{"id":2634,"date":"2018-05-25T19:32:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-26T02:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spijue.wpengine.com\/news\/juneau-douglas-advances-to-championship-with-victory-over-sitka\/"},"modified":"2018-05-25T19:32:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-26T02:32:00","slug":"juneau-douglas-advances-to-championship-with-victory-over-sitka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/sports\/juneau-douglas-advances-to-championship-with-victory-over-sitka\/","title":{"rendered":"Juneau-Douglas advances to championship with victory over Sitka"},"content":{"rendered":"

In<\/span> a<\/span> game<\/span> where<\/span> both<\/span> starting<\/span> pitchers<\/span> were<\/span> rolling<\/span> early,<\/span> finding<\/span> any<\/span> breaks<\/span> were<\/span> key.<\/span><\/p>\n

Juneau-Douglas High School<\/span> won 6-0<\/span> over<\/span> Sitka<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> winner’s<\/span> bracket<\/span> side<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Region<\/span> V<\/span> Southeast<\/span> Baseball<\/span> Tournament<\/span> Friday<\/span> afternoon<\/span> at<\/span> Moller<\/span> Field<\/span> in<\/span> Sitka.<\/span> JDHS will now play for the region championship Saturday.<\/p>\n

With<\/span> two<\/span> JDHS<\/span> runners<\/span> on<\/span> base<\/span>, Luke<\/span> Mallinger<\/span> lifted<\/span> a<\/span> fly<\/span> ball<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> outfield; du<\/span>e to fielding error, Michael<\/span> Cesar<\/span> and<\/span> Kasey<\/span> Watts<\/span> <\/span>both<\/span> scored.<\/span> Mallinger<\/span> came<\/span> home<\/span> on<\/span> an<\/span> RBI-groundout<\/span> by<\/span> Riley<\/span> Griffin later in the inning.<\/span><\/p>\n

JDHS<\/span> coach<\/span> Chad<\/span> Bentz<\/span> said<\/span> it<\/span> took<\/span> a<\/span> while<\/span> for<\/span> his<\/span> team to get<\/span> going<\/span> but<\/span> being<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> score<\/span> on<\/span> mistakes<\/span> helped<\/span> loosen <\/span>the<\/span> team<\/span> back<\/span> up.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We<\/span> started<\/span> off<\/span> slow<\/span> and<\/span> actually<\/span> both<\/span> teams<\/span> did,”<\/span> Bentz<\/span> said<\/span> in<\/span> phone<\/span> interview<\/span> Friday.<\/span> “Sitka’s<\/span> outfielders<\/span> made<\/span> mistakes<\/span> and<\/span> we<\/span> were<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> take<\/span> advantage<\/span> of<\/span> them<\/span>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

With<\/span> the<\/span> lead,<\/span> JDHS starting<\/span> pitcher<\/span> Watts<\/span> was<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> find<\/span> his<\/span> comfort<\/span> zone.<\/span> He<\/span> threw<\/span> a<\/span> shutout,<\/span> allowing<\/span> only<\/span> one<\/span> hit,<\/span> five<\/span> walks<\/span> while<\/span> racking<\/span> up<\/span> five<\/span> strikeouts.<\/span> Watts<\/span> said he did not have his best stuff, he only<\/span> struggled in one inning. In<\/span> the<\/span> second<\/span> inning,<\/span> he<\/span> loaded<\/span> the<\/span> bases<\/span> on<\/span> three<\/span> walks<\/span> but<\/span> was<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> record<\/span> a<\/span> key<\/span> strikeout<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> lineout<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> out<\/span> of<\/span> trouble.<\/span> He<\/span> also<\/span> helped<\/span> himself<\/span> out<\/span> by<\/span> picking<\/span> off<\/span> two<\/span> baserunners.<\/span><\/p>\n

“In<\/span> the<\/span> second<\/span> inning<\/span> I<\/span> walked<\/span> a<\/span> couple<\/span> batters<\/span> and<\/span> just<\/span> couldn’t<\/span> get<\/span> my<\/span> curveball<\/span> working,”<\/span> Watts<\/span> said.<\/span> “Fortunately,<\/span> I<\/span> was<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> out<\/span> of<\/span> that<\/span> inning<\/span> and<\/span> was<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> battle<\/span> the<\/span> rest<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> way.<\/span> Once<\/span> we<\/span> got<\/span> some<\/span> runs,<\/span> that<\/span> really<\/span> took<\/span> the weight<\/span> off<\/span> my<\/span> shoulders.<\/span> I<\/span> was<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> work<\/span> in<\/span> some<\/span> new<\/span> stuff<\/span> and<\/span> that<\/span> definitely<\/span> helped<\/span> me<\/span> relax.”<\/span><\/p>\n

The<\/span> Crimson<\/span> Bears<\/span> were<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> add to the lead<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> fifth<\/span> off<\/span> of<\/span> a<\/span> Cesar<\/span> two-run<\/span> home<\/span> run.<\/span> They<\/span> finished<\/span> up<\/span> the<\/span> scoring<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> sixth<\/span> after<\/span> an<\/span> error<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> outfield<\/span> allowed<\/span> Cesar<\/span> to<\/span> come<\/span> around<\/span> and<\/span> score.<\/span> Cesar<\/span> went<\/span> 2-for-3<\/span> with<\/span> two<\/span> RBI<\/span> and<\/span> two<\/span> runs.<\/span> Donavin<\/span> McCurley,<\/span> Watts,<\/span> Mallinger<\/span> and<\/span> Griffin<\/span> all<\/span> scored.<\/span><\/p>\n

“(JDHS)<\/span> capitalized<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> couple<\/span> big<\/span> errors<\/span> and<\/span> we<\/span> never<\/span> were<\/span> able<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> out<\/span> of<\/span> it,”<\/span> Sitka<\/span> coach<\/span> Ken<\/span> Carley<\/span> said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitka<\/span> starting<\/span> pitcher<\/span> Camden<\/span> Suarez<\/span> was<\/span> the<\/span> victim<\/span> of<\/span> some<\/span> hard<\/span> luck<\/span> as<\/span> three<\/span> defensive<\/span> errors<\/span> contributed<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> scoring.<\/span> Suarez<\/span> went<\/span> six<\/span> innings,<\/span> allowed<\/span> six<\/span> runs<\/span> (three<\/span> earned)<\/span> on<\/span> seven<\/span> hits<\/span> and<\/span> two<\/span> walks<\/span> while<\/span> striking<\/span> out<\/span> nine<\/span> batters.<\/span> Suarez<\/span> recorded<\/span> the<\/span> lone<\/span> Sitka<\/span> hit<\/span> as<\/span> well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sitka<\/span> falls<\/span> into<\/span> the<\/span> loser’s<\/span> bracket and<\/span> will<\/span> face<\/span> the<\/span> winner<\/span> of<\/span> Thunder<\/span> Mountain<\/span> High<\/span> School<\/span> vs.<\/span> Ketchikan<\/span> game<\/span> at<\/span> 6<\/span> p.m.<\/span> Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We<\/span> definitely<\/span> have<\/span> a<\/span> lot<\/span> of<\/span> work<\/span> to<\/span> do,”<\/span> Carley<\/span> said.<\/span> “We<\/span> could<\/span> not<\/span> square<\/span> up<\/span> the<\/span> ball<\/span> today.<\/span> If<\/span> you<\/span> can’t<\/span> hit<\/span> the<\/span> ball,<\/span> you<\/span> can’t<\/span> score<\/span> runs.<\/span> We<\/span> just<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> hope<\/span> the<\/span> bats<\/span> come<\/span> alive.”<\/span><\/p>\n

JDHS<\/span> now<\/span> waits<\/span> for<\/span> other<\/span> results<\/span> to<\/span> occur<\/span> before<\/span> finding<\/span> out<\/span> who<\/span> they<\/span> will<\/span> play<\/span> at<\/span> 11<\/span> a.m.<\/span> Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We<\/span> are<\/span> going<\/span> to<\/span> rest<\/span> up,<\/span> watch<\/span> some<\/span> baseball<\/span> and<\/span> enjoy<\/span> our<\/span> free<\/span> time,”<\/span> Bentz<\/span> said.<\/span> “It<\/span> does<\/span> not<\/span> matter<\/span> who<\/span> we<\/span> play.<\/span> We<\/span> know<\/span> the<\/span> teams<\/span> and<\/span> we<\/span> are<\/span> not<\/span> going<\/span> to<\/span> worry<\/span> about.<\/span> Any<\/span> team<\/span> we<\/span> end<\/span> up<\/span> playing<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> fun.”<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

• Contact reporter Gregory Philson at gphilson@juneauempire.com or call at 523-2265. Follow him on Twitter at @GTPhilson.<\/b><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a game where both starting pitchers were rolling early, finding any breaks were key. Juneau-Douglas High School won 6-0 over Sitka in the winner’s bracket side of the Region V Southeast Baseball Tournament Friday afternoon at Moller Field in Sitka. JDHS will now play for the region championship Saturday. With two JDHS runners on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":431,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":6,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-2634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/431"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2634\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2634"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=2634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}