SEQUIM — The thorn in the Sequim softball team’s side dug itself a little deeper.
The North Mason Bulldogs continued their recent mastery of the Wolves with an 8-5 victory in Monday afternoon’s showdown of Olympic League powers.
Sequim was its own worst enemy throughout, committing seven errors that led to seven of North Mason’s eight runs in the game.
The loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the Wolves (5-1 in league, 8-2 overall), the last seven coming by doubt-digit margins.
“We just picked a bad time to have our worst game,” Sequim coach Mel Hendrickson said.
“I think it was nerves. That was the first time we’ve ever really had a pressure game, and we just didn’t respond well today.
“It’s hard to play those kind of games [blowouts] and then come to a big game like this.”
North Mason ace Emily Anderson managed to hold the Wolves’ potent bats at bay most of the game.
The right-hander went the distance for the Bulldogs (6-0, 7-0), striking out 13 while surrendering eight hits, two walks and four earned runs.
After giving up three runs in the first inning to go down 3-2, Anderson kept the Wolves scoreless until the bottom of the seventh.
By that time, Sequim shortstop Lea Hopson’s two-run home run to deep center was too little, too late.
“We’ve just got to put the ball in play,” Hendrickson said. “We’ve got to put the pressure on them, just like they did us.”
Sequim pitcher Demiree Briones may have been equally effective if not for the Wolves’ error-prone day in the field.
Numerous overthrows and mishandled bunts came back to haunt the Wolves, with all seven of North Mason’s runs between the third and sixth innings unearned.
Anderson was the one who made the Wolves pay the most, going 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored.
Her two-run double in the top of the third inning put North Mason ahead 5-3, a lead she would never relinquish the rest of the way.
“We’d have errors, and then the girls that could hit would get up and just jack hit,” Briones said.
“I think [it was] miscommunication and just little mistakes . . . little tiny errors that kind of cost us the game.”
Briones pitched all seven innings for Sequim, finishing with six strikeouts, seven hits, one walk and eight runs, only one of which was earned.
She was also 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a walk.
Chelsea Winfield added three hits, two runs scored, an RBI and a stolen base, while Hopson finished 2-for-4 with the two-run homer.
“She’s a great pitcher,” Briones said of Anderson. “Being able to score even five runs on her is great.”
Added Hendrickson, “I think we’re a better team than them if we play our game.
“You just tell them [after the loss], that they are not going to win games if they play like that. You’ve got to learn how to deal with the pressure.”
Sequim will most definitely have to confront it once again when it faces the Bulldogs in Belfair on May 4.
The Bulldogs have routinely finished ahead of Sequim in league play, meaning they usually end up with the easier road to state.
With the West Central District sending just two teams on to the Class 2A state tournament this year, winning the next meeting will be of the utmost importance to the Wolves.
“We haven’t beaten North Mason in I don’t know how long,” Briones said. “When people say PA is our rival, it’s not the case with softball, because North Mason is our rival.
“The next time they should watch out. If we go and practice the little things and I hit my spots a little bit better, we’ll upset them.”
North Mason 8, Sequim 5
North Mason 2 0 3 0 1 2 0 – 8 7 3
Sequim 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 — 5 8 7
WP- Anderson; LP- Briones
Pitching Statistics
North Mason: Anderson 7IP (8hits, 12K, 2BB, 4ER).
Sequim: Briones 7IP (7hits, 6K, BB, ER).
Hitting Statistics
North Mason: Johnson 2-4 (RBI, 2R); Anderson 3-4 (2B, 3RBIs, 2R); Stromberg 1-4 (3R).
Sequim: Winfield 3-4 (RBI, 2R, SB); Hopson 2-4 (HR, 2RBI, R); Briones 2-3 (2RBI, BB), Miller 1-4 (R).