Editor’s note: The story corrects the length of the Twins winning streak. July 3, the Twins won a game against South that had originally been delayed June 9.
The American Legion Post 20 Twins swept a road trip on Thursday and Friday, July 17 and 18, to close the regular season with 14 straight wins.
The Twins finished 12-2 in the league and 22-5-2 to earned the No. 2 seed at the American Legion State Tournament.
Post 20 defeated Palmer Post 15 11-4 on Thursday before topping Auke Bay Post 25 5-4 and East Post 34 9-1 on Friday.
Twins 11, Palmer 4
The Twins led 10-1 after three innings, getting big days at the plate from Daniel Steffensen and Matthew Schilling.
Steffensen was 3 for 3 with three runs, while Schilling was 3 for 4 with two runs and four RBIs.
Also, Jayden Stuyvesant had a pair of RBIs, Jacob Joanis had two hits and Clyde Clemens scored a pair of runs.
Jack Harper got the win by allowing three runs — one earned — on five hits in 4 2-3 innings. Malakai BeDunnah pitched a hitless and scoreless 1 1-3 innings, while Samuel Graham allowed a run on three hits in an inning.
Twins 5, Auke Bay 4
The Midnight Suns were the last Alaska team to defeat the Twins on June 21, but Post 20 went extra innings for the Friday victory.
Joanis capped a 3 for 3 day by scoring his second run of the game to win the contest in the bottom of the eighth inning. The run scored on an error.
Post 20 led 4-1 entering the sixth inning, but Auke Bay scored three times in the sixth to tie it up.
Jett Brophy also went 2 for 3 for the Twins.
Schilling worked the first four innings and gave up a run on three hits. Jayden Stuyvesant got the win in relief after coughing up the lead by allowing three runs — two earned — on a hit in four innings.
Twins 9, East 1
Post 20 grabbed an 8-0 lead after the first inning. While the Thunderbirds were able to avoid the mercy rule, they couldn’t avoid the loss.
Joanis went 2 for 4, while Clemens was 2 for 3 with three runs, and Brophy had two runs and two RBIs.
Joanis also starred on the hill, going six scoreless innings for the win. He yielded just one hit while walking five and striking out 10.
Tristen Roberts closed things out by allowing an unearned run on no hits in an inning.
Twins 11, Palmer 4
Post 20 took the league game July 10 at Coral Seymour Memorial Park in Kenai.
The Twins jumped to a 10-2 lead after four innings in the game.
Steffensen was 2 for 4 with three runs and two RBIs, while Brophy was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Stuyvesant had two RBIs.
Joanis pitched 4 1-3 innings for the win, giving up four runs — two earned — on two hits. BeDunnah and Stuyvesant did not allow runs in relief.
Twins 9, Palmer 6
The Twins also won the nonleague game July 10 by coming back from a 4-0 deficit after the first inning.
Clemens was 2 for 4 with two runs and three RBIs, while Jackson Koetitz had two runs, Gavin Peterson had two RBIs and Tristen Roberts was 2 for 3 with two runs.
Roberts gave up four runs in one-third of an inning. Graham then pitched 3 1-3 scoreless innings to allow Post 20 to get back in the game.
Clemens gave up a run on two hits in 1 2-3 innings, while Peterson gave up an unearned run on a hit in 1 2-3 innings.
Twins 2, Wasilla 1
Post 20 was able to win a pitchers’ duel in the league game July 12 at Seymour Park.
Harper continued his string of solid starts, going 6 2-3 innings while giving up a run on four hits. Stuyvesant got the final out on a strikeout.
Jackson Koetitz had both of the hits for the Twins.
Twins 12, Wasilla 2
Post 20 took care of the nonleague game July 12 in five innings due to mercy rule.
Steffensen was 2 for 3 with three runs, while Clemens scored twice.
Brophy pitched three scoreless innings for the win, while BeDunnah gave up a run on a hit in an inning, and Graham gave up a run on two hits in an inning.
Twins 8, Chugiak 5
The Twins went down 5-0 in a league game July 15 at Seymour Park before coming back to defeat the Mustangs.
Post 20 scored five runs in the fourth inning to tie it, while scored three in the fifth for the win.
Schilling was 3 for 4 with two RBIs, while Brophy and Joanis each had two RBIs, BeDunnah was 2 for 2 with two runs, and Clemens scored twice.
Brophy gave up five runs — four earned — in 2 2-3 innings. BeDunnah earned the win with 3 1-3 innings of scoreless and hitless relief.
Stuyvesant pitched a scoreless inning for the save.
Twins 10, Chugiak 6
Post 20 also won the nonleague game July 15 at Seymour Park.
Clemens was 2 for 3 with two runs, while Koetitz was 3 for 3, Steffensen and Joanis each had two RBIs, and Dwight Brown scored twice.
Joanis gave up a run and a hit in three innings for the win. Roberts yielded an unearned run in a hitless 3 2-3 innings.
Peterson gave up three runs — two earned — without getting an out, but Graham nailed down the game by giving up an unearned run in one-third of an inning.