The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears baseball team defeated the visiting Ketchikan Kings 17-7 Friday at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park in the first of three final home games of the season.
“Teamwork and focus,” JDHS coach Luke Adams said of the win. “Players battled each at bat and defensively were steady and composed.”
Ketchikan put the first two runs across in the top of the first inning on a single by Gage Massin that scored Hayden Trudeau and Owen Mendoza, but JDHS responded in the bottom half for three runs. JDHS junior Brandon Casperson reached on an error, sophomore Noah Lewis walked and senior JJ McCormick doubled them both home. McCormick would score on a ground out by junior Madden Mendoza for a 3-2 lead.
Kayhi regained the lead in the top of the second as Zyrus Manabat earned a walk and was replaced by courtesy runner Charles Kroscavage, who advanced on a walk to Ayden Manabat, and Jonathan Scoblic and scored on a single by Trudeau. Scoblic would score on a steal at home for a 4-3 lead.
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Brandon Casperson hits a single off of Ketchikan pitcher Owen Mendoza during the Crimson Bears’ 17-7 win over the Kings Friday at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
JDHS took control of the game with five runs in the bottom half of the second, and four runs in each of the third and fourth innings, and a final run in the bottom of the fifth.
McCormick led with five RBI, junior Tyler Frisby, Lewis, Madden Mendoza and Marcus Mendoza two each, Casperson and junior Nate Fick one apiece.
Fick led with three hits, McCormick, Marcus Mendoza and Frisby two each, Casperson and Madden Mendoza one apiece.
Casperson and McCormick scored three runs apiece, Lewis, Marcus Mendoza, junior Chris Anderson and Frisby two each and sophomore Drew Cadigan-MacAdoo one.
Lewis and Anderson earned three walks apiece, Casperson two, McCormick, Fick, Cadigan-MacAdoo and Frisby one each.
Junior Riley Fick pitched two innings, allowed four hits and four runs, walked six batters and struck out two. Marcus Mendoza relived for three innings, allowed five hits and three runs and walked three.
“It was a good team victory all the way around,” JDHS’ Adams said.
Kayhi’s O. Mendoza pitched two innings and allowed five hits and eight runs and walked seven, A. Manabat pitched one inning with three hits and eight runs and seven walks, and Scoblic pitched one inning with three hits, one run and one walk.
The win improves JDHS to 3-4 in the Southeast Conference and puts Kayi at 1-9.
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Riley Fick delivers a pitch against Ketchikan during the Crimson Bears 17-7 win over the Kings Friday at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Sitka leads the Division I Southeast Conference with a 9-0 record, 18-2-1 overall, and has wrapped up the regular season title. They host JDHS for three games May 23-24.
The Region V tournament champion gets the top conference seeding for state, the regular season title is the second seed.
The Southeast Region V baseball tournament will be at Ketchikan May 29-31 and the state tournament is at Anchorage’s Mulchay Stadium June 5-7.
JDHS will play Kayhi on Saturday at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. (JV at 1 p.m.) and will honor Crimson Bears seniors McCormick, Jacob Katasse and Christian Nelson between games.
Also on Friday, Sitka had another perfect outing from a pitcher as senior Bryce Calhoun shut out Division II Petersburg 17-0 at Sitka’s Moller Field. B. Calhoun allowed no hits, no walks, no hit batters and no defensive errors allowing a runner on base and struck out 10 batters, but the Vikings did put the ball in play five times. Junior Caleb Calhoun struck out every batter faced (15) in a run-shortened, five-inning 24-0 rout over the Ketchikan Kings last weekend. C. Calhoun will pitch one of the two remaining games against Petersburg on Saturday.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
