Eagle River left-hander Gunner Mountcastle was part of the fourth no-hitter in the Midseason Classic’s 28-year history. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning is a performance that’s supposed to be a rarity, but Alaska Legion pitchers were throwing ’em around like candy Friday at Mulcahy Stadium.
Service’s Rilen Niclai and Kenai’s Trenton Ohnemus took dueling no-hitters into the seventh inning but neither got one while Eagle River’s Gunner Mountcastle did, going six innings and combining with reliever Killian Johannes for the fourth no-no in the 28-year history of the Alaska 529 Midseason Classic.
Mountcastle mixed in 13 strikeouts before leaving after 90 pitches in favor of Johannes, who closed it out in the seventh as the Wolves no-hit the West Eagles in a 2-0 victory on Day 2 of the four-day tournament.
Niclai and Ohnemus didn’t get a no-no, but they did make Alaska history. This was believed to be the first time that opposing pitches carried dueling no-hitters into the seventh inning. It was wild to see nothing but zeroes for both teams through six innings – no hits, no runs, no errors.
Ohnemus lost his no-hit bid in the top of the seventh while Niclai never technically lost his no-hit bid because he left after 100 pitches and eight hitless frames.
Once Niclai was gone, so was the no-hitter, the shutout and the game as Kenai walked it off 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth.
Service’s Rilen Niclai pitched eight no-innings before coming out after 100 pitches. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Alaska 529 Midseason Classic
At Mulcahy Stadium
Friday (Day 2 for 4)
Kenai 3, Chugiak 1
Kenai 1, Service 0
Eagle River 2, West 0
Napoleon (OH) 8, South 4
Saturday (Day 3 of 4)
11:45am Kenai vs Dimond
2:15pm Chugiak vs Dimond
5:00pm Chugiak vs Service
7:30pm Eagle River vs Napoleon (OH)
Sunday (Day 4 of 4)
11:45am Fourth Place
2:15pm Semifinals
5:00pm Semifinals
7:30pm Title Game
Eagle River catcher Dallin Roberts acts like it ain’t no thang during Gunner Mountcastle’s no-hit bid. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Eagle River 2, West 0
Mountcastle was marvelous as he faced only 19 batters, one above the minimum, and tied for the second-highest strikeout total in tournament history, missing the record by one.
He walked three batters but picked off the first two and struck out the side in each of the first and sixth innings. Besides his 13 Ks and two pickoffs, the only other outs in the field of play came on a flyball to right field and pop up to first base.
Mountcastle, a left-hander, fanned the final five batters he faced before leaving after 90 pitches in favor of Johannes, who worked around two throwing errors to complete the no-hitter.
This was the fourth no-no in Midseason Classic history, joining Chris Crosby of Team Avenue (CA) in 2014, Chugiak’s Jared McPhearson, Brady Lindberg and Jimmy Lanier in 2015 and Collin Hernandez of Eugene (OR) in 2023.
Eagle River (14-1, 2-0 Pool A) went ahead 1-0 in the third inning on Liam Lierman’s sac fly and doubled its lead in the fifth after Mountcastle singled and scored on Jack Mullen’s triple.
This was the fifth no-hitter the Wolves have been involved with in the last 13 months – three in Legion (2-1), two in high school (0-2).
West starter Marcus Rosa took the hard-luck loss despite pitching well, scattering five hits and seven walks while registering only one strikeout. He mixed in four scoreless frames, holding the state’s first-place team at bay for the most part as the Wolves left eight on base.
West’s Marcos Rosa had plenty to smile about during his stellar start. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
The Eagles (8-8, 1-2 Pool A) had his back with error-free defense. They were especially sharp in the second inning when first baseman Braden Meissner snared a line drive to double up the base runner for a twin killing and shortstop Paul Dittrich climbed the ladder to make a leaping catch and rob Kamden Kurtz of an RBI base hit.
Twice, West got a runner to third base with one out; it happened in the fifth after a walk and two wild pitches and again in the seventh after two errors and a groundout.
West 000 000 0 – 0 0 0
Eagle River 001 010 x – 2 5 2
West – Rosa and Fitzgerald. Eagle River – Mountcastle, Johannes (7) and Roberts. SO – Mountcastle 13, Rosa 1. 2B – None. 3B – J. Mullen (ER). HR – None.
Kenai’s Trenton Ohnemus pitched 6.2 innings in his no decision. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Kenai 1, Service 0
Kenai’s Matthew Shilling tripled off a reliever and later scored the winning run on a throwing error as the Twins walked it off.
Shilling, who earlier in the game made a beautiful over-the-shoulder catch to save a run, came up money again after lacing a triple off Service all-state pitcher Jake Rafferty with one out and later scoring on a throwing error.
Pitching stole the show as both starters, Niclai and Ohnemus, carried dueling no-hitters into the seventh inning. Rafferty got the game’s first hit after lining a single to center field.
Niclai tossed eight hitless innings, struck out nine and retired the final 23 batters he faced. The only base runner to reach against him was a one-out walk to Gabe Smith in the first inning. Other than that, it was a whole lotta nada.
Niclai’s streak of sitting down 23 batters in a row broke the previous tournament record of 19 set in 2022 by Napoleon’s Luke Krouse, who lost his perfect-game bid with one out in the seventh against Service.
Ohnemus was equally as effective, striking out nine and throwing 107 pitches in 6.2 innings. He also settled for a no decision after reliever Andrew Pieh took over with two down in the seventh and closed it out to earn the winning decision for the Twins (9-7, 2-0 Pool B).
Service’s Rilen Niclai and Kenai’s Trenton Ohnemus took dueling no-hitters into the seventh inning. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Kenai batters couldn’t muster much against Niclai, forcing the Twins’ tandem to be terrific, which they were. Niclai was out-of-this-world good with seven straight 1-2-3 frames in his 100-pitch masterpiece.
The Service right-hander induced four comebackers and ended the third, fourth, sixth and seventh innings with a strikeout.
Shilling saved at least one run with a nice running catch to end the third inning with two runners on base. The Cougars (11-4, 1-1 Pool B) also put a runner in scoring position in each of the sixth and seventh innings but came up short.
In the ninth, Shilling smoked a triple to break up Service’s combined no-hit bid. The next batter bunted against a charging infield, a move that stopped Shilling from coming home, but the infielder’s throw to first base skipped into right field and the winning run came across.
Five days ago, Service beat the Twins 9-1 in the semifinals of the Lance Coz Big Fish Wood Bat Tournament on their home field.
Service 000 000 000 – 0 2 1
Kenai 000 000 001 – 1 1 0
Service – R. Niclai, Rafferty (9) and Mascelli. Kenai – Ohnemus, Pieh (7) and Stuyvesant, Miller (9). SO – Niclai 9, Ohnemus 9, Rafferty 1, Pieh 1. 2B – None. 3B – Shilling. HR – None.
Kenai’s Malakai Olson needed just 70 pitches for his complete game. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Kenai 3, Chugiak 1
Malakai Olson was lights out without being overpowering and needed just 70 pitches to throw a complete game and lead the Twins to a 3-1 victory over the Mustangs.
The 5-foot-8, 135-pounder mixed speeds and painted corners to frustrate and fool an experienced Chugiak lineup, needing seven pitches or fewer to complete the first, third, fourth and seventh innings.
The Mustangs acted like they had a date after the game as they swung at the first or second pitch in 15 of 27 plate appearances. Take the third inning, for example, when six batters saw a total of seven pitches. They saw just five pitches in the fourth.
Of the 70 pitches Chugiak faced, Michael Boudreau saw 14 by himself. But in the end, Boudreau suffered the same fate as he struck out to end an eight-pitch battle with two runners in scoring position in the sixth inning.
The Twins (8-7, 1-0 Pool B) spotted Olson an early 2-0 lead after Levi Mickelson singled and Andrew Pieh doubled to start the game. One run came home on an error and another came home on a double steal as Kenai put Chugiak ace Preston Rau behind the 8-ball immediately.
Chugiak’s Sampson Young tries to back pick a runner at first. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Rau was off, which is uncharacteristic. He allowed the leadoff runner to reach in three of four innings and was pulled in the fourth after a hit by pitch and walk forced coach John Sims’ hand.
Reliable relief pitcher Jayden Steckel got the first two outs before Mickelson’s single through the hole on the left side made it 3-0. It was the only hit surrendered by Steckel, who struck out five of the 11 batters he faced.
Chugiak (10-4, 0-1 Pool B) got on the board in the fifth inning after Gabe Gruszynski’s two-out RBI single knocked in his brother Andrew from second base.
The only inning Olson’s pitch count swelled was the sixth when he needed 21 pitches to put another zero on the scoreboard. It was the second time in the game he wiggled off the hook after getting two on with one out. It also happened in the second before 1-5 and 5-4 putouts got him out of the jam.
Chugiak 000 010 1 4 1
Kenai 200 100 x – 3 5 2
Chugiak – Rau, Steckel (4) and Young. Kenai – Olson and Stuyvesant. SO – Steckel 5, Olson 3, Rau 2. 2B – Pieh (K). 3B – None. HR – None.
This is what a dead duck looks like at the plate after a great throw from Napoleon left fielder Parker Woods. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Napoleon (OH) 8, South 4
Left fielder Parker Woods tripled, drove in four runs and threw out a runner at the plate as the Bandits held off the upset-minded Wolverines.
Even though Napoleon won the game, South stole the show in some ways, building an early 2-1 lead and pulling within 6-4 late against the elite squad out of Ohio.
The Wolverines (7-8, 0-3 Pool A) came into the game having not scored a run in two previous tournament games and things didn’t look promising against Napoleon ace Jase Kepler, who came into the game with a 0.25 ERA.
Credit South batters for battling and making him work as they banged out five hits and drew six walks off the right-hander. The Wolverines put up more earned runs against Kepler on Friday (2) than he had given up (1) in 31 innings this season.
Repping No. 49, South’s Braun Precosky stood tall for Alaska. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
And then there was South starter Braun Precosky, who showed guts in his performance. After allowing a leadoff double to start the game, he got out of the first unscathed. Then after suffering a tough third inning, he bounced back with back-to-back bagels in the fourth and fifth.
Napoleon (26-4, 2-0 Pool A) is 10-0 in Alaska this summer and has trailed only Kenai for a few innings. Yet, South stormed out to a 2-1 lead in the second thanks to RBIs by Grayson Stanek-Alward and Jim Massey.
Massey finished 2-for-4 and added a second RBI in the fourth. He also threw out a base runner from the outfield in the fourth to prevent South from getting closer.
The Bandits stormed back behind Woods, who hit a three-run, bases-clearing triple to highlight a five-run third inning. Landon Amstutz added a two-run single, giving him five RBIs in two games.
Napoleon 015 002 0 – 8 7 0
South 020 110 0 – 4 7 3
Napoleon – Kepler, Maag (6) and Hardy. South – Precosky, Zuspan (6) and Bonin. SO – Precosky 6, Kepler 3, Maag 2, Zuspan 2. 2B – Schaublin (N), Rubinstein (N). 3B – Woods (N). HR – None.
