PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles softball team keeps graduating great players to college programs every year, yet the team keeps rolling with another exceptional team that improved to 8-1-1 on the season with a 17-0 victory over Bremerton.
The victory put the Roughriders all alone in first place in the Olympic League with a 5-0 league record, ahead of two teams in the league that are in the top seven in the state in Ratings Percentage Index. Olympic beat North Kitsap this weekend, while Port Angeles had its biggest win of the year a couple of weeks ago over powerhouse Olympic. Olympic, 4-1 in league, is ranked No. 7 in the state in RPI, while North Kitsap, also 4-1, is No. 6. Ironically, league-leading Port Angeles actually dropped from No. 7 to No. 9 in RPI in the state with Monday’s victory over Bremerton because Bremerton has a poor won-loss record.
Port Angeles doesn’t get a crack at North Kitsap until May 1, when they play the Vikings twice in four days at home and then at Poulsbo on May 5. In fact, they get three tough games in a row against Olympic and North Kitsap that week.
After battling Olympic in a 4-3 win on March 27, the Riders have scored 50 runs in their past three games.
“All of our seniors are doing a great job. All of our players are playing together. Our seniors are bringing our four freshmen along and teaching them how we do things,” said coach Morgan Worthington.
“I think we have a lot of potential,” said senior Lexie Smith, off to a hot start this season with 15 RBIs.
The Riders are riding high even though they graduated two-time Olympic League MVP Natalie Robinson. One of their starters from last year, Lindsay Smith, is also missing softball because she is rehabbing a knee she injured during basketball season.
“Morgan [Politika] is doing very well filling in Natalie’s shoes,” Lexie Smith said.
“It sucks not to have [sister] Lindsay here, but I want her to be healthy for her senior year,” Smith said.
In Monday’s game, Heidi Leitz and Lynzee Reid combined for a one-hitter. Leitz started and pitched three hitless innings, striking out eight out of the nine batters she faced. Reid pitched the final two innings, allowing one hit and striking out one.
At the plate, Abby Kimball had a huge day, with a double, a home run and three RBIs. Leitz was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Lexie Smith was 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a sac fly, while Ava-Anne Sheahan was 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
The team did damage completely down the lineup as Kennedy Rognlien, Adi Richard, Persephone Perry, Juno Rognlien and Lilly Anne Lancaster all had a hit and an RBI.
Port Angeles (8-1-1, 5-0) should get a tougher test on the road Thursday when the Riders play one of the better teams in the league, Kingston (4-2, 6-4).
Port Angeles 17, Bremerton 0
Brem. 0 0 0 0 x x — 0 1 8
PA 3 5 5 4 x x — 17 14 1
Pitching
PA — Leitz 3 IP, 8 K; Reid 2 IP, H, K.
Hitting
PA — Kimball 2-2, HR, 2B, R, 3 RBI; Smith 2-2, SF, 2 R, 2 RBI; Leitz 2-4, 2 R, RBI; Sheahan 2-3, R, RBI.
