BREMERTON — Two catchers put on a pitching clinic Tuesday as Kitsap Baseball turned in a 15-1 win over Central Kitsap 1 in Senior Babe Ruth League action.
Kitsap Baseball, a Senior Legion/Senior Babe Ruth League team comprised of some of the top high school talent from the northern and central reaches of the county, had no trouble trouncing Central, despite using some of its players outside their normal positions.
Klahowya catcher Seth Green got the win when he took the mound for the first time this season and refused to allow a single run in four innings.
“I’m not normally a pitcher,” Green said. “I had to experiment this game.”
Green, who struck out eight and allowed just four hits, had plenty of support from the Kitsap offense, which built an 11-run cushion in the first two innings.
North Kitsap High School’s Luis Serrato and Trevor Bennett led the offensive charge for Kitsap. Bennett went 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, while Serrato was 3-for-3 with an RBI. Jamaal Smith, Rico LeMay and Curtis Wildung each had a pair of RBI as well.
Central scored its only run in the top of the fifth, when Kingston’s Wildung, who caught the first four innings, traded places with Green and gave up two hits, including an RBI double to Travis Chapman.
“Curtis was bugging me all game long to pitch, and he promised that if he gave up the shutout he’d run three laps,” said Kitsap head coach Brent Stenmann, an assistant with the North Kitsap High School program.
Despite giving up the run, Wildung, who had not pitched in a year, struck out three and ended the match thanks to the league’s 10-run rule.
“It felt good to be up there and just throw the ball as hard as I could,” said a breathless Wildung after finishing his laps.
The Kitsap Baseball squad is made up primarily of players from North Kitsap, Kingston and Klahowya. Stenmann said he has been pleased so far with the way the players from rival schools have worked together to win five of their first seven games.
“We’re having to work a little bit more as far as what we want them to do and what our style is, but so far so good,” Stenmann said. “It’s a matter of mixing the kids, because they’re coming from several different schools. Chemistry is a big part of it, as far as getting them to bond with each other, getting to know each other and getting along.”
With Tuesday’s win, Kitsap Baseball improved to 5-2 on the season. The team’s only losses have been suffered at the hands of Longview Red Lion — with whom they split a double header to begin the season — and Gig Harbor’s Narrows Baseball. A rematch with Longview was scheduled for Wednesday, but the Red Lion squad was not able to make the mid-week trip to Bremerton and canceled at the last moment.
Kitsap Baseball plays Central Kitsap 2 today at 6:30 p.m. at Legion Field in Bremerton. After a five-game road trip, Kitsap returns for a rematch with Narrows June 17 at 6 p.m. at Legion Field.
