PORT ANGELES — In a game for the ages, the Sequim baseball team broke a long losing streak at Port Angeles’ Civic Field, and it came down to a bang-bang play at home plate in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The game had a bit of everything. Longtime rivals, great pitching, great baserunning, great defense after a sloppy first inning, plus a couple of controversial calls and a game-ending tag.
The Wolves won 5-4, getting an outstanding pitching performance from Zeke Schmadeke, who went six innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs while striking out seven. He threw 102 pitches in his marathon start.
“I don’t know if I’ve won a game here in 20 years of coaching,” said Sequim manager Dave Ditlifsen. “This is a tough place to play and Port Angeles is always good.”
“We just kept showing resilience. We scrapped and clawed, it was a great game,” Ditlifsen said. He said Schmadeke threw a great game after a difficult first inning. “He always battles. He has a tough mindset. He wants the ball.”
“I’ve never beaten Port Angeles before,” Schmadeke said. “I fed off our energy. My team was super supportive. It’s been a battle these past two games.”
Two-out troubles
The Roughriders struggled to come through in pressure-packed situations Wednesday.
“We couldn’t execute with two outs,” said Port Angeles coach Zac Moore. “We have to be more competitive in the batter’s box. We have to compete with guys on base and with two strikes.”
With the victory, the Wolves avenged a heartbreaking 7-4 loss Tuesday in extra innings to the Roughriders as the rivals battled right down to the wire in both games.
Both teams got a run in the first inning in similar fashion without the benefit of a hit. Sequim’s Devyn Dearinger was hit by a pitch by Port Angeles starter Rylan Politika. He went to third base on a bad pickoff throw to first, then came in to score on a groundout.
Port Angeles’ Alex Angevine did nearly the same thing. He walked, then went to third on a bad pickoff throw, then came in to score on a bad throw to third.
Both defenses settled down and played well the rest of the game as both Politika and Schmadeke got into a groove.
Double steal
Port Angeles was clinging to a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning when Sequim finally broke through with a big three-run inning.
Simon Skribner walked and Schmadeke got on via an error. Dearinger laid down a sac bunt to move the runners to second and third and Braydan White was intentionally walked to load the bases and set up a force out at every base.
Lincoln Bear crushed a ball to the left-center fence that missed being a grand slam by a few feet. However, it was good enough to score Skribner from third, while Schmadeke moved up a base.
White and Schmadeke then executed a perfect double-steal, with Schmadeke beating the throw from second base to home to make it 3-2. With White now on second, Ethan Staples hit a clutch single to center to drive in another run. It was the only hit of the three-run inning.
Port Angeles got a run back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to the Riders’ own great baserunning. Nathan Basden got on with a single, stole second, then moved to third on a wild pitch. Luke Flodstrom hit a sac bunt to drive in Basden from third to make it 4-3.
Sequim tacked on a run in the sixth with some controversy. Hunter Tennell got on base with a single, then Skribner walked. Schmadeke hit a grounder to shortstop Angevine who threw out Skribner at second. Schmadeke beat the throw to first, avoiding the inning-ending double play as Tennell scored all the way from second. Schmadeke was then caught in a rundown sneaking toward second and was tagged out, but the run counted.
Port Angeles argued that there was interference between Tennell and Angevine. The umpires held a long conference and ruled no interference. It turned out to a crucial call in a one-run game.
Seventh-inning rally
Now down 5-3, the Riders nearly pulled off a fantastic game-ending rally for the second straight game. Schmadeke was taken out for White in the seventh.
Angevine led off with a single and Kody Williams walked. Angevine and pinch runner Carson Waddell pulled off a double steal themselves, moving up to second and third, putting the tying run on second base. After a Jordan Shumway strikeout, Angevine alertly scored on a Basden groundout while Waddell moved to third base.
On a wild pitch, Waddell alertly broke for home, but Bear, the Sequim catcher, made a great play to get a tag down at home. Waddell was called out at the plate, ending the game.
Politika went 4⅔ innings, allowing no earned runs. He allowed two hits and struck out five. Brayden Martin went 2⅓ innings, allowing one hit and one earned run while striking out two.
Port Angeles (2-3, 2-5-2) next hosts North Thurston in a nonleague game at 1 p.m. Saturday, while Sequim (3-3, 3-5) travels to River Ridge for a nonleague contest Friday.
Sequim 5, Port Angeles 4
SEQ 1 0 0 0 3 1 0 — 5 3 2
PA 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 — 4 5 2
WP: Schmadeke LP: Politika SV: White
Pitching
Sequim — Schmadeke 6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 7 K; White IP, H, ER, K.
Port Angeles — Politika 4.2 IP,2 H, 5 K; Martin 2.1 IP, H, ER, 2 K.
Hitting
Sequim — Staples 1-4, RBI; White 0-3, R, RBI, 2 SB; Schmadeke 0-3, R, RBI; Bear, 0-3, SF, RBI.
Port Angeles — Angevine 2-3, 2 R, 2 SB; Basden 2-3, 2 R, RBI, 3 SB; Perry 1-3.
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Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or plabossiere@peninsuladailynews.com.
