Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka Sports Review

By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Sitka High softball team opened the season with a three-game sweep of Juneau-Douglas over the weekend and now will see if their bats are just as powerful against the Thunder Mountain Falcons on Thursday with a 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. double header, and a Friday 2 p.m. clash. Both days are on Moller Field.
    Hits were not an issue last week for the Wolves. Sitka amassed 48 runs (R) in three games, on 34 hits (H), 31 Runs Batted In (RBI), 25 bases on balls (BB, walks), and just 10 strikeouts (SO) including only 2 in the first two games. They left a total of 27 runners on base.
    Eight of the Wolves have a batting average of over .400, according to coach Jael McCarty.
    The Wolves gave up only 6 runs in the first two games, and then 14 in the last contest when the roster was shifted about to get a look at all possible combinations. Yet Sitka committed just 8 total errors in the field all weekend.
    This weekend The Wolves will honor their eight seniors before Thursday night’s 6 p.m. game. The upperclassmen include Erin Blankenship, Miah Dumag, Nyla Duncan, Abby Forrester, Calista Gallant, Taylor Helem, Kyleigh McArthur, and Avery Voron.

Sitka senior catcher Kyleigh McArthur tags out a Juneau-Douglas base runner at home plate during softbal action last weekend on Moller Field. The Wolves host the Thunder Mountain Falcons on Thursday and Friday
at Moller Field. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)

    Thunder Mountain is the three-time defending small school state champion. Last weekend the Falcons traveled to Ketchikan and split a pair of conference games, falling on Friday 9-5, and winning on Saturday 11-6. The Falcons will also bring some fast and heavy bats to the Moller Field as they collected 25 hits in two games and left 12 runners on base. Kyra Jenkins Hayes went 4-4 in one game and Aspen Kasper 3-4. Along with Mariah Tanuvasa Tuvaifale, Marissa Tanuvasa Tuvaifale, and Sydney Strong the Falcons have five batters hitting .500.
    Sitka High will also host their only home track & field meet on Friday and Saturday at Lower Moller Field.
    The Wolves have traveled to Anchorage for the Big C relays to kick off the season and senior Garrison Lass topped the field of the best Alaska athletes from around the state with a high jump, and Sitka school record, of 5-foot 10-inches; senior Skyler McIntyre placed 1st in the 3200 (9:50.68) and junior Dominic Baciocco 4th in 10:16.39); McIntyre was 10th in the 800 meters (2:05.38); senior Joei Vidad placed fourth in the 100 meters (12.94); senior Haley Bartolaba placed 6th in the 300 hurdles (50.62) and 12th in the 100 hurdles (20.58) after placing 3rd in the prelims with a time of 17.42; sophomore Levi Danielson was 18th in the 110 hurdles (21.25); senior Aedon Dumag placed 5th in the long jump (18-03 and junior Rheece Heim 17th (16-10.75); the 4x100 relay team of Bailey Clifton, Haley Bartolaba, Lindsey Bartolaba, and Joei Vidad placed 7th (53.82) and then showcased a 3rd place in the 4x400 relay (4:19.64); the men’s 4x400 relay of Tabor Buxton, Jacob Gagner, McIntyre, and Carson Grant placed 8th (3:45.12); the SMR (100, 100, 200, 400) team of Dumag, Heim, Danielson, and Grant placed 9th (1:45.14); the girls SMR 1600 (2-2-4-8) team of Vidad, Clifton, L. Bartolaba, and Mattey Stroemer placed 8th (4:49.74); the boys SMR 1600 (2-2-4-8) of Grant, Buxton, Gagner, and Asa Demmert placed 9th (4:03.79); the boys DMR (1200-400-800-1600) of Buxton, McIntyre, Gagner, and Baciocco placed 5th (11:44.06); senior Jessica Davis placed 10th in shot (31-07), a school record, and 3rd discus (107-06), a personal best; senior Garrison Lass placed 29th in shot (32-08) and 34th in discus (83-11), both were personal bests; and Stroemer competed in the girls high jump.
    Track activities this week begin on Friday at 1 p.m. with the high jump inside the Sitka gymnasium and shotput and long jump on the field beginning at 2:45 p.m.
    Running events begin on Friday at 3:30 p.m. through 6:30 p.m., with the 3200 meters starting out, followed by the 100 meter, 400 meter, 300 hurdles, 800 meters and 200 meters.
    Saturday begins with field activities at 9 a.m. including discus and triple jump. Running events begin at 10 a.m. with the 3200 relay, followed finals of Friday’s events.
    Also to note is the middle school 100 meter final at 10:50 a.m. and the middle school 1600 meter final at 11:30 a.m. Track ends at 1:25 p.m. with the 1600 meter relays.
    On the road this weekend the Sitka Wolves baseball team travels to Ketchikan. The Wolves dropped their season opener to the Kings 11-2 during the Sitka Invitational two weeks ago. Sitka is 2-4 on the young season but features an exciting mixture of speed and power through the line up. Junior Gavin Flores, and sr’s Bryce Kelly and Cole Riggs have stolen the base paths numerous times and senior Morgan Simic, Kelly, Riggs, Flores, jr. Trevin Carley, so. Keaton Koelling, so. Eman Barragan and fr. Nick Calhoun, among others, are providing punch at the plate.
    The Baranof Barracuda Swim Club travels to the Junior Olympics in Anchorage this weekend through Sunday.
    The Mt. Edgecumbe native youth athletes travel to the Native Youth Olympic Games at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center, beginning Thursday. MEHS’ athletes are junior Haley Osborne (Nome), jr. Joeli Carlson (Bethel), jr. Adeline Dyment (Bethel), sr. Catherine Sunny (Nightmure), so. Regan Hoblet (False Pass), sr. Shelby Samuel (Patinum), sr. Kaden Gibbens (McGrath), jr. Murphy Charles (Newtok), jr. Maggie Miller (Nome), fr. Hugh Youngers (Eagle River), sr. Brystel Charlie (Kwethluk), jr. Galen Gologergen (Nome), jr. Matt Hunt (Kotlik), jr. Richard Oxereok (Koyuk), jr. Kevyan Greenley (Anchorage), jr. Ajey Moses (Chevak), and So. Loren Kashotak (Newtok).
    The 26th annual Alpine Adventure Run registration opens on Wednesday at 7 a.m., the race is July 20. To register athletes can email organizer Chris Horan at christinemariehoran@gmail.com. The seven-mile mountain run is limited to 85 runners, who all must be able to finish the strenuous outing in 2.5 hours, so early registration is suggested.