Twins set for state

The American Legion Twins open up the quest for their first state tournament title since 1996 on Saturday with a 12:30 p.m. game against Bartlett at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

For Twins manager John Butler, the key to the Twins success is defense.

"The big thing for us is going to be our errors," Butler said. "If we can go through and play without errors, we can make a run at it."

It has been an up-and-down year for the Twins. The team started 0-4 in the league before ripping off six straight league games. The Twins ended up 10-10 in the league, tied for fifth with Service.

A coin flip gave Service the No. 5 seed in the state tournament and the Twins the No. 6 seed. That matched the Twins up against Bartlett in the double elimination tournament. The Twins have swept the Golden Bears this season.

Butler said the last four games have been a good sign for the Twins, because they have played good defense.

"I told the guys at practice that I haven't written them off," Butler said. "They're a good group of guys. They're capable of making a run deep into the tournament."