SEQUIM — Speed, smarts and savvy pitching lifted the unbeaten Port Angeles softball team to a 6-0 triumph against rival Sequim.
Starting pitcher Nizhoni Wheeler was in a groove for the Roughriders, the velocity on her pitches disrupting any sense of timing for the Wolves in Wednesday’s complete-game two-hit shutout.
Wheeler walked one and struck out 13, leaving many Sequim batters shaking their heads on the short walk back to the home dugout.
“Tonight we just got shut down by a really good pitcher,” Wolves coach Mike McFarlane said.
“At the end of the day, you have to put the ball in play, get some runners on and turn up the pressure.
“We weren’t able to do that, and I give them credit. They are a real strong team, and well-coached.”
Port Angeles, meanwhile, piled on the pressure, placing the leadoff runner on base in four straight innings, beginning in the second frame.
Kylee Reid singled, moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt and to third on a passed ball.
Reid was stalled at third when Sequim pitcher McKenzie Bentz picked up consecutive strikeouts to slip out of the inning unscathed.
“McKenzie Bentz pitched well for Sequim, too,” Riders coach Randy Steinman said. “Especially in the early innings. She was keeping us off balance and mixing in a variety of pitches.”
Taylar Clark was patient at the plate in the Riders’ opening at-bat in the top of the third.
She worked the count to 3-0, took a couple of called strikes as Bentz worked her way back into it, and eventually walked.
Sierra Robinson stayed alive with five straight foul balls, finally reaching base on a tapper down the third-base line that moved a sliding Clark at third base.
Robinson then stole second and Clark scored on the throw from the catcher for a 1-0 Port Angeles lead.
A Lauren Lunt grounder brought home Robinson when the throw to first base went wide, giving the Riders a 2-0 lead.
Port Angeles added three more runs in the top of the fourth inning.
Nikki Price opened with a single, Clark bunted herself aboard when the Wolves failed to cover first base, and Robinson loaded the bases with a well-executed drag bunt.
“The bunting, we have been preparing for those situations,” Steinman said.
“We had a great practice yesterday, and we executed beautifully today in the bunt situations, running the bases, taking extra bases and trying to put the pressure on the defense.”
Lunt then golfed a squibbler into the shallowest part of shallow left field, on the first fringes of outfield grass, for a two-run single.
“We’ve been waiting for one of those all year,” Steinman said of the bloop single.
“It’s nice when we can get those breaks like that.”
Wheeler followed with a sacrifice bunt to bring home Robinson and put Port Angeles up 5-0.
Wheeler then allowed the only solid Sequim hit of the day, an Allysen Montelius double to the gap in left-center field to open the bottom of the fourth.
But Wheeler responded well, striking out three of the next four batters to get out of the closest thing to a jam she would encounter.
“Once she figured out the strike zone and was able to get in a rhythm, she dominated,” Steinman said.
“She had control of her pitches, she was hitting her spots. She had one inning where she got the ball up a little bit, but she settled back down.
“She was in command of every pitch.”
Port Angeles added its final run when slugger Natalie Steinman doubled to the right-center field gap to score Jaidyn Larson in the top of the seventh inning.
Randy Steinman was pleased with the outcome, calling it a “great day for us.”
But he noted that his team did miss out on adding to its lead, stranding 11 runners on base.
“We could have used another Lauren Lunt squibbler to bring in a couple of runs, or another shot to the gap to clear the bases,” Steinman said.
“It was a good game, though. They [Sequim] were the victims of some tough hops on this concrete infield. In those situations, what do you do? You protect yourself and sometimes that leads to errors.
“But Nizhoni shut them down, and we used our speed, some good bunts and execution, and we got the win.”
The first-place Riders (7-0, 15-0) lead Olympic (6-2, 9-4) and Sequim (5-2, 12-3) in the Olympic League 2A Division standings.
Port Angeles visits Bremerton (1-6, 2-9) today.
The Wolves will honor their seniors in their last home game against Kingston (3-4, 3-6) today.
Port Angeles 6, Sequim 0
Port Angeles 0 0 2 3 0 0 1 — 6 12 1
Sequim 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2 5
WP- Wheeler; LP- M. Bentz
Pitching Statistics
Port Angeles: Wheeler 7 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 13 K.
Sequim: M. Bentz 7 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K.
Hitting Statistics
Port Angeles: Lunt 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI; Wheeler 2-4, RBI; Steinman 1-5, 2B, RBI; Reid 2-3, Price 2-3, R; Clark 1-1, BB, 2 R; Robinson 1-4, 2 R.
Sequim: Montelius 1-2, BB.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
