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GCLL Majors Baseball All-Stars force title game
- Klas Stolpe
- Jul 27
- 4 min read
Juneau’s baseball boys top Ketchikan to earn if-necessary state championship contest
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Gastineau Channel Little League Majors Baseball All-Stars needed a win Monday night on Ketchikan’s Dudley Field and toppled the hometown lads 12-8, giving Ketchikan its first loss of the double-elimination tournament.
"These boys have been working incredibly hard over the past month," GCLL manager Ron Winkelman said. "Along the way, they have learned to play for each other, trust one another, and always have each other's backs."
Both teams now have one loss and are the last two squads standing after over a week of baseball action. They will play for the state title on Tuesday.
"They have learned to trust the process and will be ready to battle," Winkelman said.
Juneau put three pitchers on the mound against Ketchikan on Monday.
Cooper Duval started and pitched one out, allowed two hits and four runs, and walked one batter. Cash Stekoll relieved (4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 SO) and Max Metzgar closed (1 IP, 2 SO).
Juneau took control of the game in their first at bat. In the top of the first inning Eli Mulvey singled, Carter Talatoa doubled and Landon Love singled, with Mulvey and Talatoa scoring on an error for 2-0. Colt Winkleman was hit by a pitch and Duval earned a one-out walk to load the bases. Sebastian Nelson singled to score Love for 3-0. Stekoll earned a walk to score Winkleman for 4-0. Charles Boghosian earned a walk to score Duval for 5-0 and Kalon Herman singled to center field, scoring Nelson for 6-0. Ketchikan got out of the inning by throwing out a runner at home.
Ketchikan got four runs back in the bottom of the first inning on a grand slam home run by Jase Heaton. Cooper Johnstone had singled, Louie Seymour walked and Max Shull was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Heaton.
Juneau added two runs in the top of the second inning with Love hitting a single, scoring Talatoa and Mulvey. Juneau added a run in the third inning as Indiana Strong walked, advanced on a wild pitch and a Nelson ground ball and scored on a Stekoll ground ball for 9-4.
Ketchikan would close to 9-7 in the bottom of the fourth inning, but Juneau added three runs in the top of the sixth inning with Nelson scoring on a double by Love, Stekoll scoring on a bases-loaded walk by Herman and Love scoring on a single by Evans Mallott.
Ketchikan’s Louie Seymour scored in the final at bat on a ground ball out by Jayvin Ramsey to close to 12-8. Juneau’s Metzgar struck out the final two Ketchikan batters to end the game.
Nelson and Mallott led Juneau with three hits apiece, Talatoa, Love, and Gavin Ludeman had two hits each, Mulvey, Nelson and Herman one each. Love, Nelson and Herman led with two runs batted in each, Stekoll, Ludeman, Boghosian and Mallott one each. Mulvey, Talatoa and Nelson scored two runs each, Love, Colt Winkleman, Strong, Duval, Stekoll and Ludeman one each. Stekoll, Boghosian and Herman earned two walks each, Strong and Duval one apiece.
Ketchikan’s Heaton had four RBI, Shull and Ramsey one apiece. Johnstone and Seymour led with two hits apiece, Shull and Heaton one apiece. Seymour scored three runs, Kobe Nall and Shull two apiece, and Heaton one. Seymour, Shull, Ramsey, Roger Axelson and Zayvin Keifer earned one walk each.
Johnstone started for Ketchikan (2.2 IP, 9 H, 9 R, 4 BB, 2 SO) and Heaton (2.2 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 SO), Nall (0.1 IP, 2 BB, 1 SO) and Axelson (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 SO) found the mound.
"We emphasize preparation, resilience, and staying focused on the next pitch or the next play," Winkelman said. "We talk often about adversity, not avoiding it, but learning how to respond to it."
Juneau went undefeated in the opening round robin portion of the tournament, defeating Prince of Wales 9-2 on July 18, Ketchikan 4-3 on July 19, Petersburg 15-2 on July 20 and Sitka 13-0 on July 21 to earn the number one seed in the double-elimination bracket tournament. That tournament started Thursday, July 23 with #4 POW defeating #5 Sitka 10-7 and #2 Ketchikan defeating #3 Petersburg 11-1.
On Friday, July 24, Juneau defeated POW 10-0 and advanced to a Saturday semifinal against Ketchikan. Sitka eliminated Petersburg 5-4 to advance to a Saturday elimination game against POW.
On Saturday POW eliminated Sitka 7-5 to advance to a Sunday elimination game, and Ketchikan nipped Juneau 4-3 to advance to Monday’s championship contest and send Juneau to Sunday’s elimination game against POW.
On Sunday Juneau conquered POW 17-3 to advance into the 12-8 first title clash win against Ketchikan on Monday. Tuesday’s if-necessary game for the state championship begins at 6 p.m.
The winner of the District 2 tournament stays to play in the state tournament at Ketchikan, Aug. 1-4.
The state winner advances to regionals in San Bernardino, California, Aug. 8-14 and the regional winner advances to the World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Aug. 19-30.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
