Baseball Recap: Kenai Central Wins High-Profile Match Against Homer

Kenai Central faced Homer in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Thursday. The Kardinals' pitcher stepped up to hand the Mariners a 13-0 shutout. The Kardinals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three games by six runs or more this season.

Jacob Joanis

Hits Against

05/10/25 vs Soldotna	6
05/03/25 @ Palmer	3
04/18/25 @ Kodiak	2
05/15/25 @ Homer	1

Jacob Joanis made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He has become a key player for Kenai Central: the team is undefeated when he allows at most three hits, but 2-3 otherwise. Joanis was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Braden Smith, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Avery Martin, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.

Kenai Central hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Homer struck out nine times.

Kenai Central pushed their record up to 6-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Homer, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost four of their last five matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 7-6 record this season.

Coincidentally, Kenai Central and Homer will both be playing Grace Christian the next time they take the field. The Mariners will host the Grizzlies at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, while the Kardinals will host them at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.