By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka High baseball team solidified its chances to return to the ASAA State Tournament at Anchorage’s Mulcahy Stadium on May 30 - June 1 by sweeping the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears on the road at Adair Kennedy Field, winning 4-1 on Friday, and 5-2 and 6-1 on Saturday.
The Wolves finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and will be the second seed at this weekend’s Southeast Region V Tournament back at Juneau’s AKF.
“The games gave us a good look at Juneau’s pitching staff as well as a good look at our staff and defense,” Sitka assistant coach Matt Way added. “ On a good note, our defense played relatively solid all weekend and we were surprised by that – Juneau’s glacier silt field usually gives us trouble with groundballs for a game or two.”
On Friday, the Wolves scored 3 runs in the first inning and shut down the Crimson Bears until the bottom of the seventh.
Junior Kyler Brenton started and went 6 innings (120 pitches, 5 hits, 1 run, 10 strikeouts, 3 walks) and junior Gavin Flores closed (22 P, 1 H, 1 BB).
Sophomore Trevin Carley had 2 runs batted in; Flores scored twice, Carley and sophomore Michael Leach once.
Sitka junior Gavin Flores runs on a bunt while Juneau-Douglas catcher Luis Mojica chases the ball during the Wolves 6-1 win over the Crimson Bears on Saturday in Juneau. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
Senior Austin Morrison pitched a complete game to open Saturday’s twin bill, throwing just 78 pitches in seven innings (9 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 SO, 1 BB). The 2 JDHS runs came in the bottom of the third and fifth innings.
Sitka scored 5 runs in the top of the sixth. Senior Cole Riggs doubled in senior James Comas; Riggs scored on a passed ball; soph. Emanuel Barragan doubled to score freshman Nick Calhoun and Morrison; and senior Kevin David walked to score Barragan. Barragan went 3-3 at the plate and Carley 2-4.
In Saturday’s night cap, JDHS scored in the bottom of the first and Sitka tied the game 1-1 in the top of the third.
The Wolves put 5 runs across in the top of the ninth inning and then, with two outs and the bases loaded for JDHS, Riggs closed on the mound to strike out the final batter for the win.
Barragan started for the Sitka and went 8.2 innings (120 P, 3 H, 1 R, 7 SO, 1 BB). Riggs threw 9 pitches (1 H, 1 SO, 1 BB).
Senior Morgan Simic led with 3 hits; Flores had 2 RBI, Barragan, Carley, and Simic 1; senior Braydon Massey-Jones scored 2 runs, Flores, Carley, Riggs, and Calhoun 1 each.
“The weekend went very well with a clean sweep of all games,” Way said. “It was a great sign for us as regions is coming up this weekend in Juneau so it’s nice to see our defense adapt to their field so well last weekend. JDHS played well and played us close for most of each game only letting us get a lead later in the games. We will have to play really well on defense if we are going to get by them again.
“This week we’ll look to get more work in hitting and to rest our pitching arms for the big weekend tournament. We will need to hit a little better if we’re going to get past some of Juneau’s big pitching arms.”
The Region V tourney starts Thursday.
Ketchikan (11-1) clinched the top seed last week and will have a bye in the first round of the tournament. As the regular season best record they automatically advance to state as the number two Southeast seed but could be the number one seed if they win the region tourney also.
Sitka will play JDHS (5-7) to open region play in Juneau and Thunder Mountain (3-9) will play Petersburg (1-11).
The tourney is a double elimination format.
