KENT — Sequim found a way back to the state baseball tournament after earning district wins against the Sammamish Totems and White River Hornets.
The Wolves pounded White River 11-2 in their district opener Saturday morning at Russell Road Park. They followed up by sliding past Sammamish 3-2 in eight innings in the nightcap.
“We kinda stole one, there,” Sequim coach Dave Ditlefsen said of the win against the Totems.
“They definitely had the momentum. They brought their big catcher [Kenny McCormick] who’s a pretty big prospect into the game to pitch the seventh and eighth innings
McCormick, a junior who is already committed to play baseball at the University of Washington, shut down the Wolves in the seventh inning but got into trouble with one out in the eighth.
Sequim loaded the bases when James Thayer singled, Johnnie Young walked and Ian Dennis was hit by a pitch.
After a strikeout, Hayden Gresli, pinch-running for Young, drew a backdoor pickoff throw to second base.
Thayer, on third base, broke for home on McCormick’s throw to second, just beating the toss to the plate and scoring the eventual game-winner.
Austin Hilliard struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth to seal the state bid for the Wolves.
“It was a great, resilient win,” Ditlefsen said.
“They battled, and I’m proud of how they competed.”
Thayer, Sequim’s starting pitcher, held a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when he departed the game with the bases loaded and two outs.
“We put in Austin Hilliard into a tough spot and he walked a run in,” Ditlefsen said.
The Wolves avoided trouble, barely, in the bottom of the seventh.
“They worked the bases loaded again and Nick Faunce made a sliding catch in right field to send the game to extra innings,” Ditlefsen said.
Sequim is one of District 2/3’s top four seeds to the first round of the Class 2A state tournament.
The Wolves (13-8) will play River Ridge (11-11) in a district semifinal at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
Sequim 11, White River 2
KENT— The Wolves received strong at-bats from the meat of their batting order to sting the Hornets in the district opener.
“Evan Hurn and Daniel Harker both went through a bit of a rough patch but they had great games,” Ditlefsen said.
Hurn reached base in all five plate appearances against White River, doubling twice, scoring three times and driving in a pair of runs.
Harker had two hits, including a double, scored a run and drove in two.
Justin Porter went 1 for 2 with a triple, three runs and an RBI. He also walked three times.
Ditlefsen also praised the play of freshman Johnnie Young and Austin Hilliard. Young had an RBI single against the Hornets.
Sequim 11, White River 2
Sequim 1 0 5 0 0 2 3 — 11 14 1
White River 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 — 2 2 4
WP- Grubb; LP- Bond
Pitching Statistics
Sequim: Grubb 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 4 BB, 7 K; Velarde 2 IP, BB, K.
White River: Richey 2 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K; Bond IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, BB, 2 K; Madden 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Madden 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, 2 K; Fjeld IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB.
Hitting Statistics
Sequim: Hurn 3-3, 2 2B, HBP, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI; Harker 2-5, 2B, R, 2 RBI; Velarde 3-5, 2B, 2 R; Young 1-2, RBI; Serrano 1-3, RBI; Porter 1-2, 3B, 3 BB, 3 R, RBI.
White River: Johnson 1-2, RBI.
Liberty 8,
Port Angeles 5
SAMMAMISH — Up 4-0 versus the Patriots, the Roughriders committed two costly errors in a painful bottom of the third inning in a winner-to-state game.
Previously, Port Angeles dropped Steilacoom 15-8 in its district opener Saturday at Eastlake High School.
“It was a frustrating game,” coach Vic Reykdal said of the loss to Liberty.
“We put the leadoff guy on board on an error to start.”
That runner stole second base and moved to third on a flyout.
Liberty then ran a suicide squeeze bunt that scored a run.
“We didn’t have a guy at home plate, so we throw to first and we don’t get our foot on the bag,” Reykdal said.
“We walked the next guy, then they string together three of their four hits all game and go single, double, triple.”
The Riders loaded the bases in the fifth and sixth innings but could manage just one run.
“We left 15 runners on base,” Reykdal said.
“We were just a base knock away from getting back into that game.
“That’s baseball sometimes. I think they [Liberty] know they got out of that game pretty luckily. They caught the breaks.”
Port Angeles (16-5) will face North Kitsap (15-5) in a loser-out contest in a game that is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma.
That game may be moved to the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, Reykdal said.
The Vikings have been the Riders’ nemesis this season, beating them 10-0 and 2-0 to win the league title.
“I have confidence we can get those guys,” Reykdal said.
“It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row.”
Liberty 8, Port Angeles 5
Port Angeles 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 — 5 11 2
Liberty 0 0 6 1 1 0 0 — 8 4 3
LP- Pederson
Pitching Statistics
Port Angeles: Pederson 5 IP, 8 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, K; Bradley IP, 0 H, 0 R.
Hitting Statistics
Port Angeles: Basden 3-4, R, RBI; Boyer 3-4, R, Stone 1-3, R; Bradley 1-4, 2 RBI; Hendry 1-5, RBI.
Port Angeles 15, Steilacoom 8
SAMMAMISH — The Roughriders jumped all over the Sentinels to score five runs in the opening frame.
Two of Port Angeles’ three triples came in the first inning.
Steilacoom walked the first two batters, Eathen Boyer singled, followed by back-to-back triples by Colton McGuffey and Jace Bohman.
“We were playing on an artificial turf field and the balls were well hit to the gaps and they got some good bounce,” Reykdal said.
Bohman went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and three runs.
McGuffey was 2 for 2 with three runs and four RBIs.
Janson Pederson had the other triple for the Riders.
Pederson finished 2 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs.
Port Angeles 15, Steilacoom 8
Steilacoom 0 0 2 1 0 5 0 — 8 8 7
Port Angeles 5 0 5 2 0 3 x — 15 12 2
WP- Paynter
Pitching Statistics
Port Ange: Paynter 5 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 4 BB, 8 K; Rodocker IP, 4 H, 5 R, BB, HP; Bradley IP, 0 R, 0 H.
Hitting Statistics
Port Angeles: Bohman 4-4, 3 R, 3B, 2 RBI; McGuffey 2-2, 3B, 3 R, 4 RBIs; Pederson 2-4, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBI; Boyer 2-4, 2 R, RBI; Basden 1-3, 2 R, RBI.
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Compiled using team reports. Coaches, send reports to sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
