PORT ANGELES — The Port Angeles girls softball team took care of business against a North Kitsap team that is one of the best in the state.
Now, they have to do it again on Monday.
The Roughriders blanked North Kitsap 7-0 on Thursday behind a two-hit, nine-strikeout performance from Heidi Leitz, vaulting Port Angeles back into first place all alone in the hyper-competitive Olympic League.
How competitive is it? Port Angeles (No. 6), North Kitsap (No. 7) and Olympic (No. 9) are all ranked in the top 10 in Ratings Percentage Index in the state.
With the win, the Riders also bounced back from a heartbreaking loss earlier in the week against Olympic, which won the game 11-9 thanks to a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning.
“We played a great game against Olympic, it just didn’t go our way,” said coach Morgan Worthington.
Worthington said that, in addition to Leitz’s great game, catcher Abby Kimball called a good game and the defense played a great, error-free game. While North Kitsap had some problems with a bright sky, the Port Angeles outfielders corralled every ball that came their way.
“And they hit some high, towering fly balls,” Worthington said.
Leitz missed the game against Olympic because of a commitment to the DECA International Career Development Conference.
“It feels so good” to bounce back after the Olympic loss, Leitz said. “I think this win really helps our confidence going into Monday.”
This game was close until the sixth inning, when the Riders strung together a bunch of hits to score three runs and give Leitz a lot of insurance in the circle. The inning was punctuated by two deep doubles to the outfield fence by Ava-Anne Sheahan and Lynzee Reid.
While Leitz was in complete command, the Riders pounded out 10 hits total, with Kennedy Rognlien doing much of the damage. She went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Reid was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Leitz drove in two runs to help her cause.
With the win, the Riders moved to 9-1 in league (12-2-1 overall). North Kitsap is 8-2 and Olympic is 9-2.
If the Riders win Monday, they won’t win the league title but would be in command with games still remaining against a decent North Mason team that gave Port Angeles a hard time earlier this year and another game against a weak Bremerton team that the Riders should win. If Port Angeles loses Monday, it could set up a three-way tie for first place among the three powerhouses.
Port Angeles 7, North Kitsap 0
NK 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 2 0
PA 0 0 0 2 2 3 x — 7 10 0
Pitching
Port Angeles — Leitz 7 IP, 2 H, 9 K.
Hitting
Port Angeles — Rognlien 3-4, HR, R, 2 RBI; Reid 2-4, 2B, 2 R, RBI; Leitz 1-4, 2 RBI; Sheahan 1-3, 2B, R; Stevens, R, RBI; Politika 1-2, R, RBI.
________
Sports Editor Pierre LaBossiere can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.
