SELAH — The Port Angeles softball team came within one big hit by Aberdeen of being in position for its first-ever state championship.
Aberdeen got a home run in the second inning from Rylee Hendrickson to make the score 2-0. That turned out to be the difference as it was Aberdeen celebrating its first state championship with a 2-1 victory at Carlon Park.
The Roughriders made it to the championship game for only the second time. It was 2017 when the team, led by superstar pitcher Nizhoni Wheeler, last played in the state championship. Wheeler threw three shutouts in the state tournament, but Port Angeles lost 5-1 to W.F. West in the championship game.
This year’s success came after a fourth-place finish at state last year.
In the championship game, Port Angeles ran into a buzzsaw in Aberdeen pitcher Lilly Camp. Camp finished the season with a staggering 342 strikeouts in 162 innings pitched. She held the Roughriders to three hits and struck out 13.
The Riders’ Heidi Leitz had an amazing state tournament in her own right. She pitched a perfect game in the semifinal victory over Mark Morris, striking out 19 of the 21 batters she faced.
Over the course of the state tournament, Leitz struck out 47 batters in 22 innings after coming in to the state tournament with 147 strikeouts. She allowed six hits, one walk and three earned runs during the tournament. For the entire four games of the tournament, Port Angeles allowed just three runs.
Title game
The Riders’ Leitz and Lynzee Reid went toe-to-toe with Hendrickson all game as they combined to allow six hits, while striking out seven. Reid, Leitz’s heir apparent for next season, was particularly strong, going the final four innings and allowing one hit.
After Hendrickson’s home run, the Riders did rally in the fourth inning to try and get back in the game. Kennedy Rognlien, who finished 2-for-3, got on base with a single. She moved to second base on a groundout.
Lexie Smith then hit a double deep to the outfield fence, easily scoring Rognlien from second. Unfortunately, Smith came off the bag after sliding into second and was tagged out, ending the rally.
That was the Riders’ last baserunner as Camp struck out the side in the fifth and sixth innings and got the Riders out three-up and three down in the seventh.
Port Angeles finished its season with a record of 22-3-1 with both an Olympic League championship and a West Central District 3 championship.
Semifinal Game Port Angeles 1, Mark Morris 0
In addition to Leitz’s perfect game, Morgan Politika came through with an RBI double to send the Roughriders to the Class 2A State Softball Tournament Championship game with a 1-0 win semifinal win over No. 2 Mark Morris Saturday morning at Carlon Park.
Leitz has taken her pitching to an unprecedented level at state, following up her no-hitter in Friday’s quarterfinal and one-hitter in Port Angeles’ tournament opener Friday.
Port Angeles’ bats were held in check by Mark Morris’ Makenzie Henthorn, who allowed just two hits all game.
The Riders scored the game’s lone run in the top of the third when Ava-Anne Sheahan reached on a leadoff error and Politika followed with a double to left field to drive her home.
Friday’s Games Port Angeles 8, Woodland 1
SELAH — Leitz tossed a complete game no-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the quarterfinal game against Woodland. Lynzee Reid pounded out four hits, and the Roughriders advanced to the state semifinals with an 8-1 win over No. 11 Woodland Friday evening.
Leadoff hitter Reid went 4-for-4 with two doubles, drove in three runs and scored twice. Leitz helped her own cause at the plate with by going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and two RBIs.
Mikkiah Stevens also drove in a run and Ava-Anne Sheahan scored twice in the victory.
Leitz just missed out on a perfect game, throwing one walk and having one runner reach via error.
Port Angeles 10, Cedarcrest 0
A six-run first inning provided No. 3-seeded Port Angeles all the offense it needed, and Leitz tossed a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts as the Roughriders rolled 10-0 in their Class 2A state softball tournament opener over No. 14 Cedarcrest in five innings at Carlon Park on Friday morning.
Leitz was dominant in the circle, throwing strikes on 56 of her 69 pitches (81 percent).
The Roughriders pounded out 11 hits, seven of them of the extra-base variety.
Back-to-back RBI doubles by Rognlien and Abby Kimball opened the scoring in Port Angeles’ first turn at-bat. Smith came through with an RBI single and Politika added a three-run triple. The rout was on at 6-0 after one frame.
Rognlien led off the second with a solo home run, Kimball and Smith also doubled, and Leitz ended the game with an RBI triple in the fifth.
Port Angeles’ Lynzee Reid bats against Mark Morris in the state semifinal Saturday in Selah. (Dan Rosenfield/Longview Daily News)
Port Angeles’ Kennedy Rognlien swings at a pitch Friday in Selah against Woodland as teammate Abby Kimball waits in the on-deck circle. (Dan Rosenfield/Longview Daily News)
