By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff
Juneau’s Gastineau Channel Little League base runner Christian Nelson tagged up and scored on a deep fly ball to left field by teammate Ezra Vidal for a 9-8 walk-off extra inning win over Sitka Wednesday night in the final round robin game of the Little League Alaska District 2 Majors (10-12 year old) Baseball All-Stars Tournament at Moller Field.
Juneau’s pitching battery finished the night with 10-year-old Hunter Carte earning the win and 12-year-old catcher Tyler Frisby keeping the youngster cool and collected. Carte closed the game over the last 3 innings, using 47 pitches, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs, striking out 1 batter and walking four.
Caleb Calhoun started the game for Sitka and went a strong 1.2 innings (36 P, 2 R, 4 SO, 2 BB) until being rested for later duty as Sitka sent six hurlers to the rubber.
The eighth inning win forced a three-way tie for the top seed in the double elimination tournament that begins today at 6 p.m. Placement would be determined by run differential, and Sitka earns the top spot by virtue of defeating Ketchikan 17-2 on Monday, while Ketchikan defeated Juneau 10-9 on Tuesday.
Sitka gets a bye and plays on Friday against the winner of tonight’s 6 p.m. game between second seed Juneau and third seed Ketchikan. Saturday is an elimination game at 4 p.m. between the Thursday and Friday losing teams. Sunday is the 4 p.m. championship game unless the loser of Sunday’s game has just one loss, forcing a 6 p.m. Monday second game.
Last night’s game showed that any of the three teams in the tournament can win the District title.
Sitka came to bat in the top of the sixth trailing 7-6 and needing a momentum boost as Juneau had just taken their first lead of the game.
Rawl Weathers and Evan Grant did not disappoint, delivering back-to-back hard ground balls that battered the Juneau infield and put Weathers across the plate to tie the score at 7-7. Caleb Calhoun would single Grant on to third, and after a fly-ball out, Chance Coleman doubled Grant in for an 8-7 lead.
Sitka Majors All-Stars batter Chance Coleman puts a shot up the middle as Gastineau Channel Little League catcher Tyler Frisby and home plate umpire Keith Perkins look on during Wednesday’s game at Moller Field. Below: Juneau’s Gastineau Channel Little League Majors All-Stars outfield of Owen Woodruff
In the bottom half Juneau got a run back as Christian Nelson earned a one-out walk, advanced on a Hunter Carte hit to center, and scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Marcus Mendoza, to tie the score at 8-8. After another Juneau batter earned a walk to load the bases, Sitka’s Coleman found his pitching groove and struck out two Juneau batters to end the inning and force extra play.
Neither team put a runner on base in the seventh inning.
Sitka had opened the game with 4 runs in the top of the first inning as Coleman singled in Bryce Calhoun, Emmit Johnson scored on a passed ball, and Kai Hirai doubled in Coleman and C. Calhoun.
Above: A ball bounces away from a diving Juneau outfielder during Wednesday night action at Moller Field. Below: Sitka catcher Emmit Johnson plays a ball as umpire Keith Perkins signals a fair hit during Wednesday action at Moller Field.
Juneau got a run back in the bottom half as Nate Fick tagged up on a Ezra Vidal fly ball. They added a run in the bottom of the second as Reed Maier scored on a walk to N. Fick.
Sitka put 2 runs across in the top of the third as Coleman scored on a passed ball and C. Calhoun scored on a dropped third strike played on batter Samson Smith to first base.
Sitka Little League base runner Samson Smith avoids a tag by Juneau’s Gastineau Channel Little League second baseman Christian Nelson during the final round robin game of the Little League Alaska District 2 Majors Baseball All-Stars Tournament, Wednesday, at Moller Field.
Juneau got another run in the bottom half as Nelson scored on a walk to Brandon Casperson for a 6-3 score.
Juneau’s big inning came in the bottom of the fifth when they plated 4 runs to take a 7-6 lead as Casperson lined in Hunter Carte, Marcus Mendoza scored on a passed ball, N. Fick reached on an error scoring Casperson, and Owen Woodruff crossed on an error.
Unofficial stats show Coleman led Sitka bats, going 4-5 at the plate with 2 runs batted in and 2 runs scored. Hirai had 1 H, 2 RBI; B. Calhoun 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB; E. Johnson 1 H, 1 R; C. Calhoun 2 R, 4 BB; Weathers 1 R; and Grant 1 R, 1 BB.
Sitka center fielder Bryce Calhoun and right fielder Rawl Weathers converge on a fly ball. Calhoun caught the Juneau hit for an out.
Juneau’s Vidal had 2 RBI; N. Fick 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB; Nelson 1 H, 3 R, 2 BB; Madden Mendoza 1 H; Carte 1 R; Maier 1 R, 1 BB; Marcus Mendoza 1 H, 1 RBI, 1 R; Hudson Hunt 1 H; Casperson 2 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R; Weathers 1 BB, 1 R.
Sitka sent six pitchers to the mound. C. Calhoun (1.2 IP); Brett Ross (1 IP, 30 P, 3 H, 1 R, 1 SO, 3 BB); B. Calhoun (2 IP, 36 P, 1 H, 4 R, 3 SO); Coleman (1.1 IP, 29 P, 1 R, 3 SO, 2 BB); Trey Johnson (1.1 IP, 20 P, 1 R, 1 SO, 1 BB).
Juneau’s pitching rotation went Maier (2.1 IP, 59 P, 5 H, 6 R, 2 SO, 2 BB); Marcus Mendoza (2.2 IP, 34 P, 1 H, 3 SO, 1 BB); and Carte.
District 2 double elimination tournament play begins tonight at 6 p.m. on Moller Field with Juneau facing Ketchikan. The winner plays Sitka Friday night at 6 p.m., the loser plays on Saturday in an elimination game. The championship is Sunday.
