PORT ANGELES — A quintent of Port Angeles arms combined on a no-hitter and a pair of home team home runs powered an offense-filled third inning in the Roughriders’ 10-0 win over East Jefferson in five innings at Civic Field on Tuesday.
It was the season opener for each squad and the first victory for Port Angeles head coach Casey Dietz.
Dietz spread out the pitching duties with each hurler getting an inning on the mound.
Landon Seibel, Seth Woods, Adam Watkins, John Vaara and Kamron Meadows teamed to strike out 11 and allow four walks and a hit batter in their time on the hill.
“Early in the year we have a lot of guys who can do it, we have confidence in our pitching staff — we had guys that didn’t throw today and we feel confident in them as well — but early in the season keep the pitch count low, get them experience, let them get their feet wet in a live game and get after it,” Dietz said of the by-committee approach.
“They all did well, took care of business and kept the game moving. It was a great team performance from our guys.”
Port Angeles broke through in the third, getting to East Jefferson starter Hunter Cerna who had opened by setting down the sides in the first two innings, striking out five of six batters.
But an error on Seth Woods’ routine fly to right field opened the floodgates and the Riders were ready.
Tanner Price bunted safely and a Dru Clark walk loaded the bases. Wyatt Hall drew a free pass to score a run and Seibel followed with a lined grand slam just beyond the temporary fence in left-center field.
Seibel wasn’t able to enjoy as much of the trip around the basepaths as he may have hoped. He was too busy running.
“I didn’t know it was going to go over and I thought it might hit the fence,” Seibel said. “I was still sprinting around second base and I was hearing a lot of cheering, so I thought ‘Did that really go over’?”
But Seibel was able to break into his home-run trot, eventually.
“Around third base, yeah.”
Vaara followed with a solo shot to left center and Clark later singled home the final run in the eight-run burst.
“Patience and staying with it,” Dietz said. “We know the guys that we have and what they are capable of and it came down to staying patient with our approach, taking a deep breath, swinging with confidence and capitalizing when you are presented an opportunity.
We overcame a little bit of a slow start [at the plate]. “Early in the year you have a lot of things that take time, take at-bats and innings to come together, but overall I was really happy with how we stayed with it, persisted and eventually we got done what we needed to get done today.”
Seibel was happy to get out on the mound and pleased with his opening inning of work.
“I felt great. I threw strikes like I wanted to, I located the balls where I wanted to,” he said.
“I think we have a pretty good team that can get a lot done. We have a lot of pitchers who can throw strikes. And we have a lot of contact hitters and we just need to put the ball in play and something will happen.”
Port Angeles 10, East Jefferson 0, 5 innings
EJ 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 3
PA 0 0 8 1 1 — 10 6 0
WP: Watkins LP: Cerna
Pitching
East Jefferson: Cerna 3IP, 8R, 5H, 5BB, 6K; Thorten IP, R, 2H, 2BB, K; Scout 1/3 IP, R, H, BB.
Port Angeles: Seibel IP, 0R, 0H, 2K; Woods IP, 0R, 0H, 2BB, K; Watkins IP, 0R, 0H, 2K; Vaara IP, 0R, 0H, BB, HB, 3K; Meadows IP, 0R, 0H, BB, 3K.
Hitting
East Jefferson: Yelaca BB, Fritz BB, HBP, Rich BB, Lawson BB.
Port Angeles: Vaara 3-4, R, 2B, HR, 2RBI; Seibel 1-3, 2R, BB, HR, 4RBI; Clark 1-2, BB, RBI; Price 1-1, R, 2BB, Hall 0-1, 2ROE, BB, RBI; Watkins 1-4.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or [email protected] news.com.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News East Jefferson’s Cash Holmes crashes over the outfield fence while trying to reach for a home-run ball batted by Port Angeles’ Johnm Vaara in the third inning on Tuesday at Port Angeles Civic Field.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News East Jefferson pitcher Hunter Cerna winds up to throw in the third inning as Port Angeles base runner Tanner Price, left, takes his lead off away from East Jefferson first baseman Owen Thorten on Tuesday at Port Angeles Civic Field.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Port Angeles first baseman Adam Watkins reaches for a missed catch from pitcher John Vaara, right, while trying to pick off East Jefferson’s Marcus Rich in the fourth inning in Port Angeles on Tuesday.
