PORT ANGELES — Sequim again played like one of the top teams in the Olympic League by taking full advantage of Port Angeles’ miscues in a 13-4 win at Civic Field.
The Wolves (6-1, 8-1) stayed at the top of the league baseball standings where they are tied with Olympic (6-1, 7-2), which Sequim beat earlier this week.
The Wolves broke open Friday’s game with an eight-run third inning that was aided by four errors by the Roughriders.
“That happens in baseball, the floodgates open. That’s happened to us, too,” Sequim coach Dave Ditlefsen said of the third-inning error-fest.
“I know that we can’t count on those things happening every game. So we’ll certainly take whatever we can get this time, but we know that when they come back to our place that those types of things probably won’t happen.”
Tanner Rhodefer opened the inning for the Wolves with a walk and then scored when Dylan Lott’s hit wrapped around third base for a double that tied the score at 1-1.
Brett Wright reached base safely on a bunt after the Riders were slow to cover first base, moving Lott to third.
Lott and Wright scored the go-ahead runs when Nick Johnston’s deep fly ball to left field was dropped.
Nigel Christian’s single advanced Johnston to third. Both runners came home on a throwing error after Ian Dennis put the ball in play.
Dennis came home on another throwing error to extend Sequim’s lead to 6-1 with only one out.
Evan Hurn brought Daniel Harker in with a triple that rolled deep into the fenceless right field at Civic Field.
Hurn was 3 for 5 in the game with a double, a triple and three runs.
Rhodefer, who led off the inning and scored the first run, ended the scoring with a sacrifice that scored Hurn from third.
“I think we made four errors in that inning, so there’s seven outs in an inning. That will kill you,” Port Angeles coach Vic Reykdal said.
“We have played really good defense all year. I didn’t feel like the kids were pressing or they were nervous at all. It might have just been the fact of a high school team playing its fourth game in four days. I don’t know what else to attribute it to.
“That was uncharacteristic of us to do that.”
Sequim’s big third came an inning after Port Angeles pitcher Jordan Shepherd struck out the side in the bottom of the second.
“Their lefty, Shepherd is real tough, and he came out and was real tough early on, ” Ditlefsen said.
“And our kids, fortunately, they stayed in the game and didn’t get down when we gave up a lead, and they came back.”
“I give them a lot of credit.”
Port Angeles (2-4, 2-5) took an early lead in the first inning when shortstop Logan Ciaciuch singled and worked his way to third base before coming home on a sacrifice fly by Shepherd.
The Riders also had chances to cut into the Wolves’ lead, which grew to 10-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.
Port Angeles opened their half of the fourth hitting four straight singles, with Jace Bohman driving in Eathen Boyer.
But Christian, who started for Sequim and went five innings to earn the win, got Austin Roberson to fly out to center and struck out Ciaciuch.
Mudd singled to bring in Curran Bradley, but Christian closed the door by fanning Larsson Chapman.
Christian finished his day by striking out two of the three batters he faced in the fifth to finish with six strikeouts.
“He settled down and threw strikes,” Ditlefsen said.
“Port Angeles hits the very well, I’m not surprised that they him a little bit, but he’s . . . not hurting himself and we played good defense behind him.”
The Wolves scored one in the fifth and another in the sixth to make it 13-3 and put the Riders three outs away from mercy ending the game early.
Port Angeles again loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but only managed one run when Bohman came home on a fielder’s choice.
The Riders staved off the mercy rule, but stranded three runners.
“That’s been kind of our problem: we haven’t come up with the two-out hit all year,” Reykdal said.
Port Angeles, which finished its busy week with a 2-2 record, hosts Kingston (1-3) on Monday at Civic Field.
Sequim finishes its first run through the Olympic League with a road game against North Mason (3-3, 4-5) on Monday.
North Kitsap (4-2, 5-2) dropped out of a tie for first with an 8-6 loss to previously winless Bremerton on Friday.
Sequim 13, Port Angeles 4
Sequim 0 0 8 2 1 2 0 — 13 11 1
Port Angeles 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 — 4 8 5
WP- Christian; LP- Shepherd
Pitching Statistics
Sequim: Christian 5 IP, 7 H, 6 K, 2 BB; Rigg 2 IP, H.
Port Angeles: Shepherd 4 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 4 K; Mudd 2 IP, 4 H, 3 BB; Bradley IP, 3 BB, 2 K.
Hitting Statistics
Sequim: Wright 3-3, 2 R, RBI, 2 SB, 2 HBP; Hurn 3-3 2B, 3B, 3 R; Bates 2-5, 2 RBI, SB; Christian 1-3, R, 2 RBI; Lott 1-2, 2B, R, RBI, 3 BB.
Port Angeles: Ciaciuch 1-3, SB, R, RBI; Bohman 1-3, R; Mudd 1-4, RBI; Withrow 1-1, RBI, BB.
