PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles Lefties have been close all season with a number of one-run and walk-off losses in the first half of the West Coast League season.
In the second half, the Lefties are showing that some of those losses were just bad luck as they have won their first two series. Port Angeles took two out of three against the Nanaimo NightOwls on Monday with a dominant 11-1 victory.
The Lefties have won four of their past six games and sit in a four-way tie for first place at 5-4 at the West Coast League All-Star break.
The Lefties got huge games from Roberto Garza-Nunez (Embry-Riddle) and Ocosta’s Colby Scheuber (Cal State, San Bernardino).
Garza-Nunez hit his third home run in his past five games and went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, raising his season batting average to .291 after a slow start to the season. He now has 21 RBIs on the season after his recent power surge.
Scheuber had his second straight strong showing after a rough start to the season, as he has allowed two earned runs in his last 11 innings, cutting his season ERA nearly in half in two games. He went six innings and allowing just four hits, two walks and one earned run. He struck out two. Jackson Price (Hillsboro, Ore.) and Brock Mayer (Point Loma Nazarene) pitched a scoreless three innings to finish the game.
Also having big days at the plate were Yahir Ramirez (Texas A&M, Corpus Christi), who went 2-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and two RBIs, and first baseman Eric Valdivia (Chaffey College), who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs. Valdivia has been on fire since joining the Lefties on Friday. He has gone 8-for-16 (.500) in four games.
Jack Kleveno (Utah) went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Julio Vasquez Jr. (Henderson State) went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Travis Helm (Central Washington) was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
“It says a lot. I think we’re a group of guys with a lot of heart, clearly we showed that in the last two games before today,” Vasquez Jr. said after the game. “So we can come back in any situation need be, and we can go out and dominate from the start.”
“Glad that we got a good team win today, that’s the most important part,” Garza-Nunez said postgame. “But just having fun with the boys, it’s been a lot of fun.
“Hey, that’s all that matters, we’re starting to get a groove when it matters,” Garza-Nunez said. “Just keep it rolling.”
Scheuber had a shutout going into the sixth inning when Nanaimo’s Wylie Waters (South Carolina Upstate) hit a solo home run for the NightOwls’ lone score. He is leading the WCL with eight home runs on the season, twice as many as anyone else in the league.
The Lefties (5-4 second half, 11-25 overall) played a nonleague game Tuesday night after press deadline against the DubSea Fish Sticks, a Pacific International League team. Today is an off day as the WCL All-Star game will be held at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham at 6:35 p.m. Port Angeles’ Jeremy Giesegh (Cal State, San Bernardino), leading the WCL with a .361 batting average and hits with 53, is a member of the North all-star team.
The Lefties play another nonleague game at 6:35 p.m. Thursday at Civic Field against the PIL’s Redmond Dudes.
Lefties broadcaster Thomas Johnson contributed to this article.
Port Angeles 11, Nanaimo 1
Nan. 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 — 1 6 1
PA 0 0 3 0 4 2 2 0 x — 11 14 0
WP: Scheuber. LP: Boice.
Pitching
Nanaimo — Boice 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K; Orona 0.1 IP, H, 2 ER, 3 BB; Minshew IP, 3 H, 2 ER, BB; Cuthbertson 1.1 IP, 3 H, 2 ER; Pearlman IP, H, 2 K.
Port Angeles — Scheuber 6 IP, 4 H, ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Price 2 IP, 2 H, BB, K; Mayer IP, BB, K.
Hitting
Nanaimo — Waters 1-4, HR, R, RBI; Rutter 2-4.
Port Angeles — Garza-Nunez 3-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI; Ramirez 2-5, 3 R, BB; Valdivia 2-4, R, 3 RBI, BB; Helm 2-5, RBI; Vasquez 2-5, 2 R, RBI; Kleveno 2-4, 2 RBI; Giesegh 1-3, R, RBI, BB.
