MOSES LAKE — The North Olympic 9U baseball team advanced to the Cal Ripken state semifinals by defeating Wenatchee 12-2 on Saturday.
North Olympic started the tournament by winning their first two games, led by an offense that put up a combined 20 runs.
North Olympic opened state Thursday morning with a 10-7 win over Spokane. That was followed by a blowout win over host Moses Lake that ended early due to the 10-run rule.
North Olympic then went 1-1 in pool play Friday.
The day started well for the area team, as they cruised to a 16-2 win over Ephrata.
Then North Olympic faced Eastmont and was edged 9-8.
North Olympic coach Brian Shimko said the games were played in heat that exceeded 100 degrees.
Despite the lost, the area team took the number three seed into Saturday’s 12-2 win over Wenatchee.
Port Angeles 10U takes second
KELSO — The Port Angeles 10U baseball team kicked off its summer season with a second-place finish at the Kelso Legends Tournament last weekend.
On the first day of play, Port Angeles dominated Longview Select 12-1.
The solid team play continued the next day in an 18-2 win over West Linn Green.
That was followed by a hard-fought loss to Portland Cal Ripken 8-6.
In that game, Port Angeles’ John Vaara hit a towering home run that coach Brian Shimko said cleared the left-field fence by approximately 30 feet.
Port Angeles didn’t have to wait long to avenge its loss. The first game of the final round was against Portland.
Port Angeles fell behind early, but clawed its way back to earn a convincing 8-4 victory.
Port Angeles went 4-1 on its way to the championship game, including taking out the top-seeded team in a dramatic semifinal game.
Down 6-3 in the final inning to West Linn All-Stars, Port Angeles loaded the bases.
Vaara worked a walk to start it off, then consecutive singles by Zane Glassock and Myles Bowechop finished the set-up.
Up next, with two outs and two strikes, Kellen Garcelon sent a shot into right field for a bases-clearing triple that tied the game.
The next batter, Wyatt Hale, then hit a line drive into right for a double that plated the game-winning run.
Port Angeles pitcher Kolton Corey, with his defense backing him up, secured the victory by retiring the side in order.
Shimko said there were many highlights in the tournament for Port Angeles, “including solid pitching and defense throughout the tournament.”
Glassock led the hard-hitting lineup with 10 hits and no strikeouts during the weekend.
Port Angeles 10U is now gearing up for the state tournament in Moses Lake later this month.
Softball
Port Angeles Illusion take second at state
PASCO — The 16U Port Angeles Illusion select softball team took second place late last weekend at the NSA State tournament in Pasco.
The Illusion won their first game Friday, June 26, beating Draggin Magic 5-3.
The Illusion then lost their second game Saturday 6-3 to the Express of Gig Harbor, which put the Port Angeles team into the losers bracket.
On Sunday, the Illusion had to play three games back-to-back-to back in 112-degree heat to advance to the championship game.
Illusion started the day by winning 3-0 over Mayhem 98, and then beat the Montesano Bulldogs 4-0 and the Xpress 10-3 to advance to the championship game. There, the Illusion lost a hard-fought battle 3-2 to Mayhem 99.
The second-place finish qualified the Illusion for the NSA Western World Series that will be held July 15-18 in Snohomish County.
