West Anchorage hasn't had much luck against Service recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Eagles will head out to square off against the Cougars at 5:15 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
West Anchorage is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Bettye Davis East Anchorage, who was ranked 22nd at the time (West Anchorage was ranked 16th). The Eagles had just enough and edged out the Thunderbirds 6-4.
Jack Boots
| 05/17/25 @ Bettye Davis East Anchorage | 2 |
| 05/15/25 vs South Anchorage | 1 |
| 05/13/25 @ Dimond | 1 |
| 05/01/25 vs Chugiak | 1 |
| 04/25/25 vs Palmer | 1 |
Jack Boots made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over 7.2 innings pitched. Boots was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Paul Dittrich, who went 2-for-5 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Meanwhile, Service had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They skirted past the Mustangs 5-3.
Rilen Niclai spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up 15 Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Kegan Lennox was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Service hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chugiak struck out 15 times.
Service's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-1. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for West Anchorage, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. West Anchorage has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Service struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
West Anchorage suffered a grim 11-5 defeat to Service in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
