POULSBO — Back in 1998, Baseball coach Steve Frease enjoyed his best year as North’s skipper, going 22-2 and making it as far as the regionals in the post-season.
But ask Frease how his current team measures up to the talented squad he coached six years ago, and the answer you’ll get is quick and to the point.
“This is as good a team as the ‘98 team,” Frease said. “We’re very solid defensively.”
He has good reason for saying so. A North Kitsap 5-0 blanking of Gig Harbor Wednesday continues the momentum of a team that is now 5-0 in league and 8-2 overall.
Dan Peck continued his mastery on the mound, pitching a complete game shut-out, striking out six while surrendering only two hits. He was also two-for-three from behind the plate.
“(Peck)’s taken the next step up,” Frease said. “He’s changing his speeds well.”
“I always try to work ahead in the count,” Peck said. “Throw a lot of off-speed stuff and let the defense do the work.”
Marcus Curtis continued his solid year at the clean-up spot, going two-for-three with an RBI.
“We’ve been stepping it up all year,” Curtis said. “We’ve really bonded as a team.”
Gig Harbor had come into the game on a two-game win streak, one that saw the Tides out-score their Bremerton and Wilson opponents 35-5.
“We used up all of our hits the last two games,” Gig Harbor coach Pete Jansen said in jest. “They defensively won this game. Maybe it was just poor timing on our part.”
For the Vikings? Business as usual.
“We’re playing the way this team expects to play,” the Vikes’ Jared Prince said. “And we expect to come out and win each game.”
An impregnable defense that’s giving up few, if any, runs each game has allowed the Viking hitters to swing away at bat.
“Our pitching is the focal point of this team,” said NK’s Miles Thompson, who went one-for-three in the game with a double. “Our defense really takes care of everything.”
“We always try to get runs early,” Peck said. “It puts all the pressure on the other team.”
Most of North Kitsap’s offense in the game occurred in the bottom of the second inning, with Viking no. 8 bat Thompson hitting a one-out double to begin a four-run inning. Gig Harbor’s Jeremy Ellison, on the mound for the Tides, hit NK’s Jordan Henry in the arm to put two men as North went to the top of its order.
Viking Travis Tobin didn’t take long to take advantage of the situation, blasting a waist high pitch back up the middle to score Thompson from second. An errant throw to third by Gig Harbor center fielder Matt Pleau went into NK’s dugout, and both Henry and Tobin scored on the costly mistake.
Viking pitcher Peck, helping his own cause, hit a bloop single into shallow center and Prince was intentionally walked to put two more on for NK. Cleanup man Curtis proceeded to hit a double through the hole at shortstop, scoring Peck’s baserunner, Kyle Sizemore.
At that point, Gig Harbor Coach Jansen had seen enough, pulling Ellison and replacing him with Tide Troy Burki. Burki then struck out North’s next two batters, Jeff Camus and Kevin Gartin, to end the inning.
The only other scoring on the day was done in the bottom of the fifth, with North using the rare suicide squeeze play to put one more run on the board. The Vikes’ Camus drew a one-out walk and Gartin hit a bloop single to right field, but an error by Tide first baseman Matt Searer advanced the two to second and third. With North’s Thompson at the plate, Camus took off from third during Gig Harbor pitcher Burki’s wind-up. Camus easily slid under Tide catcher Kevin Owens’ glove for the score.
North Kitsap (5-0 league, 8-2 overall) will play at Olympic at 4 p.m. April 12 and play at Central Kitsap at 3:45 p.m. April 14.
