The Kenai Central baseball team moved to 5-2 in the Northern Lights Conference and 5-2 overall with a 9-4 victory over Houston on Saturday at the Kenai Little League fields.
The Hawks grabbed a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Kenai had it tied by the bottom of the third. The big rally for the Kardinals came with five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning.
Owen Whicker had a big game as the leadoff hitter, going 4 for 5 with two runs for the Kards. Also for Kenai, Braden Smith had three runs, Charlie Chamberlain had three RBIs, Zane Pellegrom had two RBIs and Jacob Joanis was 2 for 4.
On the bump, Joanis gave up three runs on three hits in three innings, walking five and striking out three. Pellegrom went 1 1-3 innings, giving up a run, while Smith closed with 2 2-3 scoreless and hitless innings, whiffing five.
Soldotna 6, Kodiak 1
The Stars moved to 2-2 in the NLC and 4-4 overall with the Saturday victory at the Soldotna Little League fields. The Bears fell to 5-1 in the league.
Friday, Kodiak had defeated SoHi 3-1 behind a masterpiece from Kodiak pitcher Malakai Olson. Soldotna’s Colby Sturman answered Saturday for the Stars, giving up an unearned run and two hits in going the distance. Sturman walked three and struck out eight.
Sturman’s effort allowed the Stars to beat one of the state’s top pitchers in Hunter Williams. Williams, playing for the American Legion Twins, was named the Top Pitcher in the Alaska Legion State Tournament Awards last summer.
Williams went six innings Saturday, giving up six runs — three earned — on six hits while walking six and striking out five. Kodiak had a 1-0 lead until SoHi scored five in the fifth and one in the sixth.
Tucker Blough was 2 for 3 with two runs for SoHi.
Grace Christian 11, Homer 8
The visiting Grizzlies dropped the Mariners to 1-3 in the NLC and 1-3 overall with the Saturday victory.
Homer led 4-1 after two innings, but Grace went up 7-4 after the top of the third. Homer came back to tie the game in the bottom of the third. The Grizzlies then scored three times in the top of the fifth to take the lead for good.
Mylan Johnson was 3 for 4 with four runs for Homer, while CJ Burns was 2 for 3 with three RBIs and Henry Wedvick was 2 for 4.
Preston Stanislaw and Burns held the Grizzlies scoreless in 2 1-3 innings of relief, but the Mariners could not come back. Homer pitchers walked 15 in the game.
