Twins no-hit Dimond, run winning streak to 6

There was no dogpile, no ice-speckled Gatorade shower. In fact, the only ice involved at all in the postgame “celebration” of the Post 20 Twins’ no-hitter vs. Dimond on Sunday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park was wrapped around the right knee of starting pitcher Logan Smith.

The personality of a team comes from the top, and the Twins were mostly business Sunday, even after Smith and Harrison Metz combined to baffle the Lynx.

“What can I say?” said Lance Coz, Twins general manager for the past 44 years, while sitting next to the dugout. “It was a great ballgame.”

The Twins won their sixth straight game by taking the Lynx 5-0 in the league contest and 11-8 in the nonleague contest. The no-hitter was the first for the Twins since Joey Becher mystified Chugiak in July 2016.

Post 20 improves to 4-2 in the league and 7-4 overall, while Dimond drops to 6-3 and 9-6.

Twins coach Robb Quelland said having Coz in the dugout is a reminder of the Twins’ history of success, which includes four state championships, and how the Twins attained that success.

Post 20 has always brought together players from multiple high schools, with the team this year formed by Soldotna, Homer and Kenai Central. That means the coaching staff works hard to keep the emphasis on the team, not the individual.

“For the last 2 1-2 to three weeks, we’ve really been stressing that individual team stats are not as important as the team win,” Quelland said. “We stress that to get these three schools to come together as a team.”

To get the no-hitter took two pitchers who could not have had more different days emotionally.

Smith, the starter, had soaring highs and crushing lows. Metz, the reliever, was as steady as the sun, blue skies and pleasant breeze permeating the field.

After graduating from SoHi in 2018, Smith did not play baseball at all for a school this season, choosing to work and help Quelland coach at Soldotna High School.

The tall right-hander always had bad knees from his history as a catcher. In April, he was lunging off first base while coaching when his right kneecap dislocated, slipping toward his fibula.

“I didn’t think I would be able to play this season,” Smith said of his third tour with the Twins.

Smith gradually got into shape, with the knee holding up. Wednesday, he threw a bullpen session in Anchorage for a few college coaches and hit 87 mph with his fastball.

The arsenal of pitches felt so good Smith is optimistic about playing for a college next season. He also had a rare boast for a friend.

“I’m not gonna lie,” Smith said. “Two days ago, I told a buddy I was going to throw a no-hitter today.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen, but it happened.”

The first four innings went as planned, with Dimond having trouble getting any type of a read on Smith.

“Logan pitched a great game,” Dimond coach Dan Montagna said. “He’s an accomplished pitcher. Give him credit. We’re young, and this is what happens sometimes.”

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Smith came to the plate and everything changed. He twisted to foul an offering from Dimond starter Miah Enicx down the third-base line, dislocating the kneecap and leaving Smith on the ground yelling in pain.

The kneecap popped back in on its own and Smith walked around, flexing the knee constantly, before returning to the plate to work a walk.

“That’s just leadership and maturity,” Quelland said of the oldest player on the team. “We call him Father Time.

“It would have been easy for him to roll over and sit in the dugout, but he’s the team leader, so he finished that at-bat.”

Not only that, but Smith returned to the mound in the top of the fifth. He walked the first batter he faced, obviously favoring the right leg, before Quelland pulled him.

“I told coach I wanted another inning,” Smith said. “I walked the first guy and I knew what I needed to change. But he pulled me because he was looking out for me.”

Smith was sore after the game, but with better braces and leg exercises, both Quelland and Smith are confident he can play out the season.

Enter Metz, who also is in his third year with the Twins and will be a junior at Homer High School.

No-hitter in progress. Team leader handing the ball off after writhing in pain in the dirt the inning before.

It’s enough to make someone nervous. Just not Metz.

“He’s not that big but pitches like somebody with a much bigger stature,” Quelland said of the right-hander.

Metz began mowing down Dimond batters — recording five of nine outs on strikeouts and allowing just one runner on an error — as if he had no idea a no-hitter was going on. That’s because he had no idea a no-hitter was going on until a reporter told him after the game.

“I just went up there throwing strikes,” Metz said. “I didn’t know we had that going.”

Believable?

“Oh, 100 percent,” Smith said. “He’s definitely the type who wouldn’t know what was happening.”

Metz’s ability to focus on the moment and worry about nothing else — he also laid down a successful safety squeeze in the game — is why Smith felt good about the no-hitter’s chances. That, and Metz’s totally nasty curveball.

“I was pretty confident we would get it,” Smith said.

But no no-hitter comes without its drama — well, in this case, additional drama — and that moment came in the top of the seventh, when Dimond cleanup man Eric Galosich lofted a ball to short right-center field.

Right fielder Tanner Ussing ranged to his right and made the diving catch. Ussing had told Smith before the game he’d be diving for balls that day, and did just that when it mattered most.

“When it went up in the air, it was in the back of my mind that this could be the no-hitter,” Smith said. “He came through and caught it.”

The last two outs came via strikeout and a cushy fly to center field, sparking the business-handshake-heavy “celebration.”

On offense, the Twins continued to manufacture runs, scoring five times on just three hits. They even survived the seven strikeouts of crafty Dimond lefty Enicz, who went the distance and gave up five runs — just three earned.

“We get on, get over and get in,” Metz said. “We’re using small ball — stealing and bunting a lot.”

David Michael, Mose Hayes and Davey Belger had hits for the Twins, while Jeremy Kupferschmid, Michael and Hayes had runs, and Ussing, Belger and Metz had RBIs.

In the 11-8 nonconference win, Post 20 scratched out all its runs on just four hits, taking advantage of six Dimond errors. The Twins made five errors.

”We committed more errors than were noted,” Quelland said. “It was a typical summer game after eating and after both teams had a hard game before the nonconference game.”

Quelland did see some things he liked, particularly on the mound. Seth Adkins went two innings and gave up three runs — two earned — on two hits, Ussing went three innings and gave up five runs — two earned — on three hits, and Davey Belger went two scoreless innings, yielding two hits.

On offense, Kupferschmid was 2 for 2 with two RBIs and a run, Metz had a hit and a run, and Michael had a hit. Chris Jaime and Jacob Boze each scored twice for the Twins.

The Twins now travel to Kodiak for two games Thursday and two games Friday.

“We’re feeling pretty good,” Smith said. “We need a couple of timely hits and we’ll be about the best team out there.”