Sac fly, stellar pitching leads Sitka to state baseball championship

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The Sitka Wolves baseball team celebrates after winning the state championship 2-1 over South Anchorage Saturday, June 3, 2017 at Mulcahy Stadium. (Loren Holmes / Alaska Dispatch News)

A dramatic finish punctuated the state baseball championship game Saturday between South and Sitka at Mulcahy Stadium, where Sitka rallied to win 2-1 in a pitchers duel.

The Wolves (9-6) captured the win in extra innings for their fifth state title in school history. Their last title came in 2014 – also against the Wolverines in a one-run game.

With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth, Sitka second baseman Ky Stockel drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.

"I just thought to myself, 'I have to put something in play,' " Stockel said. "I just cleared my mind, just tried to put my barrel on the ball and it worked out."

Tagging at third was Oliver Moore-Baker.

"… I just put my head down and ran," Moore-Baker said. "I didn't see much after that."

Moore-Baker's headfirst slide put his team on top for the first and only time in the game.

But it was enough. Sitka starting pitcher Camden Suarez recorded the three final outs to hand South its first defeat of the season.

"I was just thinking, basically for every batter, first-pitch strike and keep it going – first-pitch strike," Suarez said.

Suarez pitched quickly in the last stanza, forcing three ground balls that were easily playable for his infielders. He hurled 101 pitches, with two five-pitch innings and one four-pitch inning, said Sitka coach Matt Way.

The final out came from a grounder to Wolves first baseman Dayton Cropper, who fielded the ball, ran towards first base and touched the bag.

Elation and pandemonium ensued. Sitka poured from the first-base dugout with gloves, a hat and a helmet flying onto the field.

"It's overwhelming," said Suarez. "It feels too good."

Sitka's 9-6 record is indicative of the strength of the Southeast Region this year. It lost several close games early in the season.

"Taking those loses early in those really close games I think are what got us ready for this," Way said.

Pitching carried Sitka at the state tournament, where the Wolves dispatched Service 4-3 and Wasilla 3-0 to reach the title game.

South (18-1) got a strong pitching performance from Jonny Homza, the two-time Gatorade Player of the Year who will join Division I Hawaii in the fall. He threw eight solid innings, striking out five and allowing one run.

Homza was unable to return to the mound for the ninth inning because of pitch-count limitations. He registered 116 pitches through the first eight innings – too close to the limit of 120.

"Jonny's the type of guy (who's) arm could be falling off and he would be like, 'Coach I can get it done,' " South coach Taylor Nerland said.

South took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Lead-off hitter Parker Johnson hit a hot-shot single down the third-base line and moved to second on Lian Lincoln's bunt. Homza found the gap with a first-pitch single to score Johnson.

Sitka scored the tying run in the top of the fourth when Stockel stole home in a designed delayed-steal situation.

Sitka's Emmitt Anderson pulled back a bunt attempt as pinch runner Tanner Snyder broke for second. The throw made it to Lincoln at second base and caught Snyder in a run-down that allowed Stockel to score.

Stockel was one of two players on this year's team who won the state title as freshmen in 2014.

"When I was a freshman … I was still pretty, I don't know, pretty young – pretty weak I guess …" he said with a chuckle.

In earlier action at Mulcahy, Wasilla claimed third place with a 5-0 win over Lathrop and Juneau took fourth place with a 7-6 victory over Service.

Austin Robertson pitched a two-hit, seven-inning shutout for the Warriors, who got a pair of RBIs and a pair of hits from Ben Werner.

A walk-off error lifted Juneau. Luke Malinger drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored from there on a two-base, two-out error.

ASAA/First National Bank baseball tournament

Saturday's results

Championship – Sitka 2, South 1 (9 innings)
Third place – Wasilla 5, Lathrop 0
Fourth place – Juneau 7, Service 6

All-tournament team

Hank Boyer, Wasilla
Zachary Satterly, Colony
Vaughn Blankenship, Sitka
Bryce Swafford, Juneau
Parker Johnson, South
Cooper Bailey-Parsons, Service
Austin Robertson, Wasilla
Anthony Maldonado, South
Colin King, Lathrop
Bryce Kelly, Sitka
Ky Stockel, Sitka
Jonny Homza, South