Southcentral Conference this year.

“No matter what the score is. If you don’t come to play, anybody in this league can surprise you real quick,” Ottinger said.

Wasilla took a 3-0 lead in the game, but Colony jumped ahead 5-4 midway through. Ottinger said both teams are senior-laden with good lineups.

“They’re strong in senior leadership. We’re really strong in senior leadership,” Ottinger said.

Wasilla also improved to 6-1 in conference play with the victory, jumping Colony (4-1).

“We did our job and took over first place tonight,” Ottinger said.

Colony senior Cooper Smith helped the Knights put together a late attempt at the rally, factoring in on a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh. Smith drove a triple to deep center field to drive in Kolten Ketchum, and later scored on a Zach Satterly sacrifice fly.

Wasilla senior Ben Werner gave Wasilla an early advantage with a three-run homer in the top of the first.

Kaden Ketchum and Chris Sereyko used run scoring-singles to cut Wasilla’s lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the second. In the third, Satterly scored on a Trace Severson single and Smith scored on a ground out to tie the score at 4.

Severson gave Colony its lone lead in the fourth, driving in Joe Ryan with a single.

The Warriors answered with a combined five runs in the final three innings. Werner put Wasilla back on top with a two-run single in the fifth. Werner finished with three hits, two runs and five RBI. Clayton Boyett added three runs and Kyle Graham scored twice.

Ryan, Severson, Smith and Ketchum finished with two hits each in the loss. Satterly led Colony with two RBI and Smith scored twice.

Both Wasilla and Colony travel south late in the week. Wasilla has a league game at Homer on Friday and plays a nonconference game at Soldotna. The Knights are at Homer Thursday, and in Kodiak Friday and Saturday.

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