The American Legion Twins are pulling together to save their season at just the right time.
Post 20 secured two crucial league victories Friday over Fairbanks Post 11, starting with a 5-4 walkoff winner in extra innings and ending with a 8-3 win in seven innings.
The pair of wins helped the Twins stay in state playoff contention with an 8-5 league record.
“They took it seriously and the results were awesome,” said Twins coach Robb Quelland.
Quelland said of the 15 players on the Twins roster, 13 were used Friday in a team effort.
“The energy of the kids was great, they’re playing as a team,” Quelland said.
Post 20 will face the other Fairbanks team — Post 30 — Saturday in Fairbanks in two games at noon and 3 p.m.
Friday’s first contest, scheduled for nine innings, went one inning further before the Twins found a way to win.
After Fairbanks scored to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the 10th, the Twins answered back in the bottom of the inning with a leadoff walk by Calvin Hills, who then advanced to second with an infield hit by Josh Darrow.
Darrow was tagged out when J.J. Sonnen took first base on fielder’s choice, and with Hills on third, Kenny Griffin smacked a single that brought Hills home to tie it up at 4-4.
The walkoff winner came courtesy of Jake Conver, who sent away a deep fly ball to the right-center field gap that brought Sonnen in to score.
Darrow ultimately ended up hitting 3 for 4 with a triple to lead the Twins, while Griffin went 2 for 4 with two RBI and Tommy Bowe went 2 for 4 with one RBI.
Homer’s Kyle Johnson started on the mound and pitched four solid innings for the Twins, giving up just two runs. Justice Miller, Clayton Justice and Tyler Covey all got time on the mound as well.
The second game, which finished in the scheduled seven innings, saw the Twins start slow but finish fast, as Post 20 scored two runs in the third inning, one in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the seventh.
Covey earned the win, tossing four innings of two-run ball, while Justice threw two innings with one run and Bowe closed it out with a scoreless seventh inning.
Covey also led the Twins at the dish by completing the difficult task of hitting a pair of triples. Darrow hit 1 for 4 with a double, while Conver went 2 for 4.
