TACOMA — The Port Angeles baseball team has a crucial game today against archrival Sequim at Volunteer Field starting at 4 p.m.
The Roughriders, 8-7 in the Olympic League and 8-8 overall, will earn an automatic playoff berth if they beat the Wolves (11-4, 14-5) today.
A loss probably would put the Riders into a loser-out pigtail game with North Mason.
Port Angeles tuned up for Sequim with a heartbreaking 9-8 nonleague loss in nine innings at Franklin Pierce on Saturday.
Franklin Pierce led 7-2 early but the Riders went ahead 8-7 with six runs in the fifth inning.
Franklin Pierce scored once in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game and then scored in the bottom of the ninth to win.
Derek Crain came on in relief in the third inning, giving up just one run on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Easton Napiontek went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and two stolen bases.
Franklin Pierce 9, Port Angeles 8, 9 innings
Port Angeles 2 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0— 8 9 2
Franklin Pierce 1 1 5 0 0 0 1 0 1— 9 13 1
Pitching Statistics
Port Angeles: Cole Uvila 2 2/3IP, 7R, 7H, 2K, 5BB, HBP; Derek Crain 5 1/3IP, R, 7H, BB, HBP; Kyler Morgan H.
Hitting Statistics
Port Angeles: Easton Napiontek 3-4, R, 2SB; Cody Sullivan 2-5, 2R, SB; Daniel Pitz 2-5, R RBI.