SEQUIM — It took only one swing, well — one mighty swing — for Sequim’s defending state champion softball team to remain perfect going on two seasons.
Oh, but this one was close.
Archrival Port Angeles had a 7-1 lead when the Wolves decided to come to the party in the sixth inning to score seven runs and hold on for an 8-7 victory Wednesday during a steady rain shower.
The big swing came from Rylleigh Zbaraschuk, whose grand slam sealed the deal when the Wolves were behind 7-4 in the sixth.
Starting pitcher Makayla Bentz kept the Roughriders in check in the top of the seventh as the Wolves moved to the top of the Olympic League standings at 5-0.
The Riders could get only one runner on base in the seventh on a walk to pinch-hitter Ashlee Reid, but a potential rally died there.
Both teams were undefeated coming in with the Riders falling out of first place at 6-1.
Zbaraschuk went 2 for 3 in the game with a triple to go along with her grand slam.
Marylu Clift rapped out two RBIs for the Wolves while Demiree Briones went 3 for 4 and Columbia Haupt had a double.
Tori Holcomb had the big bat for the Riders, going 2 for 3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored.
Maddy Hinrichs, Mariah Frazier and Emily Drake each went 2 for 4, scoring once apiece.
All pitchers in the game had control problems with Port Angeles starter Lauren Curtis and relief pitcher Sarah Steinman combining for five walks in six innings and Bentz walking six in seven innings for the Wolves.
The Riders next play North Kitsap in league play today while the Wolves hit the road in nonleague action at Chimacum today.
Sequim 8, Port Angeles 7
Port Angeles 0 0 4 0 3 0 0 — 7 11 1
Sequim 1 0 0 0 0 7 x — 8 11 0
WP- Bentz; LP- Steinman (3-1)
Pitching Statistics
Port Angeles: Curtis 5 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 6 K, 2 BB; Steinman 1 IP, 4 ER, 3 H, 3 K, 3 BB.
Sequim: Bentz 7 IP, 7 ER, 11 H, 4 K, 6 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Port Angeles: Holcomb 2-3, 2B, 3 RBIs, 2 R; Hinrichs 2-4, R; Frazier, 2-4, R; Drake 2-4, R; .Fors RBI.
Sequim: Zbaraschuk 2-3, HR, 4 RBIs, 2 R; Briones 3-4, R; Besand 2-4, R; Clift 2 RBIs.
Elma 11, 16,
Forks 1, 6
ELMA — Elma earned the SWL-Evergreen Division doubleheader win Tuesday.
In the first game, Brooke Goldsmith threw a three-hitter for Elma while Spartan starter Jillian Raben gave up just three earned runs.
Forks had six errors in the first game and four in the second.
The Spartans put a scare into Elma in the second game as they climbed within 10-6 after scoring four runs in the fourth inning.
Any thoughts of a rally fizzled, though, when Elma brought ace Goldsmith back in the game in the fifth to shut the Spartans down.
Forks, 0-2 in league and 2-3 overall, stranded 13 runners on the day.
Courtney Paul went 2 for 4 in the second game with an RBI and a run scored while Tabitha Brock and Sabrina Collins also were 2 for 4 at the plate.
Collins knocked a run in and scored a run while Alisha Shaw went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run.
The Spartans next host Rainier in a league doubleheader today.
Boys Golf
Sequim 230,
North Kitsap 251
KINGSTON — Ryan O’Mera was the medalist by six strokes to spark the Wolves to the Olympic League win at White Horse Golf Club on Wednesday.
The already tough White Horse course was made even more challenging by the constant rain throughout the nine-hole match.
O’Mera shot 38 to dominate the field as North Kitsap’s Mike Desmarks was second at 44 and Sequim’s Casey Torres took second at 45.
Also breaking 50 were Sequim’s Christian Velarde with 46 and Brendon Hudson with 49.
Sequim’s fifth scoring golfer was Anthony Pinza, who shot 52.
The Wolves now take on archrival Port Angeles at Peninsula Golf Club in Port Angeles either today or Monday. The actual day of the competition was still up in the air as of late Thursday afternoon.
Girls Golf
Sequim 277,
North Kitsap 286
KINGSTON — Hailey Estes took medalist honors with a score of 47 to lead the Wolves on a stormy day.
“So far the Pacific Northwest weather has yet to cooperate with us for our golf matches,” Sequim coach Garrett Smithson said.
“We played at White Horse and experienced three solid hours of rain.
“The girls battled through the weather and a good golf team to stay undefeated in the Olympic League. White Horse is by far the toughest course we will play all year long.
“North Kitsap and Sequim were both coming in unbeaten and I believe the winner was going to determine the league champ.
“There are still five league matches we have to play but this was the one we needed to win to put us at the top with the rest of the league looking up at us.”
The Wolves now are 3-0 in the Olympic League and 3-1 overall.
For Sequim, Brianna Kettel shot 56 while Elisa Sallee and Caitlin Stofferahn scored 57 each against the Vikings
Vanessa Martinez shot 60 for the Wolves.
Karin Muggli was the top Viking with a score of 54.
The Wolves next host a three-way league match at The Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course against Port Townsend and Olympic.