Soldotna 12, Homer 6
The Soldotna Stars picked up their eighth win of the season (fifth conference win) on Monday night behind some big hits from the middle of their lineup.
Andrew Pieh led the way with a two-run home run in the fifth inning (his third of the season) and a two-RBI double in the sixth. Wyatt Gagnon went 3-4 with two doubles, an RBI, and two runs scored.
The game was controlled by pitching in the early going, with each team managing a run in the top and bottom of the second inning–both runs came in on passed balls. Derek Jones for the Stars and Weston Marley for the Mariners did a good job of limiting damage, spreading a few hits out over the first four innings.
Then, in the fifth, the Stars broke things open when they scored six runs (Pieh’s homer in the mix) and batted around. Homer responded, however, touching Jones for five runs in the top of the sixth. Brett Hostetler entered the game in relief and retired the side to end the inning. The Stars batted around for the second straight inning in the bottom half of the frame, adding another five runs to reach the final score.
Jones earned the win, and Marley was tagged for the loss. Hostetler picked up his first save on the season, pitching two one-hit innings without allowing a run.
Hostetler also became the first player this season to record two hits for Soldotna in the same inning.
Player of the Game: Brett Hostetler
Next up: Soldotna and Kenai square off Tuesday night for a rematch of last week’s come-from-behind win by the Kardinals. The game will air on ESPN 1140 AM, 96.9 FM, and radiokenai.com.
