Josh Darrow and Paul Steffensen have proven to be a formidable pair at the top of the order for the American Legion Twins this season.
Tuesday against Kodiak at the Kenai Little League fields, the pair showed they are pretty good on the mound, too.
Darrow and Steffensen combined on a no-hitter in a 29-1 victory over Kodiak in five innings. The game was the second, and nonleague, contest of the day. The Twins won the first, league game 17-6 in six innings.
The Twins now have two no-hitters on a season in which their record is 12-0 in the league and 16-1 overall.
The Twins have scored 10 runs or more in all but three of their games, and have only allowed the opposition to score over 10 once.
While that domination obviously has its good points, one problem has been coach Robb Quelland hasn’t gotten to see a lot of pitching due to invoking the mercy rule so often.
Monday, Quelland got in three pitchers in the first game and two in the second.
“With the Legion season, you’re always looking at the postseason,” Quelland said. “There are four or five games in a week, so we need to start defining the middle reliever and closer roles.”
Darrow pitched the first two innings, walking four and giving up an earned run. Steffensen pitched the last three innings, striking out five.
On offense, the Twins had 27 hits, with each batter getting at least two hits.
Cody Quelland was 2 for 3 with three runs, JJ Sonnen was 2 for 4 with four runs, Mason Prior was 5 for 5 with four runs and four RBIs, and Gavin Petterson was 2 for 5 with four runs and three RBIs.
Also for the Twins, Justice Miller was 2 for 2 with four runs and two RBIs, Matthew Daugherty was 4 for 6 with two runs and five RBIs, Terrence Slats was 3 for 5 with two runs and four RBIs, Darrow was 3 for 4 with three runs and two RBIs, and Steffensen was 4 for 5 with three runs and five RBIs.
In the first game, the Twins came back from a 4-2 deficit after the second inning for a 17-6 victory in six innings.
Kenny Griffin got the start for the Twins, going 1 2-3 innings and giving up four runs — two earned.
Griffin then played a big role in coming back from the early hole, going 2 for 3 with two runs and three RBIs.
Calvin Hills, who got the win, and Tyler Covey held down Kodiak while the Twins came back.
Hills pitched 2 1-3 innings, giving up three hits and two runs — one earned. He walked one and struck out three.
Covey pitched two scoreless innings, walking three and striking out two.
In addition to Griffin, leaders for the Twins on offense were Darrow at 2 for 3 with three runs and three RBIs, and Hills at 4 for 4 with a run and three RBIs.
Also for the Twins, Steffensen had three runs and two RBIs, Prior had two runs and Quelland had three runs.
The Twins host Dimond on Thursday in a noon doubleheader at the Kenai Little League fields. The first game is a nine-inning league contest, while the second game is seven innings and nonleague.
