PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles displayed some vulnerabilities but flashed plenty of power at the plate in overcoming Olympic 13-7 in an Olympic League 2A Division softball game Friday at Dry Creek.
It was the Roughriders’ 37th consecutive Olympic League victory, but the team had to work to earn the win.
Port Angeles (2-0, 4-1) spotted the Trojans (1-1, 3-2) a pair of first-inning home runs, a two-run shot by Molly Gates and a solo home run by cleanup hitter Kaytellin Graf, and trailed Olympic 3-0 after one frame.
“We got down by three but it was no big deal,” Riders coach Randy Steinman said. “They were a little quiet when they ran in for the huddle, but [the message] was ‘go hit, go hit.’ I knew we were going to score more than three runs and they just started hitting the ball.”
Did they ever. Port Angeles pounded out 16 hits, five of the extra-base variety, and rallied to remain right where its been for the last three seasons — atop the Olympic League standings.
Sophomore cleanup hitter Olivia Nevaril notched the first of her two doubles in the bottom of the first, a two-run shot just short of the fence in right-center field to get two runs back for the Riders.
A five-run second inning followed, highlighted by sophomore Ella Holland’s two-RBI single with the bases loaded, a hard-shot that nicked the glove of the Olympic first baseman and into shallow right field to score Lucah Folden and Callie Hall. Slugging senior Natalie Steinman followed up with a two-run triple. After Nevaril brought her in with a groundout, Port Angeles never relinquished the lead.
Freshman Jaida Cargo added a line-drive homer to center which chased Trojans’ starter Dani Snyder in the third and the Riders went up 9-4.
Port Angeles added four insurance runs in the fourth, including Nevaril’s second RBI double, a low screamer that caromed off the second-base bag to score Steinman who had previously doubled down the left-field line.
Hope O’Conner reached via error on a throw by the third baseman that went wide of first base and squirted through the legs of the Trojans’ right-fielder to score Nevaril and Brennan Gray.
Folden followed with an RBI single, her third hit of the game.
Olympic threatened to rally in the top of the sixth when Sadie Chipley’s RBI double chased Port Angeles’ starting pitcher O’Conner, leaving runners at second and third with one out.
Senior Callie Hall came on in relief, loaded the bases with a walk, but worked out of the jam with a popup to Gray at catcher and a groundout to Steinman at second base.
Hall allowed a single in the Trojans’ final at-bats, but struck out Graf on a changeup to close out the game.
“Callie came in and did a very nice job,” Steinman said. “Those hitters weren’t used to it [off-speed stuff] and that last pitch was a changeup.”
Port Angeles’ mistakes were relatively minor — forgetting to cover a base and allowing a runner to advance and holding at the bag too long on a bloop single to the outfield — early season issues that can be addressed.
“It’s a pretty young team here with lots of new kids in new spots,” Steinman said. “And if they continue to play with the kind of confidence they showed today we will be successful. With the type of hitters Olympic has, with how well they are coached, I’m real happy we played this well so early and got the win.”
The Riders host rival Sequim on Wednesday.
Port Angeles 13, Olympic 7
Oly 3 1 0 2 0 1 0 — 7 14 3
PA 2 5 2 4 0 0 X — 13 16 1
WP: O’Conner LP: Snyder
Pitching
Olympic — Snyder 2.2IP, 9H, 9R, K.; Kroeser 3.1IP, 7H, 4R, 2K.
Port Angeles — O’Conner 5.1IP, 13H, 7R, BB, HB, 2K; Hall 1.2IP, H, BB, K.
Hitting
Olympic — Gates 3-4, 2R, HR, 3RBI, BB; Graf 3-4, 2R, HR, 2RBI; Kroeser 3-4.
Port Angeles — Nevaril 2-4, R, 2 2B, 4RBI; Steinman 2-3, 3B, 2RBI; Folden 3-4, RBI; Cargo 2-3, R, HR, 2RBI; Holland 2-4, R, 2RBI, O’Conner 2-3, R, 2B.
