This story has been corrected to show TMHS plays Kodiak, not Sitka on Friday.
A dominating statement was made by Thunder Mountain High School with two wins by scores of 8-0 and 16-1 on the opening day of the Division II Alaska School Activities Association Softball State Championships on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé came up on the short end of a 14-0 score in the first round of the Division I ASAA Baseball State Championships.
The Crimson Bears (5-7-1 overall) were scheduled to play Colony High School (15-11) in the consolation bracket semifinal at 10 a.m. Friday at the tournament in Anchorage. The Falcons (28-10 overall), who won during pool play on Thursday, began their bracket play in the double-elimination tournament against Kodiak High School (22-4) at 12:15 p.m. Friday at the tournament in Fairbanks.
In Friday’s other winner’s bracket matchup, Sitka High School plays Delta High School at the same time. The winners of those two games will play for the right to go to the championship game at 12:15 p.m. Saturday.
TMHS won the Region V conference title against Sitka in a battle last weekend that saw the Wolves defeat TMHS 19-12 to force a final championship showdown, which the Falcons won 9-3 in game they controlled throughout.
“The state championship lots of times comes down to the two teams from Southeast,” TMHS Head Coach Barb Strong said after winning the conference title, a prediction that so far is playing out as Sitka won its opener Thursday against North Pole High School 24-0.
The Falcons, meanwhile, after shutting out Delta Junction High School 8-0, needed only five innings to top Soldotna High School as TMHS ran up an 8-0 score by the fourth inning when Soldotna got its only run.
Two TMHS pitchers won player-of-the-game honors for the Falcons, with Ashlyn Gates for the victory over Delta Junction and Jack Lovejoy for the victory over Soldotna.
Likewise, Eagle River High School only needed five innings to end JDHS’ state title hopes, scoring four runs in the second inning, three in the fourth and five in the fifth.
The Crimson Bears baseball are an at-large participant in the Division I Alaska School Activities Association Baseball State Championships after finishing second behind Sitka High School in the Region V tournament last weekend.
The tournaments continue through Saturday.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
