NANAIMO, B.C. — The Port Angeles Lefties’ bats woke up after three straight rough games at the plate, but they were unable to avoid a sweep Sunday at the hands of the Nanaimo NightOwls Sunday, losing the finale of the series 7-4.
Nanaimo won 9-1 Saturday and 3-0 Friday. The Lefties only managed four hits each in those games.
Port Angeles had nine hits Sunday, with three of them by BY Choi (Dallas Baptist), who also had an RBI. Brock Mayer (Chaffey College), playing at second base rather than at pitcher, went 2-for-4 and Ethan Young (Lafayette College) hit a double with two runs scored. Roberto Nunez (Embry-Riddle) had a hit and an RBI with a sac fly.
On the mound, Kole Acker (Port Angeles High School/Mount Hood CC) took the loss, allowing eight hits, one walk and four earned runs in four innings. The trio of Garrett Holpuch (Centralia Community College), Shea Blanchard (Hawaii Pacific) and Wes Peninger (Utah Valley) allowed one hit and one walk in three innings of work.
The Lefties (8-19) return to Port Angeles for a Fourth of July game Tuesday against the Wenatchee AppleSox with a special starting time of 7:15 p.m. so the game ends around the time that fireworks begin.
PA 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 4 9 1
Nan. 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 2 x — 7 11 2
WP: Hubbell LP: Acker WV: Pinedo.
Pitching
PA — Acker, 4 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, BB, K; Holpuch IP, K; Blanchard IP, BB; Peninger IP H, K; Lewis IP, 2 H, 2 ER, K.
Nan. — Willis 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K; Hubbell 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 K; Jones 3 IP, 4 H, 2 K; Pinedo IP.
Hitting
PA — Choi 3-4, RBI; Mayer 2-4; Young 1-3, 2B, 2 R, BB; Jackson 1-5, R, RBI.
Nan. — Hisle 2-4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI; Hupe 3-5, R, 2 RBI; Paulino 2-4, R, BB; Rivera 1-4, R, RBI.
Saturday’s game
Lefties starter Mayer held the NightOwls scoreless over the first three innings, but Nanaimo finally broke through for four runs in the fourth and that was enough in a 9-1 victory. Mayer took the loss, going 3⅔, allowing five hits and three earned runs while striking out six and walking one.
Young, listed as an outfielder, pitched well in relief, going two innings, allowing zero hits and zero walks while striking out two.
Trent Jackson (Hawaii-Hilo), scored the Lefties’ lone run with a solo home run in the eighth inning.
Nanaimo 9, Port Angeles 1
PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 4 0
Nan. 0 0 0 4 0 5 0 0 x — 9 9 1
WP: Hines. LP: Mayer.
Pitching
Port Angeles — Mayer 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, BB, 6 K; Quia 0.1 IP, 2 H, ER, BB; Mazza 1.2 IP, H, 5 ER, 6 BB, 3 K; Holpuch 0.1 IP, H, K; Young 2 IP, 2 K.
Nanaimo — Hines 5 IP, 2 H, BB, 8 K; Mattix 2 IP, H, BB, K; Fleury IP, H, ER, BB; Battye IP, BB, K.
Hitting
Port Angeles — Jackson 1-4, HR, R, RBI; Adams 1-2, Nunez 1-4, Taylor 1-4.
Nanaimo — Hendriks 2-4, R, 2 RBI; Little 2-3, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB; Ickes 2-4, R; Paulino 1-3, 2B, R, RBI; Hupe 1-5, 2B.
Friday’s game
The Lefties got another outstanding pitching performance against the Nanaimo NightOwls on Friday night, but couldn’t plate a run in a 3-0 loss.
It was the second straight pitchers’ duel for the Lefties, who lost Thursday 1-0 to Wenatchee.
Three Port Angeles pitchers allowed a total of seven hits and one walk.
Jack O’Brien (Hawaii Pacific) started the game, going six innings and allowing three earned runs, all in the first inning. He allowed six hits and one walk while striking out five. Acker pitched a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Holpuch pitched a scoreless eighth. O’Brien was the hard-luck loser.
A trio of Nanaimo pitchers allowed just four Lefties’ hits, three of which were by Owen Allsup (West Texas A&M). Derek Gifford (Howard Payne) had the Lefties’ other hit.
Nanaimo 3, Port Angeles 0
PA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 4 3
Nan. 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 x — 3 7 1
WP: Gurr LP: O’Brien SV: Christensen.
Pitching
Nanaimo — O’Brien 6 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, BB, 5 K; Kole Acker IP, H, 2 K; Holpuch IP.
Port Angeles — Gurr 6 IP, H, 4 K; Fenner IP, 2 H, Bb, 2 K; Christensen 2 IP, K.
Hitting
Nanaimo — Paulino 2-4; Easter 2-3, RBI, BB; Marsh 1-4, RBI.
Port Angeles — Allsup 3-4; Gifford 1-4.
