TACOMA — Trailing by one run and down to their last out, Brian Belbin’s hard ground ball was mishandled and thrown into the Cheney Stadium stands, scoring two Roughriders and lifting Port Angeles to a walkoff 6-5 win over King’s at the home of the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers on Wednesday night.
The errant play brought home pinch runners Ian Smithson and Carson Waddell, running for Kaleb Mullen, who led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, and Colton Romero, who walked to reach base, and set off a mob scene at home plate as the Riders celebrated.
Port Angeles spotted King’s a 3-0 lead in the first inning after starting pitcher Mason Grice was touched for three walks, two hits, a hit batter and a passed ball.
But the Riders answered back in their second turn at bat when Tate Alton’s two-run single scored Josiah Gooding, who reached on a double, and Luke Flodstrom, and cut the Warriors’ lead to 3-2 in the second inning.
In the fourth inning, Flodstrom and Alton reached via walks and scored on Alex Angevine’s single to right field to tie the game at 4-all.
Port Angeles had a chance to take the lead in the fifth when Ezra Townsend led off with a triple to right center but was stranded on three straight outs.
Five other Rider pitchers saw time on the mound, led by sophomore Kody Williams, who tossed three shutout innings while giving up two walks and a hit with a strikeout. Hunter Stratford and Bryce Deleon each threw shutout innings as well for Port Angeles.
King’s took the lead with two outs in the top of the seventh with an RBI single that scored Warriors’ star shortstop Caden Kennally, who went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, 2 RBIs and a walk. Kennally’s older brother Jack played baseball at the University of Hawaii.
Port Angeles (12-3, 17-5) will find out its bidistrict tournament opponent this weekend and is likely to host a winner-to-state game Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Port Angeles 6, King’s 5
King’s 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 — 5 7 1
PA 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 — 6 8 0
Pitching
King’s — Fowler 2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, K; Bjella 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K; Riess 2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, K; Kennelly 0.2 IP, H, 2 R, BB.
Port Angeles — Grice 0 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB; Williams 3 IP, H, 2 BB, K; Perry IP, 2 H, ER; Stratford IP, K; Deleon IP, BB; Mullen IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, K.
Hitting
King’s — Kennelly 3-3, BB, 2B, 3B, 2 R, RBI; Fowler 2-4, 2 R; Riess 1-3, RBI;
Port Angeles — Angevine 1-3, BB, 2 RBI; Shumway 2-3; Townsend 1-3, BB, 3B; Gooding 1-3, BB, 2B, R; Alton 1-1, BB, R, RBI; Mullen 1-4; Romero 1-2, RBI.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at mcarman@ peninsuladailynews.com.
