Juneau-Douglas High School baseball player Marcus Mendoza was clutch at crunch time to earn our Alaska Athlete of the Week honors.
The senior Crimson Bear hit a single as part of a sixth-inning, go-ahead rally, and came out of the bullpen to pitch 3.2 scoreless innings and earn a winning decision in a 5-4 victory over Service in the title game of the ASAA Division I state tournament.
In the final inning, Mendoza needed just eight pitches to induce three flyouts and end the game, giving Juneau (16-2) its first state title since 2018.
Also receiving votes:
- Cook Inlet All-Stars Girls 4×200 Relay Team – The quartet of southcentral sprinters (Bartlett’s Farrah Gamechuk and Mya Smothers, Chugiak’s Sienna Johnson and South’s Anna Green) recorded the fastest 4×200 relay in Alaska prep history, with a time of 1 minute, 42.55 seconds at the Brian Young Invitational.
- Lizzy McQuillin – The Palmer softball hitting star flirted with hitting for the cycle, going 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, home run and six RBIs to lead the Moose to a 17-16 victory over Delta in the title game of the ASAA Division II state tournament.
- Tanner Caulum – The Petersburg pitcher threw all 10 innings on 105 pitches in a 2-1 victory over Kodiak in the ASAA Division II state semifinals. He struck out six, faced 41 batters and ended the game with eight consecutive scoreless innings.
- David Norris – The Fairbanks native destroyed the field at the Blueberry Rampage (formerly known as the Government Peak Race) Saturday in Hatcher Pass, clocking a winning time of 41:57 to finish nearly 6 minutes ahead of the runner-up.
- Allie Ostrander – The professional runner from Soldotna sped to a third-place showing at the U.S. 4 Mile Championships in a time of 20 minutes, 24 seconds in Peoria, Ill to earn her highest finish yet at a U.S. Championship, while pocketing $3,000 in prize money.
- Evan Pietsch – The Homer baseball player bunted home Clyde Clemens with the winning run from third base to supply the Mariners with a 6-5 walk-off win over Petersburg in the title game of ASAA Division II state tournament in Kenai.
- Aubree Sims – The Chugiak softball player went 3-for-3 with two doubles and five RBIs to lead Chugiak to an 8-5 win over Sitka in the title game of the ASAA Division I state tournament.
The Alaska Athlete of the Week is selected by a panel each Monday. Send athlete of the week recommendations to info@alaskasportshall.org.
