Wins, losses, and ties as Wrangell and Petersburg meet on the baseball diamond

After traveling to Petersburg two weeks ago, the Wrangell little league and softball programs hosted a series of home games at Volunteer Park last Saturday, as teams from Petersburg visited Wrangell. There were five games in all, starting at 9:30 a.m.: Two softball games, and three baseball.

Softball:

Wrangell's fledgling softball team, the Eagles, made a very good showing in Saturday's games. They played against a softball team from Petersburg, which was a collection of players from softball teams of different age ranges.

"Thank you for having us over," said Petersburg Coach Becky Turland. "We're excited to have softball going between our two small islands."

The first game was at 9:30 a.m. The Eagles demonstrated good teamwork and a strong batting game. While Petersburg's softball team played hard, they had trouble getting hits. The final score for the game was 0-12, a win for Wrangell.

"They did really well in the first game," said Eagles Coach Tawney Crowley. "We loved playing against that other team. Not because we won, or anything, we just really like playing with them because when I'm out there base coaching, the girls on the other team are cheering each other on, they're cheering our team on, they just have positive attitudes, they hustle."

Crowley also added, after the games, that she felt it was all a very empowering experience for both teams.

The softball teams also had the final game of the day, beginning around 3:30 p.m. Once again, the Eagles demonstrated a strong batting game. While Petersburg put in a great amount of effort, they were still unable to make any runs. The final score was, once again, 0-12 in favor of Wrangell.

"It was a lot of fun, it was all very competitive," said Eagles Coach Bella Crowley. "The kids seemed to have a blast."

Cubs vs. Rangers:

The Cubs, one of Wrangell's two major league division teams, opened the day of little league games at 9:30 a.m. with a game against Petersburg's Rangers. The Rangers also had several players from the Mariners, another Petersburg team, playing alongside them.

The Rangers made six runs in the first inning, while the Cubs were unable to make any. In the second inning, the Cubs managed three points, but the Rangers were able to double their score. The Cubs did not make another run for the rest of the game, while the Rangers continued to make more points. The final score was 3-21, a win for Petersburg.

Wolverines vs. Dodgers:

Wrangell's second major league team, the Wolverines, played against the Petersburg Dodgers at 11:30 a.m. after the Cubs/Rangers game.

"It's the first time we've been able to come over here in my memory," said Dodgers Coach Matt Pawuk. "Nice to get a change of pace from playing the same kids every week."

The game could be described as "nail biting," especially near its close. The game started with the Wolverines taking a decent lead, with a score of 8-3 by the second inning. However, the Dodgers made a comeback in the third and fourth innings. During the Dodger's turn to bat, they tied the game at 11-11. The Wolverines were able to get players on base, but were unable to score until they had two outs. Then, at the last second, they made a final run to win the game. The final score was 12-11.

Sharks vs. Petersburg minor team

At 1:30 p.m., the minor league division got its turn to play. The Wrangell Sharks, one of Wrangell's three minor league teams, went up against a combination of various minor league teams from Petersburg. Adam Swanson, coach for the Petersburg team, said that he was excited for the game. It was a beautiful day, he said, and he believed his team was going to do well.

"Thanks for bringing us over," he said before the game.

The Sharks took a lead of 4-1 in the first inning. The score stayed there through the next two innings, with both teams having equally strong batters and fielders. In the fourth inning, both teams managed to make another three runs, bringing the score up to 7-4. Then, in the fifth inning, Petersburg got a second wind and pulled ahead of the Sharks, making the score 7-9. In the sixth inning, the Sharks managed two points to tie the game. At this point, however, the game had been running long, and the softball teams were waiting to use the field for their scheduled game. After some discussion amongst the coaches and officials, the game was declared a tie at 9-9.

"I'm just thrilled that the kids played well today, and they had fun," Sharks Coach Rod Rhoades said. "Again, the tie was as good as a win for them. It was really a lot of fun."