PORT ANGELES — Wilder Baseball tuned up for the state tournament by capturing third at its own eight-team Dick Brown Memorial Firecracker Classic this past weekend at Civic Field.
Wilder, an elite baseball team with players from the North Olympic and Kitsap peninsulas, lost its first Firecracker game by one run after giving up three unearned runs Friday.
It might have fizzled a little in that first contest, but then Wilder exploded to easily win the next three games against tough teams.
The state tourney for 18U select teams will run Thursday through Saturday in Ephrata.
Pool play is set for the first two days with the top two teams in each pool advancing to championship play Saturday.
Wilder Baseball is looking forward to state, manager Rob Merritt said.
“We’ll go down there and try to compete, and try to win state,” he said.
The top two teams from state advance to regionals the next weekend in Kent, where host Kent Bulldogs — the Firecracker champions — will be waiting.
At the Firecracker Classic, meanwhile, Wilder went 3-1 to improve to 11-10 on the year.
A sloppy first game kept Wilder out of the title contest after losing 5-4 when Victoria Selects took advantage of Wilder mistakes to score three unearned runs.
The Selects went undefeated in pool play but then lost 11-2 in the championship game to Kent on Monday evening.
Wilder was ahead 4-1 in the top of the fifth when the Selects came back with three gimmee runs to tie the game at 4-all.
The go-ahead and eventual winning run was scored in the sixth by the Selects.
Wilder starting pitcher Kyle Kelly of Port Townsend had a strong outing, giving up just one earned run on five hits in the first five innings.
Clark Rose (1-1) took the hard-luck loss, giving up an earned run in two innings on no hits while striking out two.
Two Port Angeles players led at the plate with Cole Uvila going 2 for 3 with a bases-loaded three-RBI double, and Brady Konopaski going 1 for 2 with a double and RBI.
Wilder took out its frustration of that loss on the strong Toyota Baseball Club of Bellevue, winning 7-0 in the second round Saturday.
Wilder scored three runs in the fourth inning to blow open a close 2-0 game.
Easton Napiontek (1-1) and Uvila combined for the three-hit shutout.
Napiontek of Port Angeles, on his way to Central Washington University this fall, allowed two hits and no runs while walking none and striking out six in the first five innings.
Uvila gave up just one hit while fanning four in the final two innings.
George Marinan of Kingston went 2 for 3 with a home run and a double while bringing home two runners while scoring two of his own.
Kelly went 2 for 3 while scoring two runs while Connor Gouge of Port Angeles went 1 for 1, scoring a run.
In Sunday’s round three in pool play, Wilder pounded the Victoria Eagles 11-0 in five innings on a combined two-hitter by lefty Justin Straight (2-0) and Marinan.
Straight gave up just one hit while striking out two in the first three innings while Marinan allowed one hit while fanning three batters in two innings.
Kelly led the offensive by going 2 for 3 with a triple, double, two RBIs and two runs scored, while Napiontek rapped out a double and scored two runs while going 2 for 3.
Larson Chapman went 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
Marinan also scored two runs as he went 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Rose was a perfect 3 for 3 with two runs and an RBI while Michael Dean of Forks was 2 of 3 with three RBIs and a run.
Straight had a double in the game and went 2 for 3.
In Monday’s placement game, Wilder beat the Washington Nationals of Gig Harbor 10-6 when it scored five unanswered runs in the top of the seventh inning for third place.
The Nationals had gone ahead 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth inning with three runs.
But Straight opened the top of the seventh with a walk. With one out, Brady Konopaski and Marcus Konopaski each had hits to load the bases.
Napiontek then cleared the bases with a triple that sealed the victory.
Wilder used six pitchers in the game with Rose (2-1) picking up the win.
Wesley Giddings started the game and went two innings with Chase Jangula, Michael Konopaski, Jake Hudson, Dean and Rose following.
Napiontek went 3 of 4 with a triple, double and three RBIs while Marcus Konopaski went 2 for 3, scoring two runs, and Dean hit a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning.
Gouge went 2 for 3.
State play
Wilder opens state action at 5 p.m. Thursday against Anderson Hay of Ellensburg in pool play at Ephrata.
Wilder plays two pool games Friday, starting with a 10 a.m. contest against the Rocks of Kitsap Peninsula, and finishing with a 1 p.m. game against host team Moses Lake River Dogs.
If Wilder plays in the top two, it will play Saturday in the championship round.
Last year, Wilder skipped state because it hosted regional competition where it lost a close game to Portland Baseball Club in the regional championship game.
Game 1
Victoria Selects 5, Wilder 4
Victoria 0 1 0 0 3 1 0 — 5 5 0
Wilder 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 — 4 6 2
LP- Rose (1-1)
Pitching Statistics
Wilder: Kelly 5 IP, 4 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 2 K, 2 BB, 1 HB; Rose 2 IP, 1 ER, 0 H, 2 K, 3 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Wilder: Uvila 2-3, 2B, 3 RBIs; B. Konopaski 1-2, 2B, RBI.
Game 2
Wilder 7, Toyota Baseball 0
Toyota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 3 1
Wilder 0 1 1 3 1 1 x — 7 10 0
WP- Napiontek (1-1)
Pitching Statistics
Wilder: Napiontek 5 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K, 0 BB; Uvila 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 K, 4 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Wilder: Kelly 2-3, 2 R; Marinan 2-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 R: Gouge 1-1, R.
Game 3
Wilder 11, Victoria Eagles 0
Wilder 5 0 1 1 4 — 11 16 2
Victoria 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2 1
WP- Straight (1-0)
Pitching Statistics
Wilder: Straight 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 K, 1 BB; Marinan 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 3 K, 1 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Wilder: Napiontek 2-3, 2B, 2 R; Kelly 2-3, 3B, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 R; Marinan 2-3, 2 R, RBI; Chapman 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 R; Rose 3-3, 2 R, RBI; Dean 2-3, 3 RBIs, R; Straight 2-3, 2B, RBI, R.
Third-place Game
Wilder 10, Washington Nationals 6
Wilder 0 0 0 5 0 0 5 — 10 9 2
Washington 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 — 6 5 1
WP- Rose (2-1)
Pitching Statistics
Wilder: Giddings 2 IP; Jangula 1 IP; Mi. Konopaski 2 IP; Hudson 1 IP; Dean 0 IP (threw to one batter); Rose 1 IP.
Hitting Statistics
Wilder: Marcus Konopaski 2-3, 2 R, RBI; Napiontek 3-4, 3B, 2B, 3 RBIs, 2 R; Gouge 2-3, RBI; Dean 1-4, 2B, 3 RBIs.