The Kenai Central baseball team defeated Soldotna 6-5 in eight innings Monday at the Kenai Little League fields in Northern Lights Conference action.
The Kardinals improve to 3-1 in the league and 3-1 overall, while the Stars fall to 1-1 and 4-2.
Kenai scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings, then won it in the eighth inning when Gabe Smith drove the gap in right center with two outs to score Zane Pellegrom from second.
Although the teams are rivals and Soldotna defeated Kenai Central in the Division II state title game last season, Kenai head coach Luke Oliver was not about to get too carried away with the early season win.
“A win is a win at this point, right?” Oliver said. “It’s early in the season and realistically, we’re playing for position in the playoffs.”
SoHi coach Ken Gibson said there was a little bit more on the line than that.
“This is a rivalry game,” he said. “We don’t want to lose to Kenai. And they love beating us.”
The game was close throughout, tied at 1 after the first inning and with Soldotna leading 3-2 after the third, 4-2 after the fourth and 5-2 after the sixth.
The Stars could have had a healthier lead if they didn’t leave 16 runners on base in the first seven innings.
“We could have controlled our own destiny by scoring just a few more runs,” Gibson said. “We just didn’t make it happen.”
Jacob Joanis, Gabe Joanis and Gabe Smith combined to pitch the first six innings for the Kardinals and walked eight batters while also hitting five batters.
Oliver wasn’t happy with the free bases or a few key errors, but he was happy with his team’s resiliency.
“I want them to be able to respond when they make those errors, and that’s what they were able to do,” Oliver said.
Colby Sturman worked the first 3 2-3 innings for SoHi and gave up two runs on two hits while walking four and striking out eight.
“He kept things under control,” Gibson said of Sturman.
Derrick Jones also had things under control until the seventh, when he started the inning by plunking No. 9 hitter Pellegrom in the helmet.
Oliver said it’s huge when the bottom of the order can set the table for the top.
“The bottom of the order needs to produce some of the time and the top of the order needs to produce all of the time,” he said.
Pellegrom scored on a double by Daniel Steffensen, Steffensen scored when Braden Smith reached on an error, and Braden moved to third on a steal and wild pitch, then tied the game when Gabe Smith grounded to second.
Jackson Marion kept up his solid relief work for Kenai in the eighth. Marion allowed just a hit in two shutout innings to set up the winning rally in the eighth.
Pellegrom reached on an error, stole second then scored on Gabe Smith’s gapper. Smith missed last year with an injury, but is back in full force this season. He finished 3 for 4 with four RBIs.
“He’s hitting the ball well and hopefully that will continue,” Oliver said. “If any colleges are looking for a player, he’s available.”
Wyatt Gagnon was 3 for 4 for the Stars, while Trenton Ohnemus was 2 for 5.
Kenai Central’s Zane Pellegrom slides under the tag of Soldotna’s Ari Miller on Monday, April 29, 2024, at the Kenai Little League fields in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
