PORT ANGELES — Jesse Hansen shut out South Kitsap as Port Angeles remained unbeaten in the state 15-year-old Junior Babe Ruth state tournament at Volunteer Field on Saturday.
North Olympic now is 3-0 in tourney action after pounding Wenatchee 14-2 in five innings Friday and blanking previously undefeated South Kitsap 10-0 in five innings Saturday.
Sequim was knocked out of the tournament, going 0-3 in pool play. The area team lost 10-3 to Bainbridge Island on Friday and lost a heartbreaking 6-5 contest to defending state champion Central Basin on Saturday.
Sequim lost two games by one run each in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Port Angeles still is in the title championship and a trip to regionals in the single elimination championship round today.
North Olympic plays Central Basin (2-1) at 10 a.m. at Volunteer Field in the semifinals while North Kitsap (3-0) takes on rival South Kitsap (2-1) in the other semifinal game.
Port Angeles manager John Qualls likes his team’s chances for all the marbles despite a tough road ahead.
“The kids are playing with a lot of heart,” Qualls said. “If we maintain our intensity and play to our full ability and keep our bats going, I feel good about our chances.
“All of our cylinders are going.”
Port Angeles is a well-rounded team that is hitting the ball well, playing great defense and has solid pitching, Qualls said.
There hasn’t been a close game yet for North Olympic.
“It’s not going to be easy, though,” Qualls cautions. “All the remaining teams are very good.”
North Olympic has used three different starting pitchers and all three have dominated opposing teams.
AJ Konopaski won the first game with Cody Sullivan winning Friday and Hansen taking Saturday’s game.
Port Angeles scored three runs in the first inning against South Kitsap and put the game away with five more in the third.
Hansen struck out three and held South Kitsap to four hits.
Derek Crain went 3-for-3 for Port Angeles with two RBIs, two doubles and a run scored while Hansen helped his own cause by going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a triple and two runs.
Sullivan went 2-for-3 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs while Konopaski, proving the pitching trio also are powerful at the plate, went 2-for-2 with two runs scored.
Sequim, meanwhile, went ahead of Central Basin 3-1 in the first Saturday while scoring one more in the third to lead 4-3.
Central went up 5-4 in the fifth but Sequim came back and tied 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth. Central put it away with a run in the top of the seventh.
Ezra Perkins went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a double for Sequim while Ryan Hueter was 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Jared Forshaw had a double and scored a run.
Hueter was a perfect 3-for-3 against Bainbridge Island.
