LACEY — Port Angeles and Sequim impressed and advanced Friday at the Class 2A West Central District Softball Tournament.
The Roughriders (15-7) beat Steilacoom 15-0 and Fife 15-6 and the Wolves (14-5) had no problems in an 11-0 win over River Ridge and handled South Puget Sound League champ Eatonville (21-3) 7-2 to move on to the district semifinals and more importantly, seal up state tournament berths.
“Great day, they came ready to play,” Port Angeles coach Randy Steinman said of his squad. “The energy level in the dugout and on the field was phenomenal. We seem to be getting hot at the right time.”
The Riders have scored 39 runs in three games this week.
“We got production from everybody, all up and down the order,” Steinman said of Friday’s games. “We hit the ball hard, too.”
Port Angeles pounded out 33 hits on the day.
Sequim’s solid play earned the Wolves a Friday evening at the hotel pool, according to coach Tim Lusk.
“The booster club paid for us to have hotel rooms [Thursday] night and the girls wanted to go swimming,” Lusk said. “I told them, ‘You have two games tomorrow that you need to save your energy for. If we win two and make it to state, you can stay in the pool until 10 p.m.’”
It was a banner day for the Olympic League as a whole (7-0) against the SPSL as all four Olympic League seeds qualified for the state tournament. Olympic also went 2-0 Friday and will face Sequim in one semifinal while Port Angeles will take on North Kitsap in the other. Both games are at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Regional Athletic Center in Lacey.
The Riders pushed seven first-inning runs across against Steilacoom to quickly seize the upper hand against the outmatched Sentinels.
Aeverie Politika’s three-run home run in that frame boosted Port Angeles, which pounded out 17 hits while limiting Steilacoom to just three singles.
Politika had four RBIs on the game. Leadoff hitter Hope O’Connor singled twice in the first and ended up scoring two runs and driving in three more.
“She’s been the spark for this team all season long,” Steinman said of his senior second baseman/pitcher.
Cleanup hitter Jada Cargo also came up big with a 4-for-4 game at the plate with three runs and four RBIs.
“Outstanding at the plate and outstanding defensively,” Steinman said of Cargo’s play at the plate and shortstop.
“Jada had some great games today. Come playoffs, she just plays phenomenally. She really thrives on it.”
Kiana Watson-Charles and Ella Holland combined on the shutout in the pitchers’ circle.
Port Angeles played some small ball against SPSL West champ Fife (16-7) to clinch the state berth.
“The difference in this game was bunting,” Steinman said. “We bunted safely eight times. “Our 3-4-5-6 hitters Madi [Roening], Jada, Olivia [Nevaril] and Aeverie all laid them down right in a row.
“[Fife] started throwing the ball away, so small ball was huge for us.”
The Trojans committed six errors on the game.
Port Angeles led 10-3 when Fife cut into the Riders’ advantage, hitting a home run to leadoff the sixth inning, then loaded the bases with three straight singles.
Watson-Charles recorded an out before O’Connor came on in relief.
“Hope came in and finished that out and shut the door on them.” Steinman said.
“Hope really hadn’t warmed up besides at the start of the game. But she came in cold turkey and got out of the jam. She will come in and do the job no matter what, whether she is warm or not.”
The Riders plated five in the seventh, including another home run by Politika.
“That one was a grand salami and really kind of sealed the deal right there,” Steinman said of Politika’s second homer on the day.
The Riders also got big RBI doubles from junior Olivia Nevaril, who had three hits, freshman Zoe Smithson, who had three hits and drove in two runs and freshman Emi Halberg, who went 3 for 5 with a run and four RBIs.
Port Angeles 15, Steilacoom 0, 4 innings
PA 7 3 4 1 — 15 17 1
Steil. 0 0 0 0— 0 3 2
WP: Watson-Charles
Pitching
Port Angeles — Watson-Charles 2IP, 0H, 3K; Holland 2 IP, 3H, 3K.
Hitting
Port Angeles — O’Connor 2-3, 2R, 3RBI; Smithson 2-3, 3R; Roening 2-2, BB, 2R, 2RBi; Cargo 4-4, 3R, 4RBI; Nevaril 2-3, 2B, 2R; Politika 2-2, HR, 4RBI; Rudd 1-3, 2RBI; Holland 2-2, R, BB, RBI.
Port Angeles 15, Fife 6
PA 3 1 0 0 1 5 5 — 15 16 1
Fife 0 0 0 2 1 3 0 — 6 11 6
WP: Watson-Charles LP:
Pitching
Port Angeles — Watson-Charles 5 1/3IP, 10 H, 6K; 0BB, O’Connor 1 2/3 IP, H.
Hitting
Port Angeles — O’Connor 2-3, BB, R, 3RBIs; Smithson 3-5, 2B, 2RBIs; Roening 2-4, 3R, RBI; Cargo 2-4, 2B, 3B, 4RBIs; Nevaril 3-4, 2B, RBI; Politika 2-4, 2R, GS HR, 4RBI; Halberg 3-5, 2B, R, 4RBI; Holland 2-5, RBI, 2R.
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Compiled from team reports. Email scores to sports@peninsuladailynews.com or phone 360-417-3525.
Sequim wins big
Against River Ridge, Sequim’s Christy Grubb and Bobbi Sparks each totaled three hits
Grubb had a double and two RBIs, while Lili Fili added a two-run double in the fourth inning.
“She’s really started coming on,” Lusk said of the freshman Fili.
Latisha Robideau added a two-run single as Sequim 10-runned the Hawks.
Freshman pitcher LeeAnn Raney won both games for the Wolves.
She tossed a two-hit shutout with five strikeouts against River Ridge and held Eatonville to two runs on four hits while striking out eight to earn the complete-game win.
Raney has been battling hip and back pain recently.
“She was able to stick it out,” Lusk said.
“We stretched it, she felt good, and we wanted to see how it goes [against Eatonville]. We changed up the signals a little bit and she threw eight strikeouts and only allowed four hits.
Fili hit a home run to stake Sequim to a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
Kiana Robideau had the crucial hit against the Cruisers, a three-run home run in the third to stretch the Wolves’ lead to 4-0.
Isabelle Dennis was 3 for 4, Sparks went 2 for 4 and Julmist was 2 for 3.
Raney drove in Dennis and Julmist with a two-run single in the seventh.
“She toughs up very strong for a freshman,” Lusk said of Raney.
“We got great support from the seniors (Dennis, Sparks, Latisha Robideau), too.”
Lusk said Dennis made a great leaping grab on a line drive at second base, Sparks added some key defense at shortstop and Grubb was solid at the hot corner.
“Christy Grubb was golden glove at third base,” Lusk said. “I don’t think either team we played got anybody on on bunts.”
Mark Krulish/Kitsap News Group Sequim pitcher LeeAnn Raney picked up two district tournament wins in the circle for the Wolves and added a clutch two-run single late against Eatonville as Sequim sealed a state berth Friday at the Regional Athletic Center in Lacey.
