SILVERDALE — The Port Angeles baseball boys erupted for four runs in the first inning, then got an outstanding pitching performance from Colton McGuffey to beat Steilacoom in the District III 2A playoffs, qualifying for a spot at the 2A state tournament in the process.
“This was an awesome job by our guys of getting off the bus and getting a fast start. Quick inning on defense and 4 runs in the bottom of the first was exactly what we needed,” said coach Karl Myers.
McGuffey, coming off a rough start last week against North Kitsap, bounced back by going 5 2/3 innings, striking out four, giving up just six hits, and just as importantly, no walks. By comparison, the patient Roughrider hitters drew eight walks from Steilacoom pitchers.
“I thought all day our guys were excellent at the plate with their approaches, we found a lot of barrel and put a ton of pressure on their guys,” Myers said.
At the plate, the Riders did damage up and down the lineup. Ethan Flodstrom went 2 for 3 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and three RBIs. Joel Wood was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and two walks. McGuffey helped his own cause with a hit, a walk and two RBIs, while Gavin Guerrero was 2 for 3 with an RBI.
Tyler Bowen had a hit, a walk, two stolen bases and scored two runs, while Hayden Woods had a double and a run scored.
“So proud of the boys for getting themselves a berth to the state tournament for the third year in a row. Now we can ease the pressure for next weekend and go after a district title,” Myers said.
Port Angeles (11-1, 17-3) gets a third meeting against North Kitsap (9-3, 14-6) at 10 a.m. next Saturday in the district semifinals at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds. The Riders and Vikings have split two meetings this year, with the last game a memorable one — Port Angeles came from seven runs down to win on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning to shock North Kitsap for the league title.
If the Riders win Saturday, they play in the district championship against either Highline (16-4) or Fife (19-3) at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds at 3 p.m. Saturday. If they lose, they play at North Mason High School in the third-/fourth-place game at 4:30 p.m.
Port Angeles 11, Steilacoom 1
Steil. 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 1 6 4
PA 4 1 0 2 2 2 — 11 12 4
WP: McGuffey LP: Lemming
Pitching
Steilacoom — Lemming 3.2IP, 9H, 4ER, 2K, 6BB; Smith 2IP 3H, 4ER, 2K, 3BB.
Port Angeles — McGuffey 5.2IP 6H, 1ER, 4K, 0BB; Merritt 0.1IP, 0H, 0BB.
Hitting
Steilacoom — Horne 2-3, 2B, R; Burlingame 1-3, RBI.
Port Angeles — Flodstrom 2-3, 2B, 2R, 3RBI, 2BB; Wood 2-3, 2R, 2BB; Guerrero 2-3, RBI; McGuffey 1-2, 2RBI, BB, SF; Jackson 1-4, 2R, SB; Merritt 1-2, RBI, 2BB; Bowen 1-2, 2R, BB, 2SB; Woods, 1-1, 2B, R.
Quilcene 10, Mt. Rainier Lutheran 6
Quilcene 9, Mt. Rainier Lutheran 7
QUILCENE — Quilcene rallied twice, coming back from big deficits both times to sweep a pair from Mount Rainier Lutheran, locking up third place in the SeaTac 1B League.
The Rangers beat the Hawks 10-6 in Friday’s early game and 9-7 in the nightcap to finish 6-4 in league.
In Game 1, Quilcene was down by four runs in the sixth inning, but they came from behind with a huge sixth inning. Andy Johnston, Dustin Hughes, Olin Reynolds, Robert Comstock , Holdem Elkins , Wyatt Johnsen and Brennen Filmer all had hits in the inning.
Johnston finished the game with three hits, including a triple, and an intentional walk. Reynolds was 3 for 3 and Comstock was 2 for 4.
Johnston pitched five innings, gave up three hits, walked four and struck out seven, allowing four runs. Ethan Davis came in to pitch the final two innings. He gave up one hit and walked three while giving up two runs.
In Game 2, Quilcene was down 6-0 after three innings, but the Rangers erupted for nine runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to take the lead. Davis pitched the first three innings, then Reynolds came in and put the clamps on the Hawks. He pitched four innings and gave up no hits and no walks with the only run he surrendered being unearned. He also struck out three.
“Olin Reynolds commanded the hill and was able to locate pitches and force batters into hitting ground ball outs. Olin first started pitching last year as a necessity. He’s gaining confidence with each inning he’s pitched,” said coach Darrin Dotson.
Dustin Hughes was 3 for 5 with three runs scored, while James Soderberg was 2 for 5 with two runs scored. Holdem Elkins had a two-run double, while Reynolds was 2 for 3 and got on a third time after being hit by a pitch.
Quilcene (6-4, 11-5) begins postseason play in the Tri-District Tournament Tuesday.
Quilcene catcher Robert Comstock III tags out Mount Rainier Lutheran’s Curtis Christianson on Friday in Quilcene. The Rangers swept a doubleheader against the Hawks. (Steve Mullensky/for Peninsula Daily News)
