The American Legion Twins improved to 11-0 in the league and 14-1 overall with a sweep of Kodiak on Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
The Twins used the mercy rule to end both contests after five innings. The score in the first and league game was 11-1. The hosts took the second, nonleague game 11-0.
Kodiak fell to 0-5 in the league and 1-9 overall with the losses. While the Twins have one of the most experienced teams in manager Lance Coz’s tenure, Kodiak head coach Derek Clarkston said only three or four of his players can drive.
Kodiak, with 12 players, is beginning a road trip with nine games in six days.
“When the parents are dropping most of the kids off at practice, you know you have a young team,” Clarkston said.
The coach said his squad normally likes to hang its hat on fielding, but after traveling overnight on the ferry and driving up from Homer before the game, Kodiak gave up six unearned runs in the first game and four unearned runs in the second game.
“We pride ourselves on defense and we didn’t play good defense,” Clarkston said.
In the first game, the Twins took advantage of three Kodiak errors and used five hits to post a 7-0 lead after the first inning. In the second game, the local nine led 4-0 after the first and 10-0 after the third.
Matthew Daugherty got the win in the first game, going all five innings and giving up an unearned run on two hits. He struck out nine and walked two.
“I threw good offspeed, but my defense made a couple of plays that should have been hits,” Daugherty said.
Leading the Twins on offense were Josh Darrow at 2 for 3 with a run, Paul Steffensen at 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI, and Tyler Covey at 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI.
Also for the Twins, Kenny Griffin had a hit and three RBIs, Joey Becher had a hit and a run, Calvin Hills had a hit, run and RBI, JJ Sonnen had a run and RBI, Mason Prior had two runs and Daugherty had an RBI.
“We had timely hitting early in the game,” Twins coach Robb Quelland said. “We lost a little focus in the middle, but finished strong.”
Shawn Walton pitched the first three innings for Kodiak, giving up eight hits and 10 runs (five earned). Josh Smith then gave up and unearned run and a hit in 1 1-3 innings. Nevin Lee was 1 for 2 with a run, while Seth Rockenbach had the other hit.
In the second game, Prior pitched the first three innings and kept the Bears off the board while yielding one hit. He walked two and struck out three.
Sonnen pitched the last two innings, giving up just one hit and punching out three.
Steffensen had three runs for the Twins, while Darrow was 2 for 3 with a run and an RBI, Prior was 2 for 2 and Terrance Slats and Sonnen had two RBIs, and Klayton Justice scored two runs.
Lee and AJ Barton had the hits for Kodiak.
The Twins host Kodiak at noon and 3 p.m. today at the Kenai Little League fields.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion Kodiak center fielder Seth Rockenbach beats the tag of American Legion Twins second baseman JJ Sonnen to the bag for a steal Sunday in the second inning at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion American Legion Twins starter Matthew Daugherty delivers home Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
