Top Row:

Kamden Kurtz, Riley Lanehart, Gage Rose, Jack Mullen, Ryan Mullen, Preston Jones, Liam Lierman

 

Bottom Row:

Gunner Mountcastle, Tommy Molloy, Miguel Marrero, Dallin Roberts, Declan Murphey 

 

Top Row

Alex Mullen, Liam Lierman, Jack Molloy, Killian Johannes

Middle Row

Ryan Mullen, Kamden Kurtz, Cody Petraglia, Joshua (JT) Thompson, Gage Rose, Tommy Molloy, Gunner Mountcastle

Bottom Row

Dallin Roberts, Dalton Smith, Jack Mullen, Tyler Griffin ,Connor Lanehart, Landon Hudson

 

 

Eagle River, Alaska (Alaska Sports Report) - Under a bright bluebird sky, Eagle River centerfielder Josh Thompson surveyed the sun and discovered it was right in his eyes.

Even with shades, he had trouble picking up the baseball and warned starting pitcher Jack Molloy that he might be on his own.

“I told him jokingly that I don’t want any flyballs out to me because of the sun,” Thompson said, “and he not only didn’t let that happen, he also didn’t let any runs in. Jack’s a great pitcher and he showed it today.”

Molloy mowed down the Chugiak Mustangs with six scoreless innings Saturday as the Wolves won 10-0 in the championship game of the Buddy Dale Invitational to finish the Wasilla tournament with a 4-0 record.

The senior southpaw scattered seven hits and a walk while striking out five batters during his 83-pitch performance on his way to being named tournament MVP.

“I was just trying to make sure to fill up the zone. My fielders really did the MVP performance,” Molloy said. “There were some amazing plays by both my infield and outfield to help us get the job done on defense.”

Catcher Dalin Roberts threw out a runner on the bases and drove in three runs to highlight a 9-hit attack. Alex Mullen went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Gunner Mountcastle mashed a two-run triple to the fence.

“That really sparked the team,” said Thompson, who is better known as JT.

Thompson, the team’s 3-hole hitter, reached base three times with two singles and a walk. He drove in a run and scored twice.

Eagle River jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead after scoring two runs in the first inning and three in the second.

 

Above: Eagle River’s Liam Lierman struck out nine batters in four innings in a 10-0 win over Colony on Day 1. (Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report)

“Coach Bill Lierman specifically told us right before this game to do what we can to get some runs on the board early and get that quick start because we struggled to have a good start in the previous games this tournament,” Thompson said. “It really did help not only our team to relax a little but I felt that it gave Chugiak a lot of worry on how they will make up those runs.”

They didn’t because Molloy did a marvelous job of mixing his fastball, curveball and changeup to keep the Mustangs off the scoreboard. He was the definition of efficiency early as he threw just 33 pitches in the first three innings.

Eagle River and Chugiak high schools are in the same neck of the woods and a vast majority of these players have spent much of their lives facing off on the diamond.

The matchup pits neighbors and friends against each other, but that familiarity is also why it’s one of the top rivalries in the Cook Inlet Conference.

“Everyone knows everyone on both teams; as a senior I’ve played with them more than I have against them in my baseball career,” Molloy said. “Chugiak has a nasty offense, and they give us a great game every time we play. I just had the upper hand on them today and our offense is only getting stronger.”

Chugiak beat Eagle River 11-6 on April 20. Both teams are now 4-2 on the season.

 

Above: Chugiak’s Preston Rau pitched five innings and earned the win in a 9-6 victory over Wasilla on Day 2. (Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report)

Eagle River was 0-2 coming into the Buddy Dale Invitational before outscoring opponents 53-4 in four games. Yeah, I’d say the Wolves got their groove back.

Armed with pitching depth and a host of veteran hitters, Eagle River is one of the preseason favorites in the state this year, but the Wolves came out flat and dropped back-to-back games to open the season.

Lierman’s lads didn’t hit the panic button, however; instead, they tapped into their experience. Many of these guys helped Eagle River win last summer’s Alaska Legion state title and later became just the ninth Alaska team since 1986 to win a game at the Northwest Regional in Gillette, Wyoming.

“We thought back to previous years where we also had rough starts and kept our same confident attitude coming into every new game,” Thompson said.

It wasn’t as easy as snapping their fingers, but Thompson was confident the Wolves would turn it around.

“We had a bad start to the season with the losses to South and Chugiak,” he said. “I know that our team could beat those schools and it wasn’t just winning the tournament that felt good, it was beating Chugiak in the championship that really reassured me.”