High School Sports

Walkoff win puts South Wolverines in state baseball tournament

The South Wolverines are headed to the state high school baseball tournament for the eighth straight season thanks to a 2-1 victory over West on Monday night.

South will join Chugiak as the Cook Inlet Conference's representatives at next week's state tournament at Mulcahy Stadium.

Chugiak fended off Service 9-8 in a Monday game that helped send South to state.

The Mustangs had already clinched a tournament berth, but South, West and Service were all in the hunt for the CIC's second tournament berth entering Monday's play.

Had Service beaten Chugiak on Monday, a playoff game would have been held Wednesday between Service and South.

Both of Monday's games ended on walkoffs.

At Mulcahy Stadium, South's Terren Sugita drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded single with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. At Bartlett High, Chugiak's Sam Hall drew a one-out, bases-loaded walk to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

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The South-West game was a pitcher's duel that needed extra innings after seven innings ended with the score tied 1-1.

In the bottom of the eighth, West starting pitcher Leland Wilson, who limited South to two hits in the first seven innings, put leadoff batter  Josh Costello on base and was replaced by Luis Nunez, who threw two wild pitches to move Costello to third base.

Two intentional walks loaded the bases for Sugita, who drove in Costello with a single to center field.

South starter Jacob Woodall went the distance, striking out seven and giving up six hits and three walks to get the victory. Wilson, who took the loss, struck out 10 and walked five.

In Monday's other game, Service led 7-1 after the top of the seventh inning only to see the CIC champion Mustangs roar back with six runs in the bottom of the inning.

Service grabbed an 8-7 lead in the eighth, but Chugiak came back with two runs in its half of the inning to deprive the Cougars of a trip to the state tournament.

Jacob Kosinski, Ian Frizelle and Gus Lewis drove in runs for Chugiak in the big seventh inning. Hall and Christian Cambridge came through for the Mustangs with RBIs in the eighth inning.

Service's Jaren Childs was 2 for 4 with four RBIs and pitched six innings, allowing three runs on three hits.

Regular-season play in the CIC wrapped up Tuesday with Dimond handing Eagle River an 11-1 loss. A game between Bartlett and East was rained out and will not be rescheduled.

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