The American Legion Post 20 Twins battled through a dramatic and exhausting weekend at Mulcahy Stadium, advancing to the semifinals of the Alaska 529 Midseason Classic before falling 14-1 in five innings to Madisonville (Kentucky) Post 6 on Sunday.
It was the second straight tournament in which the Twins faced Madisonville in a pivotal game. Post 20 defeated the Rangers in round-robin play of the Lance Coz Wood Bat Tournament earlier this summer but lost to them in that tournament’s final. Sunday’s rematch ended in a decisive win for the Rangers, who jumped ahead 5-0 after the first inning, 9-0 after the second, and 14-0 after the third, ending the Twins’ run at what would have been just their second-ever Midseason Classic championship appearance. Their first came in 2016.
Layden Bozarth went the distance for Madisonville, giving up just one unearned run on six hits while striking out six. He also led the Rangers offensively, going 3 for 4 with three runs. Hayden Hudson and Connor Mitchuson each had two hits, while Micah Austin scored three times and Jaelin Groves crossed the plate three times as well.
For the Twins, Jayden Stuyvesant was 2 for 2, and Daniel Steffensen went 2 for 3. On the mound, Tristen Roberts gave up nine runs on nine hits in 1 2/3 innings, while Dwight Brown allowed five runs—just one earned—in 2 1/3 innings.
The blowout loss came on the heels of a gutsy Saturday performance in which the Twins tied both of their pool play games—first 5-5 against Chugiak Post 33, then 4-4 against Klamath Falls (Oregon) Post 6. Both games stretched to nine innings and ended in time-limit draws, earning the Twins a semifinal berth with a 1-0-2 pool play record.
Against Chugiak, the Twins erased a 5-1 deficit with a run in the fourth, two in the fifth, and another in the seventh. Matthew Schilling scored the tying run after walking, stealing second, and eventually scoring on a grounder by Gavin Peterson. The Twins had a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth with two runners on and one out, but couldn’t capitalize.
Schilling finished 3 for 3 with two runs and an RBI. Stuyvesant went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI, and Peterson drove in two. Jack Harper gave up five runs on the mound—four earned-on five hits over four innings. Malakai BeDunnah tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and Stuyvesant closed out the final 2 2/3 innings with three hits and no runs, escaping bases-loaded jams in the eighth and ninth innings.
In the second game Saturday, Klamath Falls scored a seventh-inning run to tie it, and the Falcons nearly walked it off in the ninth before Stuyvesant again worked out of trouble. Peterson pitched the first 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs—two earned—on six hits. Stuyvesant allowed just one unearned run on three hits over the final 3 1/3 innings.
Jackson Koetitz was 3 for 5 at the plate with an RBI and a run. Steffensen went 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI, while Jett Brophy was 2 for 5.
The Twins opened tournament play Friday with a 10-6 win over South Post 4. Despite being outhit 11-7, Soldotna took advantage of seven South errors and played clean defense, turning three double plays and stealing five bases without getting caught.
Schilling pitched six innings to earn the win, allowing six runs—five earned—on 11 hits. BeDunnah pitched a perfect seventh. Schilling also helped his cause at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI. Steffensen was 2 for 2 with two runs and three RBIs, and Peterson added two RBIs.
The Twins (8-5-2) left Anchorage with a semifinal appearance and valuable experience against strong competition, including teams from Kentucky and Oregon.
Photo credit: Kenai Post 20 Twins Baseball Facebook.
