.png)
Crimson Bears open state baseball championships with 8-3 win
- Klas Stolpe
- 4 hours ago
- 8 min read
Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé defeats Colony as entire roster contributes
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
They are not America’s baseball team yet, but they are Juneau’s and the Crimson Bears did something this particular roster has not experienced: winning an opening game in the Alaska School Activities Association Baseball State Championships and doing it with the team-first mentality shown all season.
“I have never been on a team that has won the first round,” JDHS junior pitcher Hunter Carte said. “So it is a big thing and I think and everyone else, too, we are all happy and proud. We just have to stay humble now and look to the next game.”
Carte had just started on the mound in the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé 8-3 win over the Colony Knights at Anchorage’s Mulcahy Stadium in Thursday’s first game of the state tournament.
“Honestly, I was definitely a little nervous,” Carte said. “Maybe getting into my own head a little bit, but I just tried to stay composed. Just talk with my team. I know they have my back, so it is easy for me to have some safety and then feel good with my team behind me.”
Carte also received ASAA’s Player of the Game award. The team waited for Carte to pose with his honor after the win and gave him the next accolade of pasting the JDHS logo on the bracket board as they cheered.
“It is great,” Carte said. “I never thought I would ever get one of these. I always see other people getting them so it makes me happy to get one. I just like that it was a team win and we all contributed really well and our bats got together.”
Carte threw three innings, allowed just one hit and one run, walked one batter and struck out four. Sophomore Micah Nelson relieved (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO) and junior Drew Cadigan-McAdoo closed (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 SO).
“It is the same mindset we have had all year,” JDHS head coach Luke Adams said. “Our strength is in our depth and everybody finding a way to contribute. Our pitching staff believes in that philosophy, we feel like we have a very deep bullpen that is efficient. They all went in and did their job today. And we can’t ask any more than that. A lot of selfless players here that understand their roles are really important to be ready to go at any given time. And they executed today.”
JDHS did what was required and did it early. Nelson led off the first inning and drew 10 pitches from Colony starter Easton Cook before popping out. Carte would follow with a hard single and beat the throw to first base. While JDHS would not score in the inning, they showed that their bat composure would be key.
Colony scored a run on a two-out error in the bottom half of the first, but JDHS easily made it up in the top of the second inning. Senior Marcus Mendoza singled, sophomore Charlie Begenyi walked and both advanced on a passed ball and benefited from a hard stroke by senior Riley Fick into center field that brought them both home for a 2-1 score — and a lead they would never relinquish.
JDHS added another quality run in the third inning when senior Madden Mendoza led off with a line drive single to left field and senior Nate Fick painted the outfield with a shot to center to put runners on first and second. Freshman courtesy runner Myles Pasion came on for N. Fick to give the catcher more time to put on his gear. Pasion would draw the ire of Colony pitcher Easton Cook, who attempted a pickoff throw. The throw went past Knights’ first baseman Cody Otto and JDHS’ Mendoza and Pasion took advantage.
Mendoza rounded second and was waved home.
“First, I thought they would play back to me,” Mendoza said of the pickoff attempt. “But I saw it get by the first baseman so I started running. Coach sent me so I kept on going.”
Mendoza had a full head of steam heading into home plate and the Knights catcher appeared to be in position to make the tag. But the crafty JDHS runner found an inch of plate to cross before being touched, giving the Crimson Bears a 3-1 lead and more momentum.
“Honestly, it is whatever coach tells me to do,” Mendoza said. “I thought I was caught. I am not the fastest guy. I knew I had to just slide hard and see if I could get in there. Fortunately, I did.”
JDHS added a run in the fourth inning as senior Chris Andersen was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a double by Carte for a 4-1 advantage.
Colony would get a run back in the bottom half, but JDHS broke the game open in the top of the sixth inning as R. Fick led off with a single to left field and took another base on a passed ball. Andersen reached on a hard hit to third and stole second base. Nelson bunted to the first base side, scoring R. Fick for a 5-2 lead. Carte singled to left field, scoring Andersen for a 6-2 lead. Madden Mendoza singled to center field and Carte and Nelson would score on a fielding error for 8-2.
Colony put one run across in their final at bat, but JDHS had too many quality fielding plays during the game if the Knights connected on a pitch.
Crimson Bears senior left fielder Andersen made a sliding catch in the bottom of the fourth inning that typified their fielding prowess and stopped a possible early run. Colony would get two runs later in the inning but the damage could have been much worse if the athletic Andersen had not sprinted in and slid with his glove up to make the second out of the inning.
“I just thought, you know, go straight for it,” Andersen said. “I saw Tyler coming from center and didn’t think he would get there so I ran as fast as I could and somehow I got it. Tyler would have backed it up. I just slid underneath it. We work on that a lot. Our assistant coach Quinto makes us work on that a lot, so that when we are in games it is just easy and you just do it. You don’t have to worry about thinking about it too much, you just do it.”
Shortstop Madden Mendoza would field five ground balls on the day and one pop fly for an out. Andersen handled two balls in left field and one fly ball out. Begenyi fielded two balls in right field and caught a fly ball out. Tyler Frisby (Kookesh) caught two fly balls in center field. Nelson had a pop-up fly while pitching and one while playing second and fielded a ground ball in both positions as well. Cadigan-McAdoo had a fielding tag out at third base. Carte had a fly caught on the mound and two fielding plays at third base, and R. Fick recorded six putouts as first baseman.
Catcher N. Fick was crucial behind the plate and earned praise from the coaching staff, and his twin, first baseman R. Fick, kept the Crimson Bears relaxed and the opponents that crossed his bag entertained.
“I talk a lot about fishing,” R. Fick said. “That and kind of whatever. It can get boring out there. You have to talk to people. It is called a pastime, not a sport, so you have to pass the time.”
R. Fick may have downplayed what his conversations are with opposing base runners, but his play spoke volumes as he earned the JDHS coaches’ Player of the Game award.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean, like, the best player in the game,” R. Fick said. “It is just somebody that surprised the coaches and played well.”
Carte and R. Fick both went 3-4 at the plate with two runs batted in apiece and one run scored apiece. Madden Mendoza was 2-5 (1 RBI, 1 R), Nelson 1-3 (1 RBI, 1 R), Andersen 1-3 (2 R), designated hitter Marcus Mendoza 1-3 (1 R) and N. Fick 1-4. Begenyi scored one run and walked once. Nelson, Carte and Marcus Mendoza earned one walk each. Andersen was hit by a pitch and had two stolen bases.
Colony’s Cook took the loss (5 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 4 SO), Clay Wood relieved (1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SO) and Hayden Sherman appeared (0.2 IP, 1 BB). Otto and Joshua Varland had one RBI apiece, Hayden Sherman scored two runs and Jackson Sommer one. Otto, Sommer, Varland, Chase Carlson and Clay Wood had one hit each.
“We are really proud to have won that game,” JDHS coach Adams said. “And to do it in the way we did. This is a different group, winning their first round game at state is a big deal. It lets you keep the dream alive and puts you in a spot to compete in the semifinals. We try not to look past anything, so we are going to enjoy this one. The pressure just mounts a little more, but we are going to relax and see what happens in the next one. We are excited.”
JDHS advances to a 4 p.m. semifinal Friday against West Valley. The Wolfpack defeated the South Anchorage Wolverines 4-2.
In late games on the other half of the bracket, Palmer faced Dimond and Service played Soldotna.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
.jpg)
.jpg)