The Chugiak Post 33 American Legion junior varsity won the end-of-season state tournament Sunday, with a 4-3 win over Fairbanks Gold at Kosinski Fields in Anchorage.

Weston Haynes pitched a seven-inning, complete-game, 4-3 win to help the Chugiak Post 33 junior varsity team to a season-ending A tournament victory over Fairbanks Gold Sunday. Haynes had five strikeouts in the championship game, as the Mustangs posted a perfect 4-0 record. Photo By DAVID MORSE

"The kids needed to end the season with a good victory," said coach Chad Griffith.

The team went through pool-play and the playoffs unscathed, on a 4-0 run.

Last year, despite being seeded first, the team lost to Dimond and South in successive games, in their state finale.

Chugiak's four-game run included a 4-3 win over Fairbanks Blue, 5-1 over Wasilla and 13-1 against Bartlett, leading to the 4-3 win over Fairbanks Gold Sunday.

Left fielder Chris Dennis came up huge for the Mustangs with three of the team's four RBIs.

After threatening in both the first and second innings, leaving a runner on third base, the Mustangs broke through with two runs in the top of the third, to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

Ben Morse scored on a balk, as Chugiak's runners on first and third advanced when the Fairbanks pitcher dropped the ball on the mound. Phillip Scott, having moved to second, scored on the ensuing single from Dennis.

Then in the fifth, Dennis chalked up the other two RBIs officially, when with the bases loaded and one out, his hard-hit grounder found a way through the Fairbanks second baseman's legs, bringing in two.

Starting pitcher Weston Haynes went the distance, throwing all seven innings, recording five strikeouts, including one in the bottom of the seventh when Fairbanks threatened with runners on first and second and only one out.

In an earlier game, Haynes chalked up 13 strikeouts during the team's 5-1 win over Wasilla.

"I was very happy with the way everyone played - they played well as a team," said Griffith.

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This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, August 13, 2009.