CHIMACUM — Clallam County baseball fans were sorely disappointed when Class 1A state powerhouse Chimacum was rained out from playing in Port Angeles against the tough 2A Roughriders on Wednesday.
This was one matchup many high school fans were looking forward to. It’s not too often that the defending 1A state champion plays a game in Clallam County.
“We were as disappointed as anybody,” Chimacum coach Jim Dunn said.
“We really wanted to play that game.”
For one thing, the Cowboys just haven’t played many games, and there are just four contests left in the regular season for them to play and get ready for state.
Weather permitting.
“This has been a brutal year for games [not being played],” Dunn said. “It’s been frustrating.”
The Cowboys have played just 11 games. They are 11-0 overall and 8-0 in the Nisqually League.
Slow start
Chimacum went 2½ weeks since the first day of practice before it got a game in and then the Cowboys played on a Thursday, Friday, Monday and Tuesday to get at least four games in but then waited another two weeks to play the fifth game.
That two-week period, probably when the area had the best weather of spring, was spring break.
At least one of the weeks was officially spring break.
The Cowboys took off spring break week, and then took the next week off, too, because the 1A Nisqually League is loaded with religious schools, which also take off the week after Easter.
“We’re worn out but we have no reason to be worn out,” Dunn said.
“We’re tired of practice, we’re tired of rainy weather, we’re just tired.”
The other thing Dunn was looking forward to Wednesday was playing against better competition.
Nisqually League teams just haven’t given the Cowboys much to worry about this year.
Charles Wright Academy, which was supposed to battle Chimacum for the league title, got blown out 13-0 and 11-0 the two times the teams played.
“I was expecting more from them because of who they had coming back this year,” Dunn said.
The Roughriders would have been a nice challenge for the Cowboys.
And oh, what a pitching matchup fans missed.
“I was going to have both Landon Cray and Quinn Eldridge pitch in the game because it’s been awhile since they threw,” Dunn said.
Cray and Eldridge are probably the top pitching duo in 1A baseball. Both are dominating teams they face this year.
Cray has signed with Division I Seattle University and Eldridge is playing at Tacoma Community College next year. Cray also is a three-time Nisqually League MVP and all-state player.
There’s a good chance that Port Angeles coach Bob Withrow would have put his ace, big 6-foot-8 Easton Napiontek, on the mound for at least a couple of innings for the nonleague showdown.
Napiontek was set to throw against North Kitsap in an Olympic League game Tuesday but that game also was rained out.
Eldridge, Cray and all-league catcher Austin McConnell are all four-year varsity players for Chimacum.
McConnell would be the No. 3 pitcher but hasn’t seen a lot of action on the mound this year because the Cowboys don’t have catching depth behind him.
Last year McConnell pitched a lot more because the Cowboys had a strong No. 2 catcher.
“I would love to have Austin pitching a little more,” Dunn said.
Egan Cornachione, the starting third baseman, has taken up the pitching slack this year and has earned three wins.
McConnell, meanwhile, is a standout catcher.
“Austin handles the pitchers very well,” Dunn said.
The Chimacum coach knows the value of good catching because his team takes advantage of poor catching that is rampant in the Nisqually League.
The Cowboys have 60 stolen bases in their 11 games. They even had eight stolen bases when they played 2A Sequim a couple of weeks ago.
“Our kids are very good at getting a jump, and of reading the pitchers,” Dunn said.
“The pitchers have been pretty easy to read.”
Dunn will start Mike Nordberg in today’s game at home against Seattle Christian as the Cowboys head down the stretch.
Nordberg will pitch the first two innings and then Dunn will have Cray and Eldridge throw a couple of innings each to keep them sharp.
Eldridge is set to start Monday’s game at Cascade Christian, and Cray will start the final home contest of the season, a makeup game against Cascade Christian, on Tuesday.
Dunn is undecided who will pitch the final game Wednesday at Life Christian.
Don’t overlook hitting
The Cowboys aren’t just about their pitching. Their hitting’s not too shabby, either.
McConnell and Eldridge both have better batting averages than Cray, but a team doesn’t want to face Cray at the plate.
Cray has 40 hits in the 11 games.
“Landon is a hitting machine,” Dunn said.
“He’s the one I want at the plate in the seventh inning with two outs, a runner on second and we need a run,” Dunn said.
“Of course I don’t want first base open because they will walk him.”
The Cowboys, state champions in two of the past five years, have finished in the top three the past three seasons and are going for their second title in a row.
Pressure? Not for this state-class team.
“I don’t think we’re feeling pressure,” Dunn said.
“The only thing I’m feeling is uncertainty.
“Are we ready yet?
“It would be nice to get our last four games in and start peaking just before the playoffs.”
