With the weight of the world on her shoulders, or that of a small town on a large rock in Southeast Alaska, Sitka High School junior Alina Lebahn hit a two-out, third-pitch, three-score, home run past the center field fence at Anchorage’s Cartee Fields on Saturday to give the Wolves a repeat state softball championship over Soldotna 16-13.
“My teammate Allie said to me as she came in, ‘I served them up for you and they are ready for you to hit them home,’” Lebahn said of junior Allyson Mayville, who had grounded out but moved runners into scoring position. “And in the box all I was thinking was just tap the ball. I just needed a base hit. So I literally just wanted to make contact, to tap the ball in a hole. I guess it worked out.”
This is the second title in three years for the Southeast Conference champion Wolves in the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Division II Softball state tournaments. Sitka was runner-up in 2023 to Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.
“This was definitely a team effort,” Lebahn said. “I could not have done it without any one of my teammates, even like when pitching, I could not have done without any of my fielders and this is kind of a special year where we really had to fight for this title, and I mean we earned this title and it was a team effort completely.”
Trailing by one run 13-12 with their final three outs looming in the bottom of the seventh inning Sitka found one more rally.
Senior Madison Campbell patiently took four pitches and earned a walk, but sophomore courtesy runner Brandy Pepper stole second and watched as classmate Penelope Blankenship hit a fly ball to center that was caught.
Sophomore Bristol Clifton then earned a walk to put runners at first and second with senior co-captain Kaelynn Balovich at bat. Balovich put a single into play scoring Pepper to tie the score at 13-13.
“Well, I struggle against slow pitchers,” Balovich said. “So I was really just holding my breath. But I knew I just had to hit it on the ground somewhere and it would work out. So when I saw that they made the error I was jumping up and down at first base.”
Unfortunately on the play, Clifton injured her knee going into second base and had to be replaced by sophomore pinch runner Otsitya Johnson-Knipes.
“She went all out to be safe at second and caught her leg a little bit funky and hurt her knee really bad,” coach Jael McCarty said.
Johnson-Knipes advanced to third and Balovich to second as Mayville grounded out for two away…and the stage was set for Lebahn’s championship swing.
“After I saw Alina’s hit go out and realized what that meant, my first thought was for Bristol because it was kind of a tough way to end the season for her, but then everybody rallied around her and celebrated, it was kind of what you call a Disney Channel moment,” McCarty said.
When the last hit touched the bat the team began to swarm out of the dugout as the ball continued to fly away.
“Honestly, I don’t think it has set fully in yet,” Mayville said. “The one thing that keeps playing in my head, and everybody else’s, is Alina’s ball. I mean the second she made contact it was so obvious it was out, it was one of the best hits all season that we have had…Everyone was out of the dugout, we were jumping on each other, we were screaming, we were crying, there was a lot of emotions.”
Sitka usually has two home run celebrations. In one, the players fall back onto the turf when the hitter touches home plate, in the other the players lightly swat the hitter’s helmet when she crosses. Neither was appropriate.
“We all just started hugging,” Mayville said. “There was a lot of crying. I think a hug was the most appropriate for the moment.”
Sitka seniors Leia Daly, Audrey Brevick, Balovich, Campbell and juniors Mayville Pepper, Lebahn, Saline, Brenton and Delayna Barry were all on last season’s championship team. Balovich, Lebahn and Brenton were teammates on the Sitka Little League all-star team that played into the West Regionals in San Bernadino, California.
Balovich was an all-state tournament selection last season with older sister Kaiya.
“Well, now I have one more title than my sister,” Balovich joked. “That’s what my coach said too. This was different because last year’s team I had played with them my whole life. And this team was a little different. But it was just cool to see that we could do it without all the seniors last year and we are still the best.”
The game began with Sitka (22-14-4 overall record) behind early as Soldotna (27-11-1) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning but the Wolves loaded the bases in the bottom half on walks to junior Allyson Mayville, Lebahn and an intentional walk to junior Chalice Brenton – the first of five intentional walks Soldotna used on Brenton.
“They respect her,” coach McCarty said. “And her three home runs in the tournament. I think all three were against Soldotna and they though that she should not be pitched to and I was OK with it because Sadie came right behind her and just kept tapping hits and it was great.”
Wolves junior Sadie Saline then laced a double into left field scoring Mayville and Lebahn to close to 3-2.
Sophomore Vada West earned a walk to reload the bases and senior Madison Campbell patiently went to a full count before earning a free base and an RBI to tie the game 3-3.
Sophomore Penelope Blankenship then lofted a fly ball to center field for a sacrifice that scored Saline to take a 4-3 lead.
After a strong defensive second inning the Wolves returned to bat and were threatening with a runner on base and two outs but Soldotna again intentionally walked Brenton and this time Saline hit a line drive out to end the threat.
Soldotna regained the lead in the top of the third inning as senior Isabella Cruz led off with a single to left field and senior Alyssa McDonald did the same to center. Cruz would score on a passed ball and McDonald on a single by sophomore Katie Debardelaben for a 5-4 lead.
Sitka pitcher Lebahn then struck out three batters to end the inning and strand two Soldotna runners on base.
The Wolves’ West led off the bottom half earning a walk, Blankenship reached on a one-out ground ball fielding error and Bristol Clifton singled into left field resulting in a fielding error that brought West, Blankenship and Clifton across the plate for a 7-5 lead.
Senior Kaelynn Balovich singled to left field and Mayville followed with a hit to left field that turned into an inside-the-park home run and a 9-5 advantage.
Soldotna put Sitka’s Brenton on base for the third time intentionally and Saline earned another walk, but a fly ball out ended the Wolves’ score fest and the third inning.
“Well, I feel very respected in a sense because it is a great amount of respect for a hitter,” Brenton said. “I was annoyed at first, but I do feel acknowledged and very proud of my hitting because in the end it is very liberating. Sadie or the runner after were always hidden, I don’t think there were many times I did not reached base and came home so in the end I don’t think it affected anything but it was very cool to experience that level of acknowledgement.”
Soldotna would not go away and led off the fourth inning with senior Tatum Cooper reaching on an error, Cruz hitting a one-out double scoring Cooper, McDonald singling to left field scoring Cruz to close to 9-7.
Sitka’s defense responded with shortstop Mayville tagging McDonald out as she tried to stretch the hit, and second baseman Campbell fielding a ground ball and throwing to Clifton at first base to end the threat. Sitka threatened in the bottom half but left Blankenship and Clifton stranded on base.
Soldotna again battled back in the fifth inning, this time with a two-out rally that saw sophomore Aliya Blough single, Cooper walk and senior Isabella Gares hit a single scoring Blough to close to 9-8. Cruz then hit a first pitch over the right field fence for an 11-9 lead.
Sitka patiently responded in the bottom half as Lebahn earned a walk, Brenton was intentionally walked for the fourth time, Saline earned a walk to load the bases and West singled to center field scoring Lebahn and Brenton and tie the score at 11-11. The Wolves went down on a double play on a bunt attempt and a ground ball out.
Soldotna took a 12-11 lead in the top of the sixth inning with Debardelaben earning a walk from Wolves relief pitcher Campbell, stealing second base, advancing to third on a ground ball out by sophomore Lilly Dawley and tagging up and scoring on a fly ball out to center field by junior Juliet Innes.
Campbell struck out next batter to end the damage. In the bottom half, Clifton earned a lead-off walk, but Balovich and Mayville hit deep to the field for outs. Lebahn doubled to put runners on second and third and, once again, the Soldtona pitching core elected to intentionally walk Brenton for an astounding fifth time and load the bases.
“I was joking with the Soldotna coach,” Brenton said. “She was extremely nice and very respectful and we got along well. We were poking fun and joking around about stuff, but I was happy to take the free base for the team because I knew I could rely on the next batter.”
The move again backfired as Saline was hit by a pitch, which forced Clifton home to tie the score at 12-12. Sitka grounded to third base to end their inning.
Brenton said she might have thought of taking a poke at a wayward ball when going through her warmups each at bat.
“I was always under the impression that there’s a chance that I could hit if a pitcher was changed or something,” she said. “I just got off to the side, did my timing and then if they told me to go I was just going to go.”
Soldotna’s Gares hit a one-out single in the top of the seventh inning and Cruz was intentionally walked, setting the stage for McDonald to single to left field scoring Gares for a 13-12 lead. Sitka’s Brenton caught the second out in right field and Lebahn handled a third out ground ball at second base.
The end of the game is now etched in Sitka school history.
“This means we get to do it again next year,” Brenton said. “I think that’s the biggest thing is just to hopefully hold on to that title and earn something we can be known for again next year when we show up at state…You know, looking back at our time playing at San Bernardino, and then to now, I am just very proud of myself and my teammates.”
Lebahn also pitched the first five innings, allowed 13 hits and 11 runs, 10 earned, and walked two batters and struck out six. Campbell relieved (2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO).
Lebahn said the hits didn’t phase her.
“For us it was definitely like once we close them out each inning we are just going to go hit,” she said. “It definitely was that mentality of, ‘finish this inning, let’s go hit.’ Every inning. And I had complete faith in my field. I had not doubt that they were going to make outs for when I was serving up pitches.”
Lebahn and Saline led with three RBI apiece, Mayville and West had two apiece and Balovich, Campbell and Blankenship one each. Lebahn led with three hits, Balovich two, Mayville, Saline, West and Clifton one each. Brenton was walked five times, Clifton three, Lebahn, Saline, West and Campbell two each, Mayville and Blankenship one apiece.
Cruz led Soldotna with seven RBI, going 4-4 at the plate with four runs scored. Gares, McDonald and Debardelaben had three hits each. Cooper and Gares scored three runs apiece. Cruz pitched for just one out (1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB) and Debardelaben went the rest of the way (6.1 IP, 8 H, 12 R, 11 ER, 14 BB, 1 SO).
The celebration after was topped with a special trip.
“Well, we got to go watch our boys win state, which was kind of amazing,” Lebahn said. “And now we’re going to go get dinner.”
Mayville added, “It may not be paper-worthy, but the victory dinner will be cool. We also took a lot of photos, did our award ceremonies and then hurried to watch our boys win their first title in a while so that was nice. And I think it was really fun cheering them on. We only caught the last bit, but I think it is important to be able to support everybody.”
Balovich said she would tell newcomers to the program, “leave it all on the field, but at the end of the day it is just a game. Our slogan this year is ‘Finish it.’ And we did that. These last two games against Soldotna were a highlight for me. They were both very close and they are the best games we have had all season. It was definitely a different feeling from last year when we run-ruled Kodiak in the championship. So this was definitely a very different feeling because a lot more stress was involved. It was more rewarding, though.”
The two teams first clashed as undefeateds on Saturday morning and Sitka (22-14-1) toppled Sodotna (27-11-1) 14-12 with the Wolves needing three runs in their final at bat to give the Stars their first loss in the bracket play tournament.
Trailing 12-11 to start the top of the seventh inning Balovich reached on a fly ball error to left field, Mayville hit a hard ground ball at third base and with one out, the reason for all Soldotna’s intentional walks began as Brenton put a second ball pitch over the left field fence for the 14-11 score.
In the bottom half of that inning, the Sitka defense stepped up as Wolves senior third baseman Audrey Brevick fielded the first out, Saline hauled in the second out in center field and Lebahn struck out the final batter in four pitches.
Campbell had started in the circle (0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB) and Lebahn (6.1 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 3 ER, 6 SO) finished.
Brenton led with three RBI, Lebahn had two, and Balovich, Mayville, Saline and Clifton one each. Lebahn led with three hits, Balovich, Mayville and Clifton two each, Brenton, Saline and West one each. Balovich, Mayville and Lebahn scored three runs each, Clifton two, Brenton, Saline and Blankenship one each.
Soldotna had eliminated Kenai 18-10 to earn the rematch with the Wolves.
Kenai eliminated Ketchikan 14-11 in a Saturday morning loser’s bracket game.
The Lady Kings (16-20-2) led 6-2 after two innings, but the Kardinals (20-19) scored five runs in the top of the third inning and seven in the top of the fourth and held on for the win.
Kayhi junior Willow Vierra-Sonnenschein started (7 IP, 8 H, 14 R, 10 ER, 7 BB, 6 SO) took the loss.
Senior Eleanor Shull led the Lady Kings with four RBI, Vierra-Sonnenschein, and sophomore Lilly Brakke one apiece. Shull had two hits, sophomore Mariah Pechay-Austin, senior Azriah McGarrigan, Vierra-Sonnenschein, Brakke one each. Seniors Mylee Gray and Rylea Armstrong had three runs scored apiece, senior Vienna Pahang, Pechay-Austin, Shull, sophomore Brianna Gilson and freshman Jillian Hall one each.
Sitka returns nine varsity players next season and a full roster that played JV. They also expect 15 incoming freshmen, the majority of which traveled to San Bernardino, California, last summer as part of the 2024 Sitka Little League state champions.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
