PORT ANGELES — Errors spelled trouble for the Port Angeles girls softball team in an 11-5 season-opening loss to the White River Hornets on Saturday at Dry Creek Elementary School.
“We made it tough on ourselves with our fielding,” Roughriders coach Randy Steinman said.
“You can’t give a team that good those extra outs.”
The Hornets won the Class 2A West Central District championship last season and are a likely postseason candidate again this season.
Port Angeles starting pitcher Sarah Steinman retired the first two batters she faced to open the game before allowing one run on three straight singles to White River hitters.
The would-be third out of the inning, a slow pop fly was mishandled by center fielder Carly Gouge, allowing a second Hornets player to cross the plate.
Another Riders error on a ground ball put the third White River run on the board before Steinman ended the two-out rally with her second strikeout.
Port Angeles answered with one run in the bottom of the first after Haley Gray drew a walk and advanced to second on a single by Sarah Steinman.
Gray later scored on an infield single by Tori Kuch to make it 3-1 Hornets after one frame.
“We hit the ball real well today, did a good job at the plate,” Randy Steinman said.
Sarah Steinman had a 3-2 count on White River shortshop Brookyln Isaacs, but Isaacs stayed patient at the plate, fouling off four straight pitches, before hitting a three-run homer to left field with one down in the top of the second inning.
Hornets pitcher Kayla Smith helped her own cause with a two-run double in the top of the third to put White River up 8-1.
Port Angeles’ Alicia Howell answered back, hitting a three-run homer of her own in the bottom of the third after Gray drew her second walk and Steinman singled to right.
Smith put two more across for the Hornets with a two-run single in the top of the fifth and later scored on a double by Isaacs for an 11-4 lead.
Port Angeles couldn’t climb that big of a hill in their last at bats.
Gouge reached base on an error and advanced to third on a wild pitch before Gray singled her home for the game’s final score.
The Riders visit Class 4A Gig Harbor for a nonleague game Monday.
White River 11, Port Angeles 5
White River 3 3 2 0 3 0 0 — 11 12 2
Port Angeles 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 — 5 8 5
WP- Kayla Smith (1-0); LP- Sarah Steinman (0-1)
Pitching Statistics
Port Angeles: Steinman 3 IP, 5K; Wheeler 2 IP, 2K.
