PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles boys baseball team had been steamrolling its opponents this season, starting the season 5-0 with two no-hitters and three shutouts and outscoring teams by the combined score of 50-9.
On Thursday, the Roughriders finally had a tough game. A game they could have won, but lost 6-5 to Olympic, a squad the Riders had no-hit earlier in the week. It was Port Angeles’ first defeat of the year.
In the end, a pair of throwing errors in the sixth and seventh innings cost the Riders three runs. Coach Zac Moore said it was “not a good game,” but also a game that the Roughriders can learn from.
“It just wasn’t our night tonight. We need games like this. These are the games we want,” he said.
The pitching was decent as Kaleb Mullen, Brayden Martin and Brian Guttormsen allowed just seven hits and three earned runs, while striking out 13 Olympic batters. It was the three unearned runs in the sixth and seventh that were the killer.
Despite all the negatives, it was a game Port Angeles nearly pulled out with what would have been a dramatic come-from-behind win. The Riders showed that even on their off days, they will be a very tough team to beat.
Olympic went into the bottom of the seventh up 6-2. Mullen got on base after being hit by a pitch and Rylan Politika followed by crushing a drive to deep right-center that went off the fence for a double.
Three Roughriders batters went to 3-and-2 counts in the bottom of the seventh. Tate Alton took a 3-2 pitch for a ball to load the bases. Nate Basden got hit by a pitch to make it 6-3.
On another 3-2 pitch, Alex Angevine rapped a hard double to right center, scoring two runs to make it 6-5. The Riders had the tying run at third and the winning run at second with two of their best hitters, Colton Romero and Ezra Townsend coming up.
Romero had belted a long triple early in the game and scored, but he struck out on a 3-2 pitch. Townsend was also struck out by Olympic reliever John Hutchins to end the game.
Moore said the Riders showed their toughness in that seventh inning nearly pulling out a miracle victory.
“It was a tough couple at-bats. Those were the guys we wanted at the plate,” Moore said.
Politika finished 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and an RBI.
Mullen started and took the loss, going four innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out six. Olympic hit a couple of hard doubles against him in the early innings, but he settled down after that. Martin and Guttormsen went three innings combined, giving up just one hit and striking out seven.
Port Angeles (3-1, 5-1) plays at Yelm on Saturday, then returns to play a tough North Kitsap team at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday at Civic Field.
Olympic 6, Port Angeles 5
Olympic 0 1 2 0 0 2 1 — 6 7 0
PA 1 0 0 1 0 0 3 — 5 5 2
Pitching
Port Angeles — Mullen 4 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 6 K; Martin 1.2 IP, 4 K; Guttormsen 1.1 IP, H, 3 K.
Hitting
Port Angeles — Politika 2-3, 2B, R, RBI; Angevine 1-3 2B, 2 RBI; Romero 1-4, 3B, R; Gooding 1-3, R; Mullen 0-1 2 HBP.
Port Angeles pitcher Kaleb Mullen throws in the first inning against Olympic on Thursday in Port Angeles. (KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS)
Port Angeles’ Colton Romero bats in the third inning against Olympic on Thursday afternoon in Port Angeles. (KEITH THORPE/PENINSULA DAILY NEWS)
