Monday: Twins keep rolling with sweep of Eagle River

The American Legion Post 20 Twins swept Eagle River on Monday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai, enacting the mercy rule after five innings in 11-1 league and 20-7 nonleague victories.

The Twins moved to 6-2 in the league and 13-5-2 overall, while Eagle River is 3-5 and 7-9.

“We’re coming to where we hope to be at this time of the year,” Twins head coach Robb Quelland said. “Where you’re not peaking, but you’re playing probably as good a ball as you’ve played in a long time.”

Including the two games Monday, Post 20 has now enacted the mercy rule in five innings in its last five games, with four of those games being league wins.

That comes after the Twins lost in the final of the Lance Coz Wood Bat Tournament, then made it all the way to the semifinals of the Alaska 529 Midseason Classic before losing.

The Twins made the semis by playing Chugiak and Klamath Falls (Oregon) to nine-inning ties on the same day.

“The effort that the players had to put in was incredible,” Quelland said.

In the 11-1 league win over the Wolves, the Twins displayed their formula for success.

That starts with defense and pitching. Jack Harper went all five innings for the win, giving up an unearned run on three hits while walking one and striking out two.

“Almost every game he’s pitched, it’s been minimal runs scored against him,” Quelland said. “He’s one of those guys that has learned you don’t have to overpower or strike out anybody.

“You’ve got a solid defense. Just put the ball in play and cut down on your pitches.”

Tommy Molloy gave up six runs — five earned — on eight hits in four innings. He also said the Twins are winning with defense.

“I know I had a couple of hard-hit balls they were able to field,” he said. “Defense wins championships. It’s kind of cliche, but that’s how they’ve been doing it so far.”

Quelland said the backbone of the defense has been catcher Ari Miller. He didn’t have any passed balls in the game and the Wolves didn’t steal any bases.

“He’s not big in stature, but he’s big in heart,” Quelland said of Miller.

Quelland said the team is starting to hit better and better. He said the biggest improvement could come on the basepaths, where the Twins made a couple errors in that first game.

“We missed a couple of cues, but that’s just something a team learns,” Quelland said.

Clyde Clemens had the biggest hit of the day, with a triple to right field. Clemens scored two runs. The Twins also did a good job of taking advantage of four Eagle River errors.

“I think on past Eagle River teams, defense has been a focus, and that’s something we need to improve on a lot,” Molloy said. “It’s something the Kenai team is able to do really well, and it’s why they are winning games.”

Jacob Joanis was 2 for 3 with two runs for Kenai, while Matthew Schilling was 3 for 4 with a run and an RBI, and Jayden Stuyvesant was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

Jett Brophy had two RBIs, while Daniel Steffensen had two runs.

In the second game, the Twins led 17-0 after two innings.

Joanis led the way by going 2 for 3 with three runs and four RBIs, while Stuyvesant was 2 for 3 with an RBI and Dwight Brown was 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs.

Also, Clemens had two runs and three RBIs, Steffensen had two runs, Brophy had two runs, Jackson Koetitz had two runs, Tristen Roberts had two runs and three RBIs, Malakai BeDunnah had two runs, and Harper had three runs.

BeDunnah pitched two scoreless innings while allowing two hits, while Gavin Peterson gave up six runs — five earned — on three hits in 1 1-3 innings, and Brophy gave up an unearned run on two hits in 1 2-3 innings.

For Eagle River, Drew Greene had two runs, while Jack Mullen had two RBIs.

The Wolves used four pitchers, but none were able to slow down the Twins.

Post 20 continues to play at Seymour Park this week, taking on Palmer in a noon doubleheader on Thursday and Wasilla in a noon doubleheader on Saturday.

Before Saturday’s game, the Twins will have a brief ceremony to honor the founding of American Legion baseball 100 years ago.

Millions of young men and women have played American Legion baseball, including players like Yogi Berra, Ted Williams and Albert Pujols.

The Twins said in a press release, “The players in our program are taught good citizenship and a code of sportsmanship that includes keeping the rules, keeping the faith in teammates, keeping their tempers, physical fitness, a stout heart in defeat, keeping pride under in victory, a sound soul, clean mind and healthy body.”

Quelland said part of the ceremony also will honor Lance Coz, the bedrock of the program from 1975 through his death in 2020.

According to Alaska Legion Baseball, Coz leads the state’s all-time list in coaching wins with 463. Under Coz, the Twins qualified for state 43 times in 45 years and won state in 1991, 1995, 2012 and 2016.