Even though they traveled to Kodiak with just 10 players, the Post 20 Twins were able to post a nonleague win Friday and a pair of league wins Saturday.
The Twins move to 5-4 in the league and 7-6 overall. Their trip in Kodiak ends today with a 4 p.m., seven-inning, nonleague contest against the Bears.
“We’re excited about the development of the young players and the leadership of the older players,” Twins coach Robb Quelland said. “It was very evident this weekend.
“We needed every person in the lineup and they did what we needed them to do.”
Saturday, the Twins won the seven-inning league contests 11-3 and 4-2.
In the first game, the Twins came out firing on all cylinders as Calvin Hills and Kenny Griffin ripped home runs to lead the 11-hit attack.
Hills ended up 3 for 5 with two runs and three RBIs, while Griffin scored three runs. Completing the potent top three in the lineup was Paul Steffensen, who went 2 for 4 with three runs.
“Calvin and Kenny had home runs and that was a big boost for the morale of the team,” Quelland said.
Logan Smith went all seven innings for the win, yielding nine hits and three runs while walking two and striking out four.
Quelland said the travel and a game that went over three hours Friday may have caught up with the Twins in Saturday’s second game, when they managed the 4-2 victory despite just five hits.
Mose Hayes, who also was used for an inning Friday, came through with seven innings, giving up six hits and two runs — one earned — while walking four and striking out six.
“The kids were not as focused as they were in the first game,” Quelland said. “That’s something we need to work on as we grow as a team.”
Brinster scored two runs in the game for the Twins.
Friday, the Twins invoked the mercy rule in a 15-5 game that lasted six innings.
David Belger picked up the victory for the Twins, pitching five innings and giving up eight hits and five runs — four earned — while walking three and striking out three.
Hayes pitched the last inning, walking two.
The Twins led 6-4 after three innings, but after that Kodiak could not keep up. The Twins scored four in the fourth, two in the fifth and three in the sixth. Walks played a huge role in the Twins attack, as Kodiak pitchers walked 18.
“They’re also a young team,” Quelland said of the Bears. “We capitalized on the control of their pitchers.
“That shows how much our plate discipline has increased in the last few weeks. A couple weeks ago, we would have struck out more.”
The Twins had six hits. Seth Adkins was 2 for 2 with two runs and two RBIs, while Hills was 2 for 5 with five runs. Also for the Twins, Steffensen had two RBIs, Hayes had two runs and three RBIs, and Smith had three RBIs.
