Soldotna 10, East 0
The Soldotna High School Stars notched three big wins on Thursday in their season opener versus the Bettye Davis East High Thunderbirds. First, they won the game. Second, the program picked up its first-ever win versus a Division I opponent. Third, Stars pitchers Trenton Ohnemus, Colby Sturman, and Brendan Theel threw a combined no-hitter.
Not a bad way to start the 2024 season.
The Stars opened the scoring in the first inning when Tucker Blough, with two outs, laced a 3-0 pitch into left field for a 2-run single. They added three more runs in the third inning off of RBIs by Derrick Jones, Andrew Pieh, and Ohnemus.
Soldotna finished off the 10-run mercy-rule win with five more runs in the fifth, thanks to some off-target pitching by Thunderbird relievers and two more RBIs from Jones and Pieh.
Jones went 1-2, scoring three times and driving in two runs. Pieh, who also drove in two runs, finished 2-2 and scored twice.
Defensively, the Stars didn’t have much to do since Ohnemus, Sturman, and Theel shouldered most of the work from the mound.
Ohnemus pitched two perfect innings to start the game, striking out five of the six batters he faced. Sturman took over in the third inning and struck out three more Thunderbirds in an inning and a third. Finally, Theel finished out the game with a perfect inning and two-thirds.
East’s lone baserunner came in the third inning when an inside fastball from Sturman grazed the T-Bird’s leadoff man. Unfazed, Sturman responded by striking out the side.
Player of the Game: Derrick Jones.
Next up, Soldotna continues their brutal season-opening road trip with a doubleheader on Friday against two more DI opponents: the West Anchorage Eagles at 2:15 p.m. and the Bartlett Golden Bears at 4:30 p.m.
Then on Saturday at 9:30 a.m., the Stars take on the three-time reigning DI State Champion South Anchorage Wolverines.
All three games will air on ESPN 1140 AM, 96.9 FM, and radiokenai.com.
