Friday baseball: Kenai tops Homer; SoHi beats Colony

The Kenai Central baseball team defeated Homer 12-8 on Friday in nonconference action at the Kenai Little League fields in Kenai.

The Mariners fall to 5-2 overall, while the Kardinals move to 2-1.

The two Northern Lights Conference foes still have two regular season conference games against each other, so both Kenai coach Christian Stephanos and Homer coach Tyler Krekling said Friday was about getting multiple pitchers innings.

Both coaches feel good about their teams this season.

Krekling is in his second year, but he said this is the first year he got in offseason work. The program has 19 players.

The coach said he graduated four seniors last season — three who played every day. The Mariners lost their No. 1 pitcher, but Henry Wedvik missed last season with a knee injury and returns to the mound at full strength this season.

Stephanos steps up to the head job at Kenai after being an assistant for the last four seasons.

Kenai finished third in Division II state last year and lost four seniors, but has nine seniors this season.

Like the Mariners, the Kardinals get a nice boost from a player returning from injury as leadoff hitter and center fielder Daniel Steffensen is back after breaking his wrist before last season’s playoff run.

Kenai showed how potent its lineup can be against the Mariners.

Homer led 6-5 when Wedvik came on in the bottom of the fourth to face the top of the order.

Steffensen, Braden Smith, Jacob Joanis and Gabe Joanis greeted Wedvik with hits as the Kardinals scored four times in the inning and took the lead for good.

“He didn’t quite have it, but he’s used to starting,” Krekling said of Wedvik. “I don’t know if he had his full warm-up in. He struggles a bit more coming in in relief, so we’ll have to gauge that as we go forward.

“But this is the first outing he’s been hit, and it’s the third or fourth game he’s thrown.”

Stephanos said hitting a pitcher like Wedvik showed what Kenai is capable of on offense.

“Our hitters were the key,” he said. “We made good defensive plays, but we kept it on them with hits and good base running.”

Steffensen was 3 for 5 with three runs, Smith had two RBIs, Gabe Joanis was 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs, Brandon Blake was 2 for 3, Keoni Beddow had two RBIs and Avery Martin was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI.

That was according to Kenai’s scorebook, which had the Mariners down for two errors. Homer’s book took a dimmer view of the Mariners’ fielding, with six errors.

In the fielders’ defense, Stephanos said the field is still in the process of losing all its frost and is a lumpy walk.

“The errors killed us,” Krekling said. “Like I told the guys at the end of the game, we can survive an error an inning here or there, but when we have two or three an inning, it’s hard to come back from.”

Kenai used four pitchers. The best was Jacob Joanis, who worked three scoreless and hitless innings and struck out five.

Gabe Joanis gave up three runs on two hits in 2 1-3 innings, Keoni Beddow gave up three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning, and Jacob Katzenberger gave up two runs — one earned — on a hit in an inning.

Kenai pitchers combined to walk 15 batters.

“Walks were our Achilles heel today, so that’s our job over the next couple of days, is to get that homed in a bit more,” Stephanos said. “The best way to do it is with reps.”

For Homer, Clyde Clemens had three RBIs and three walks. Clemens normally starts at short, but filled in at catcher with the starting catcher absent.

“I thought he did a fine job behind the plate,” Krekling said. “It’s always tough to get thrown into.

“But I’m really proud of how he played and the leadership he’s showing.”

Also for Homer, CJ Burns was 2 for 4 with a run and an RBI, and Jamen Anderson scored two runs.

On the mound, Preston Stanislaw gave up five runs on five hits in 1 1-3 innings, Weston Marley threw a scoreless 1 2-3 innings while yielding a hit, Wedvik gave up four runs on five hits in two innings, and Burns gave up three runs on three hits in an inning.

“We still dropped fly balls,” Krekling said. “We made bad throws. Our fielding cost us more today than our pitching.”

Soldotna 9, Colony 6

The Stars won for the second straight day at the Buddy Dale Invitational in Wasilla to improve to 2-6-1 overall.

Soldotna will play Wasilla at 3:30 p.m. Saturday for third place in the tournament.

Colby Sturman and Brenden Theel were able to hold the Knights down for the Stars on Friday.

Sturman went four innings, giving up four runs — two earned — on three hits. Sturman walked four but struck out eight.

Theel closed the door by giving up two runs — one earned — on three hits in two innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Sturman helped his own cause by going 1 for 3 with two runs, but the real damage came from the bottom of the order.

No. 8 hitter Theel was 2 for 2 with a run and two RBIs, while Easton Hawkins was 2 for 3 with an RBI.