Former Alaska 529 Midseason Classic MVP Eli Crist of Eugene had seven RBIs Friday. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
The Service Cougars looked to be in cruise control Friday night before the wheels came off in the sixth inning and cost the American Legion baseball team from Alaska dearly.
The Eugene Challengers from Oregon rattled off 12 unanswered runs across the final two innings to pull away at Dehler Park in Billings, Montana, in a game that was closer than the score indicated.
The Cougars had rallied from an early four-run deficit and held a two-run cushion before everything fell apart in a battle between 2-0 teams, ending Service’s 20-game winning streak that stretched six weeks.
Eugene improved to 59-13 on the season and extended its winning streak to 19 games. Meanwhile, Service (31-6) won’t have long to lick its wounds as the Cougars will face host Billings at 10 a.m. ADT Saturday in an elimination game. The start time was moved up four hours to get ahead of inclement weather.
The Alaskans probably wish the clouds would have moved late Friday to slow down Eugene in that sixth inning, when the Challengers sent 12 batters to the plate and scored nine runs to send the Cougars into the loser’s bracket.
Eugene’s Eli Crist – the 2023 MVP of the Alaska 529 Midseason Classic –went 4-for-5 with seven RBIs to serve as a one-man wrecking ball. The first baseman had an RBI single in the first inning, a three-run double in the second, a two-run single in the sixth and an RBI single in the seventh.
Service’s Kolby Jensen battled back after a tough start. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Eugene outhit Service 13-11, with nine of those base knocks coming in the sixth and seventh innings alone. Service starter Kolby Jensen battled back from early control issues to settle down nicely and leave with a 7-5 lead before the bullpen coughed it up.
The loss spoiled some great performances by the Cougars, namely Jensen and Trevor Maltby.
Jensen looked rattled in the first two innings and fell behind 5-1 before flipping the script and finishing his four-inning stint on a high note. He got some help from catcher Landon Martindale, who threw out a base runner in each of the fourth and sixth innings.
Maltby twice delivered two-out, two-strike RBI base hits. His RBI double in the third keyed a three-run rally and his two-run single in the fourth gave Service a 6-5 lead. Sebastian Fournier had a two-out, two-run single and Hunter Christian had a sac fly for his team-leading sixth RBI of the regional tournament.
Service is just the second Alaska team in 72 years to win two tournament games at the regional and a victory over Billings on Saturday would catapult the Cougars into the title game, a first for a team from The Last Frontier.
The Alaskans are thin on pitching but have the offense to get it done. They rank second in the tournament in runs (21) and batting average (.321) and banged out another double-figure hit total against Eugene.
Eugene 230 009 3 – 17 13 3
Service 103 210 0 – 7 11 4
Eugene – Wooten, Miller (5), Tyner (7) and Gould. Service – Jensen, R. Niclai (5), Trey Maltby (6), Dalton (7) and Martindale. W – Miller. L – Nicali. SO – Wooten 6, Miller 3, Jensen 1, Dalton 1. LOB – Eugene 4, Service 12. SACB – Mascelli (S), Johnson (E), Saunders (E). SF – Tyner (E), Christian (S). 2B – Rafferty (S), Trevor Maltby (S), Crist (E), Richardson (E). 3B – None. HR – None. RBI – Crist (E) 7, Trevor Maltby (S) 3, Fournier (S) 2, Hazen (E) 2, Richardson (E) 2, Christian (S) 1, A. Hickman (S) 1, McDonald (E) 1, Saunders (E) 1, Tyner (E) 1, Gould (E) 1, Miller (E) 1.
