OLYMPIA — The Port Angeles softball team got a No. 1 seed at the Bi-district tournament that begins Friday and Sequim also received a nice seed putting the Wolves one game away from the state tournament.
The Olympic League is exceptionally strong in softball with five teams in the top 20 in Ratings Percentage Index rankings. Port Angeles (17-2 overall), ranked No. 3 in the state in RPI and the Olympic League champion, got the top seed in the bi-district and will face No. 8 seed White River.
While the Hornets are a middle seed, they have a very solid 13-5 record and finished in a three-way tie for second in the South Puget Sound League. White River is No. 17 in the RPI rankings.
That game will be played at 2 p.m. Friday at the RAC fields in Lacey. If the Roughriders win, they automatically qualify for the state 2A tournament that begins May 27 in Selah. It would be the Riders’ first trip to state since 2019.
If the Riders win, they would next play an Olympic League foe, either four-seed North Kitsap (14-4, No. 10 RPI) or five-seed Olympic (14-4, No. 11 RPI) at 10 a.m. Saturday.
If the Riders lose, they go into the consolation bracket, where they would have to win three straight to qualify for state. They would play either Tyee (5-8) or North Mason (11-8, No. 20) at 4 p.m. Friday.
Sequim (12-6, No. 15 RPI) will begin by playing KingCo 2A champion Sammamish (15-4, No. 22 RPI) at noon Friday. Though Sammamish is a league champion, the KingCo 2A is a weak softball league with teams going 12-19 against teams outside the league. By contrast, Olympic League teams went 22-3 against opponents outside the league.
If the Wolves win, they would also automatically qualify for state. They would play against at 10 a.m. Saturday against either Fife (13-5, No. 16) or SPSL champion Enumclaw (15-4, No. 13).
If the Wolves lose, they go into the consolation bracket, needing to win three straight to make state. They would play either Evergreen (Seattle) (8-10) or Washington (7-9) at 4 p.m. Friday.
The tournament’s championship game and third-/fourth-place games are both set for 2 p.m. Saturday. The consolation semifinals are at 2 p.m. Saturday and the championship is at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Both the Riders and Wolves are seeking their first return to the state 2A tournament since 2019. There was no softball at all in 2020 and no state tournament in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
