FIFE — Sequim knocked out No. 5-seeded Fife from the Class 2A Bi-District Baseball Tournament in a 7-3 road triumph Wednesday, the team’s second elimination victory in as many days and the Wolves are now a win away from a return to the Class 2A State Baseball Tournament.
Sequim (12-11) will face a familiar Olympic League opponent in No. 9-seed Kingston (12-10) in a winner-to-state, loser-out contest at Foss High School in Tacoma at 3 p.m.
Against Fife, Starting pitcher Ethan Staples tossed six solid innings and helped himself out at the plate, the Wolves’ defense made plays and the offense took advantage of Trojan’s pitching mistakes, playing what coach Dave Ditlefsen called “a complete game.”
Staples scattered five hits across the six innings, striking out seven and walking one batter. He gave up three runs in the first two innings but tossed four straight shutout innings using an off-speed pitch to keep hitters guessing.
“Ethan really did settle in,” Ditlefsen said. “He was able to locate his slider and keep them off-balance. It was one of his better performances of the season.”
Brayden White’s two-run single scored leadoff hitter Zeke Schamedeke, who lead off with a walk, and Hunter Tennell who singled to reach base.
Sequim senior Ayden Holland was plunked to load the bases and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Holland was hit by three pitches in the game, part of the six Wolves’ hitters plunked by the Trojans in the contest.
Fife was able to tie it up after two innings and the team’s settled into a scoreless groove.
Sequim seized the momentum in the fifth inning, plating three runs.
“We took advantage of some wildness in the fifth as the Fife pitcher hit two batters before Ethan drove two in with line drive- single to center,” Ditlefsen said.
“Fife started a rally in the bottom of the fifth, but Zeke Schmadeke made a running/diving catch deep in the left-center gap to close the inning. It was an amazing catch and you could see Fife get deflated after that rally was squashed. They went pretty quietly after that.”
Sequim added an insurance run by way of two hit batters and a Fife error in the top of the seventh for a 7-3 lead.
White relieved Staples, who had reached his 100th pitch (62 strikes) in the sixth, for the seventh inning and recorded three quick outs to end the contest.
The Wolves’ second win at districts and their 12 victories overall is their best mark since the 2019 season, when they came within a game of earning a state tourney berth.
The last time Sequim qualified for the state tourney was 2016.
Sequim 7, Fife 3
Sequim 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 — 7 7 1
Fife 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 5 1
WP: Staples LP: Slusher
Pitching
Sequim — Staples 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 7 K; White IP.
Fife — Johnson IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, K; Slusher 5 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K; Ducharme IP, ER.
Hitting
Sequim — Schmadeke 1-3, BB, 2B, R; Tennell 1-3, BB, 2 R; Holland 1-1 HBP, 2 R; White 2-3, R, RBI; Bear 1-3, RBI; Staples 1-4, 2 RBI.
Fife — Cretti 1-3, R; Olson 2-3
Softball Montesano 16, Forks 4
MONTESANO – The Spartans spotted the Bulldogs, ranked No. 1 in the Class 1A RPI, a 14-run lead after two innings and couldn’t come back in a nonleague loss.
Forks’ Fynlie Peters had an RBI double to score Keira Johnson, who reached base via her own double and Liz Soto tallied an RBI single for the Spartans.
Forks (14-4) opens the Class 2B Southwest District Tournament on Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Fort Borst Park in Centralia.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
