Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka Softball Team Wins Little League Title

By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Sitka’s Little League District 1 Major Softball All-Stars are heading to the West Regional Tournament in California after defeating Nunaka City View 15-4 Saturday in Anchorage for the state championship.
    “It was a great series,” Sitka manager Mike Callahan said. “Nunaka hosted a great tourney and had a great team.”
    The win capped off a three-game sweep by Sitka in the best-of-five series. Sitka topped Nunaka 5-4 on Thursday and 17-2 Friday.
    “We just had great heads-up base running and key bunts and at bats,” Callahan said. “And lights out defensive all around the horn and the ladies in the outfield held it down. Just so surreal, they are state champs!”
    Major players are ages 10-12.
    Kaiya Balovich was again on her pitching game, throwing fewer than half of the pitches her opponent delivered on the mound, using just 35 through the first three innings of work while Nunaka’s Penina Tali was approaching 80.
    That meant the Sitka defense had their pitcher’s back with seven put outs, and the offense was clicking for the third game in a row.
    Balovich completed her performance in five innings, throwing just 66 pitches (48 for strikes), allowing 6 hits, 4 runs (2 earned), striking out 4 batters and giving up no free bases.
    “This game was huge,” Balovich said. “They had so much energy in game one, no energy in game two, game three was an unknown. We didn’t know how fired up they’d be knowing it was their last chance. They came in strong but we took an early lead and it kept climbing. They just weren’t able to get the runs in.”
    Nunaka’s Tali took the loss over 5 innings, throwing 147 pitches, allowing 7 hits and walking 4 batters.
    Sitka also struck out 12 times, meaning they were swinging hard and often.

Sitka District 2 Little League Major Softball All-Stars defeated District 1 Nunaka City View Little League in three straight games for the state championship in Anchorage Saturday. Sitka now advances to the West Regional Tournament at San Bernardino, California. (Photo submitted to the Sentinel)

    The fireworks began in the top of the first inning as four runners crossed home plate for Sitka.
    Lead-off hitter Tessa Anderson put one over the fence for her second tournament home run in two weeks, this time to the deepest part of the field at center.
    “My home run came off the bat so easy I had no idea I hit a home run,” Anderson said. “Couldn’t have done it without my team and coaches behind me.”
    And the batting order behind Anderson was Kaelynn Balovich, who would garnish 4 hits on the night; Nai’a Nelson who would collect 2 hits; and Dalila Callahan who also stroked 4 hits into the night.,
    Balovich singled, Nelson was hit by a pitch, and Callahan singled to score Balovich for a 2-0 lead.
    With Kayaani Weathers at bat Callahan stole second, drawing a throw, and Nelson stole home for a 3-0 lead.
    After an out, Kaiya Balovich earned a walk and Alina Lebahn hit a fielder’s choice to second base, scoring Callahan for 4-0.
    “There is no ‘I’ in team,” Dalila Callahan said. “We couldn’t have done it without each other. Winning three in a row at state felt amazing.”
    Nunaka put a run across in the bottom half as River Scott scored on a Tali single.
    Sitka added 2 runs in the top of the second inning as Kaelynn Balovich reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and advanced to third on a Nelson single, and scored on a Callahan double. Nelson would score on the fielder’s throw for the 6-1 lead.
    “I was nervous going into the game,” Kaelynn Balovich said. “They came out loud, full of energy and painted faces. The game can go either way at any time. They have a lot of good players and they moved a lot of them around. They had a new pitcher, she was fast and pitching strikes. I guess my bat just found it. The team behind me kept hitting me in. I was really hoping we’d take the win so we’d have Sunday off for my birthday.”
    Nunaka got a run back in the bottom half as Sofie Bernal singled, advanced on a passed ball, and scored on a Sela Rodriguez single to center.
    Sitka put two more runs across in the top of the fourth inning as Kaelynn Balovich hit a one-out double, Nelson reached on an error and Callahan singled to center scoring both for the 8-2 lead.
    Nunaka still couldn’t get to Kaiya Balovich on the mound, and for the second straight inning the District 1 champs were held scoreless.
    In the top of the fifth inning Sitka exploded again as Adriana Denkinger earned a walk, Mecca Goldsberry reached on an error, Anderson walked, and Kaelynn Balovich singled scoring Denkinger and Goldsberry for a 10-2 lead.
    Nelson followed with a single to load the bases and Callahan singled to score Anderson with Nelson out at second.
    Weathers singled to score Kaelynn Balovich for the 12-2 lead. Kaiya Balovich walked to load the bases, Lebahn walked to score Callahan for 13-2, and after a strikeout Goldsberry reached on an error that scored Weathers and Balovich for Sitka’s final two runs.
    In the bottom half of the fifth Nunaka made a brief two-out rally as McKinley Jackson reached on a dropped third strike, stole second and advanced on a Scott single. Tali then doubled to score Jackson and Scott for a 15-4 score.
    Nunaka would need another run to move the game into the sixth inning but a pop up into foul territory near first base was handled by Callahan to clinch the state championship.
    Callahan also went 4-4 at the plate, with 6 runs batted in, and 2 runs scored. Kaelynn Balovich was 4-4 (4 R, 2 RBI), Nelson 2-3 (3 R), Anderson 1-4 (2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB), Weathers 1-3 (1 R, 1 RBI), Kaiya Balovich 0-2 (1 R, 2 BB), Lebahn 0-2 (1 RBI, 1 BB), Denkinger 0-2 (1 R, 1 BB), Goldsberry 0-3 (1 R), Lei’a Daly 0-1, Tadum Markegard 0-1, Chalice Brenton 0-1, Madison Dill 0-0. Callahan stole 4 bases, Nelson 3, Kaelynn and Kaiya Balovich 2 apiece, and Weathers 1. Nelson and Dill were hit by a pitch.
    Sitka left 7 runners on base, Nunaka 3. Sitka had 1 error, Nunaka 4.
    Nunaka’s Tali had 2 hits and 3 RBI, Scott 2 hits and 2 runs, Jackson 1 hit and 1 run, Rodriguez 1 hit and 1 RBI, Bernal 1 run, and Olivia Byrd 1 hit.
    Sitka advances to the Little League West Regionals in San Bernardino, California, July 20-26. It’s the team’s first ever regional trip. The team was group housed at a large home rented by Sitka Little League and will remain in Anchorage until flying out Wednesday morning to California.
    Coaches Callahan (city Public Works), Nikki Balovich (SEARHC), and Stu Weathers (commercial fishing) are using vacation time for their tournaments.
    “We’re a road ball team now,” Mike Callahan said on Sunday. “You should see all the paperwork. This is just an amazing experience to be a part of. We’re in relax mode right now, enjoying this. The team wants to celebrate Kaelynn’s birthday, hit up Dave and Busters, there’s talk of the mall and the water park… but we’re also going to stick to our daily practice routine until we leave.”
    Coach Nikki Balovich said the team represented Sitka off the field as well.
    “I got so many compliments this week on how nice our team was, how much talent we have, our energy, how polite the girls are and their positive attitude,” Balovich said. “Wins all the way around for Sitka.”
    Sitka will be housed in the San Bernardino Regional Little League Dormitory at regionals and have a host family that will show them the area.
    “Our host family flew up here and were watching the tournament,” Callahan said. “We got to meet them. They have a lot of plans for spoiling our ladies… barbecues, pool parties.. and, of course, regional games!
    “It has been amazing, a new hero every game, and you can see the growth coming through with each game and their understanding the game more. We’ve been focused on ball, talking about it, watching it, practicing it, and playing it. Today is theirs, then right back to business tomorrow, and get ready for the next one, Northern California.”
    The winner of regionals advances to the 2019 Little League Softball World Series in Portland, Oregon, August 7-14.