PORT ANGELES — Wilder Baseball continued its strong start to the season, with the senior squad sweeping a three-game weekend series at Civic Field with RBI Baseball of Castle Rock, and the junior team winning its group in pool play, before finishing second at the Anacortes Wood Bat Invitational.
RBI Baseball is made up of players from Onalaska, Toutle Lake, Toledo, Winlock, Rainier, Ore., and for this series only, Forks players Javier Contreras, Reis Lawson and Reece Hagen.
The Wilder senior team (15-3) slipped past RBI Baseball 3-1 in the series opener.
Wilder starter Nick Johnston pitched a complete-game four-hitter, walking two and allowing just one run while striking out eight.
Travis Paynter doubled home a run in the first inning to get things going for Wilder.
Johnston later helped his cause by scoring a run after reaching base on a single.
Brett Wright was 1 for 3 with a run and an RBI, Tanner Rhodefer was 1 for 2 with a run and Ricky Crawford picked up an RBI after drawing a walk with the bases loaded.
Contreras tripled for RBI Baseball.
Wilder pitchers Tanner Rhodefer and Ryan Mudd combined on a two-hit shutout in a 4-0 game two win over RBI Baseball.
Rhodefer went 6 1/3 innings on the mound, yielding two hits and seven walks, but striking out nine.
Mudd closed out the contest and allowed no base runners while picking up the final two outs.
After wiggling out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fourth inning, Wilder scored all four of its runs in the bottom half of the fourth.
Brady Konopaski tripled to start the big inning and later scored, while Wright was 1 for 3 with a run, Larsson Chapman was 1 for 3 with a run and two RBIs and Eathen Boyer was 1 for 2 with two RBIs.
Hagen pitched for RBI Baseball in the second game.
Wilder’s bats came out in the third game as the team tallied 12 hits in a 7-2 win.
RBI took a two-run lead in the top of the first before Wilder countered with two of its own off Contreras in the bottom half of the opening inning, four more in the fourth, and one in the sixth.
Contreras ended up pitching three innings for RBI Baseball.
Johnston doubled twice, once in the fourth inning and again in the sixth to drive in runs for Wilder.
He also scored a run.
Konopaski singled, walked twice and scored two runs for Wilder.
Wright was 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI and Evan Hurn was 1 for 3 with a run for Wilder.
Paynter and Jordan Shepherd combined on a one-hitter on the hill for Wilder.
Paynter went six innings, allowing one hit, one walk and striking out three.
Shepherd struck out two batters to wrap the game.
The Wilder senior squad will face the junior team in the Firecracker Classic at Civic Field at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Oak Harbor 1, Wilder Junior 0
ANACORTES — The Wilder junior team fell 1-0 to Oak Harbor in the championship of the Anacortes Wood Bat Invitational on Sunday.
“This was one of the cleanest games I’ve ever seen,” Wilder junior coach John Qualls said.
“It was exactly what a championship game should be, we just came out on the wrong end.”
Nigel Christian was the hard-luck loser, allowing one run on three hits and three walks and striking out 12 batters while throwing a complete game for Wilder.
“He really pitched well enough to come away with the win and it’s a shame he didn’t,” Qualls said.
Oak Harbor scored the game’s lone run in the first inning after the leadoff batter reached base, stole second, advanced to third on a fielders choice and finally scored on a bloop single to the outfield.
Wilder had four hits but hit into three crucial double plays to end scoring opportunities according to Qualls.
Christian had one of the hits and other hitters were Lane Dotson, Jansen Pederson and Gavin Velarde.
Wilder fell earlier in the day Sunday 12-4 to Sedro Wooley to close out pool play.
Wilder had already clinched a spot in the championship game after winning three games on Friday and Saturday.
The Wilder junior team will play a doubleheader Wednesday against Lakeside at Bannerwood Park in Bellevue.
