Madisonville (Kentucky) Post 6 defeated the Post 20 Twins 2-0 in the championship game of the Lance Coz Wood Bat Tournament on Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
The Twins have now been to seven championship games at the tournament, which began in 2004. Post 20 did not win any of those games, with six losses and one rainout. The most the Twins lost by in any of those game is three runs.
Post 20’s lone tournament title came in 2009, when the event was a round robin between the Twins, Service and Wasilla. That’s also the only time the tournament has been won by a team from Alaska.
“Most teams that travel as far as they do are generally upper level in their area,” Post 20 head coach Robb Quelland said in explaining the history. “They’re not coming here to lose. They can stay home and lose.
“For that time and money and investment to come up here, they’ve done their research and they know what they’re getting into.”
Those teams also usually have a pitcher like Madisonville’s Jax Lee to turn to for championship contests.
Lee was the clear difference in the championship game, pitching a complete-game shutout and allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out 10.
Rangers head coach Jamie Mills said Lee is a pitcher who always wants the big game. That means he has taken some hard-luck losses over the years against some powerhouse teams.
“I was a little emotional for the guys, because Jax Lee, that was a tremendous performance,” Mills said. “He’s a kid that loves championship moments.
“Even before the game started, he was like, ‘Coach, I got this game.’”
Lee told his coach the same thing as his pitch count approached 100 and he went out to finish off the Twins in the top of the seventh.
The tournament is named for Lance Coz, who as head coach and manager was the bedrock of the program from 1975 to his death in 2020.
Coz always took pride in making the program good enough that it could be a bridge to the next level. Bringing quality teams from the Lower 48 all the way to Kenai was a way of giving local players a glimpse of what it takes to play in college.
“It was nice to see the young man on the mound today,” Twins head coach Robb Quelland said of Lee. “He threw hard and had movement, and our kids have not seen stuff like that in a while, nothing against our high school guys.
“He maybe didn’t have the velocity of some of our high school guys, but he knew what he was doing.”
Lee, a recent high school graduate, will play NAIA ball next season at Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky.
The Twins had no answer for Lee’s curveball.
“My curveball, that was probably the best command I had on it this season,” Lee said. “We kept going back to it.”
Lee also was spotting his two- and four-seam fastball. Mills said Lee’s command allowed him to have plenty of at-bats of four pitches or less, allowing the complete game.
“Anytime you can throw your two or three pitch for a strike, it’s deadly,” Mills said. “That makes your fastball that much more effective.”
Lee said the trip to Alaska has been memorable so far, though he’d like warmer weather and to see some animals.
“I’m not a cold guy,” he said. “Good thing I brought long sleeves and some tights to keep me warm and help me break a sweat for pitching.”
Catcher and leadoff man Connor Mitchuson, who also will play at Brescia, got the Rangers started in the bottom of the first inning with a single. He stole second, went to third on a grounder and scored on a sacrifice fly by Hayden Hudson.
From there, the Rangers left the bases loaded in the first and second innings as Twins starter Jacob Joanis made the pitches he had to make to keep the Twins in the game. Joanis went 3 2-3 innings and gave up two runs — one earned — on four hits.
“He pitched well enough to let us stay in the game,” Quelland said of Joanis.
Madisonville went up 2-0 in the fourth when Xavier Martin led off with a bunt single, stole second and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
The Rangers collected six hits and left 10 on base in the game.
“We usually hit the ball well, but we haven’t hit the ball well yet,” Mills said. “Maybe it had something to do with the wood bats.”
Jack Harper came in and kept the Rangers off the board for 2 1-3 innings, allowing two hits.
“He’s done what he’s been asked to do,” Quelland said of Harper. “He’s not going to overpower them, but he sure can confuse them.”
Mitchuson finished 2 for 2 for the Rangers and was on base after all of his four at-bats.
“He is the true leader,” Mills said of his catcher. “Even in the dorm, if the guys are not being serious, he sets them straight.”
Joanis and Jayden Stuyvesant had the hits for the Twins.
“We played a great game,” Quelland said. “The score reflects how well we played. 2-0 is a good game.”
Quelland also is proud of the way the program once again came together for a great tournament.
The banquet menu of salmon, halibut and ribs was a hit, with Mills saying he went back for thirds and wants to figure out how to get halibut in Kentucky.
“I think we ended up with 56 donations for door prizes,” Quelland said. “More than half of them walked away with something from Alaska.”
Madisonville will try to get in some fishing and animal viewing on Monday before playing in the Todd Ryan Memorial Tournament in the Matanuska-Susitna valleys on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Both squads then play at the Alaska 529 Midseason Classic this weekend in Anchorage, with Madisonville starting Thursday and the Twins starting Friday.
Wolverines 11, Midnight Suns 4
South Post 4 captured third in the tourney by topping Auke Bay Post 25. The Wolverines had traveled to Juneau last weekend and won three of four, then defeated the Midnight Suns twice at this tournament.
Auke Bay committed seven errors in the game, leading to nine unearned runs.
Mark Warren led South at the plate by going 2 for 3 with two runs.
The Midnight Suns won the hit count 8-5, with Keaton Belcourt going 3 for 3 and Hunter Carte finishing 2 for 4.