Wolverines player Daniel Harrison (No. 43) served as the team's first pitcher in their opening game last Saturday morning. While Harrison and the rest of the Wolverines played hard, the Cubs were able to take the first win of the season with a score of 19-12. However, the Wolverines were able to come back on their second game the following Monday, winning that game 14-11.
The days are growing longer, the temperature is increasing, and the flowers are in bloom. Spring is here, and so is baseball season.
The Wrangell Little League held its opening ceremony to this year's baseball season at Volunteer Park last Saturday morning. Over 100 kids are participating in little league this year, amongst all the divisions. There are two teams in the major league division, for kids from the ages of 9 to 12: The Cubs and the Wolverines. The minor league division, for kids between 7-years-old and 11-years old, are called the Sharks, the Rays, and the Bears. Lastly, there are four T-ball teams participating in little league this year called the Falcons, the Thunder, the Braves, and the Lightning.
Della Churchill (No. 28) of the Cubs sang The Star Spangled Banner to open the ceremony. The ceremonial first pitch of the season was thrown by Bonnie Stutz. Stutz has worked with the Wrangell Little League for 25 years, she said, as a coach and member of the league board. While she is not as involved these days, she said she still comes by to watch the games.
"I'm glad to see some of the kids I used to coach are out here coaching their kids now," Stutz said.
Immediately after the opening ceremony, the major league held its first game of the season. The Cubs took the lead early on, the first score of the entire season made by Aubrey Wynne (No. 8.) The Wolverines attempted a comeback after the early setback, but were unable to fully catch up. The Cubs won their first game with a score of 19 to 12.
"It's an exciting time of year to get the kids out here and bring all the families and everybody together," Cubs Coach Mike Barnes said. "Baseball is a fun thing for the community, it's just exciting. This has been going on in Wrangell for a long time. A lot of us as young men, young boys, got to be coached by Bonnie Stutz. It's exciting to see her out here today. She's a legend and a staple in the Wrangell Little League community."
While the Wolverines were not able to pull off a victory on Saturday, they rallied the following Monday, April 29, for their second game. Like the first game, the Cubs were able to take an early lead. By the end of the second inning, the score was 11 to 3, with the Cubs in the lead. However, over the third and fourth innings, the Wolverines pulled it together and began making run after run. When the game was called at 8 p.m. that night, they had pulled ahead and claimed a victory with a score of 14 to 11. Dave Wilson, Wolverines coach, said he was very proud of his team's performance.
"We're seeing improvement with every game, and it looks really good," said Wilson.
The baseball season will run until June for the major and minor league divisions, with generally two games a week. T-ball will run through May. All teams will be invited to an "end of season" picnic on June 15.
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