PORT ANGELES — The inaugural season of the Olympic Crosscutters baseball club ended with a 5-3 loss to a familiar opponent, Bremerton’s Olympic Tigers.
Saturday’s loss came in the loser’s bracket of the American Legion AA District 2 Regional Tournament at Civic Field.
“They got us all four times this summer,” Cutters coach John Qualls said of the Tigers.
“The errors started again. That’s been our nemesis towards the end of the season.”
Playing as the visitors in the contest, the area team, comprised of players from Port Angeles, Sequim, Chimacum and Quilcene, pushed across all three of its runs in the top of the third to go up 3-1 on the Tigers.
Austin Hilliard opened the frame with a leadoff walk, and after an A.J. Prater strikeout, Gavin Velarde doubled to right field to put runners at second and third.
Nigel Christian then rapped a sharply-hit single up the middle to center to bring in two runs.
Christian stole second and third, for his fifth stolen bases and later scored when Lane Dotson reached base on an error on a grounder to short.
Dotson, the Cutters’ starting pitcher, was hurt after errors by his defense.
The Tigers’ Matt Walters reached base on an error to open the bottom of the third and moved to second on a
second miscue.
He then scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 3-2.
Olympic took the lead for good in the fourth.
The Tigers’ Melvin Santos and Foxx Diaz put together back-to-back singles and came home on a two-run error.
Olympic added an insurance run on a passed ball in the fifth to reach the final score of 5-3.
“Lane pitched well enough for us to win,” Qualls said.
“In tight games against good teams you have to keep from having those mistake-filled innings and we just didn’t do that.”
The Cutters managed six hits on the game, including a double by Ian Dennis in the top of the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but couldn’t find the timely hits when needed.
“We were getting good contact but hitting the ball right at guys,” Qualls said.
“We were putting the ball in play, but not finding the gaps and that’s a big part of the game.
“And if you don’t get on base you can’t utilize our biggest weapon [our team speed].”
The program’s first summer was a hit, according to Qualls.
“The season was incredible,” Qualls said.
The kids meshed well, we put together different areas on the Peninsula, developed friendships, and the players were really united.
“We wanted to bridge neighboring communities and develop life-long friendships and I feel we did a great job in that regard.
“We really exceeded my expectations for our first season.”
The summers worth of games also proved a long-held belief of Qualls
“It goes to show we have the talent on the Olympic Peninsula to go out and compete against anybody,” Qualls said.
“We didn’t shy away, from playing any team, we took on everybody, and gave the players exposure to college scouts.
“We couldn’t ask for anything better.”
The program plans to expand next season, adding more opportunities for North Olympic Peninsula players ages 14 through 19.
“We plan to hold tryouts next month for next season’s teams,” Qualls said.
“We’re going to expand and add A and AAA teams.”
“We’ll try to create a tier system where a player can work themselves up from A to AA and then to AAA.”
“There will be a clean slate from here on out with no guaranteed spots.”
Qualls was joined by assistant coaches Buck Gieseke and Quilcene High School head coach Darrin Dotson this season.
Olympic Tigers 5, Crosscutters 3
Crosscutters 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 3 6 4
Tigers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 5 8 1
WP- Santos; LP- L. Dotson
Pitching Statistics
Crosscutters: L. Dotson 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 K, BB; Bradow 2 IP, BB.
Tigers: Santos 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R; 2 ER, 3 K, 3 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Crosscutters: Prater 2-4; Christian 1-3, 2 RBI, 2 SB, R; Velarde 1-3, 2B, R; Harker 1-2, 2B, BB; Dennis 1-3, 2B.
Tigers: Walters 1-3, 2 R; E. Pereira 2-3, R; J. Pereira 2-3, Santos 1-2, R, BB; Aerne 1-3, 2B, RBI.
