PORT ANGELES — Mistakes are magnified and penalized in the postseason and Port Angeles made Sequim pay more dearly for its miscues in a 9-2 district seeding tiebreaker win Tuesday at the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribes’ Billy Whiteshoes Memorial Park.
The two rivals finished Olympic League play tied for second with 9-3 league marks and decided to hold a playoff on the artificial turf infield — the same type of field each team will see at the Class 2A West Central District Tournament beginning Friday.
Madi Roening bashed a 3-run home run to break open a close game during the Roughriders’ four-run fifth inning and pitcher Kiana Watson-Charles pitched a complete-game three-hitter striking out a pair while walking two and hitting another to earn the win.
Ella Holland reached base on three well-executed bunts, scoring twice and driving in another run for Port Angeles. Jada Cargo and Zoe Smithson also had RBI singles and Hope O’Connor hit a gapper to right-center for an RBI double.
Sequim scored on a sharply-struck two-run single in the hole between first and second by Isabelle Dennis to tie the game in the bottom of the third.
Port Angeles wasn’t perfect in the field in recording three errors but the Riders were aided by Cargo’s play at shortstop, Olivia Nevaril in left field and Smithson behind the plate.
Wolves freshman right fielder Lily Fili made an impressive hustle play to chase down a foul pop along the fence for Sequim.
The second-seeded Roughriders (13-7) will open district play against the South Puget Sound League’s eighth seed Steilacoom (8-11) at noon at the Regional Athletic Center in Lacey.
Sequim (12-5) will take on SPSL No. 6 River Ridge (10-8) also at noon.
Port Angeles 9, Sequim 2
PA 1 0 1 0 4 2 1 — 9 11 3
Seq 0 0 2 0 0 0 — 2 3 2
WP: Watson-Charles LP: Raney
Pitching
Port Angeles: Watson-Charles 7IP, 3H, 2R, ER, BB, HB, 2K.
Sequim: Raney 5 1/3 IP, 9H, 8R, 2BB, 5K; Dennis 1 2/3 IP, 2H, R.
Hitting
Port Angeles: O’Connor 2-4, R, 2B, RBI; Smithson 2-3, ROE, R, RBI; Roening 1-4, R, HR, 3RBI; Cargo 1-4, RBI; Nevaril 1-4, R, 3B; Brenkman SAC, RBI; Holland 3-3, 2R, RBI.
Sequim: Dennis 2-2, ROE, 2RBI; Julmist 1-3.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Sequim’s Christy Grubb slides safely into home between the legs of Port Angeles catcher Zoe Smithson in the third inning of Tuesday’s playoff game at Billiy Whiteshoes Memorial Park on the Lower Elwha Resevation west of Port Angeles.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Ella Holland of Port Angeles bunts in the fifth inning against Sequim on Tuesday.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Madilyn Roening approaches home plate as her teammates wait to congratulate her after hitting a three-run homer in the fifth inning against Sequim.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Sequim’s Lili Fili makes a diving catch in foul territory as teammate Isabelle Dennis looks on in the fifth inning against Port Angeles on Tuesday.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Kiana Watson-Charles pitches for Port Angeles in the second inning in Tuesday’s playoff game against Sequim.
