POULSBO — The Vikings couldn’t overcome a pair of second-inning runs in a low-scoring, tight game featuring the Olympic League’s two best teams.
Isaac Richardson tossed 6 2/3 innings of six-hit ball and didn’t give up an earned run, but North Kitsap managed only six hits and one run against a pair of Port Angeles pitchers in a 2-1 loss on Friday.
“We knew it was going to be a low-scoring game, they’re a well-seasoned team,” said head coach Jeff Weible.
The game was originally scheduled to be played at Civic Field in Port Angeles, but poor field conditions because of the previous night’s rain moved the game to Poulsbo.
The April 29 regular season finale featuring these two teams will now be played at PA instead.
Both Roughriders runs came in the second inning. Wyatt Hall singled to lead off the inning and was awarded second on a wild throw that went out of play. Daniel Basden then laid down a bunt and Richardson threw to third to get the lead runner, but Hall was slid in safely.
Guerrero knocked a single into the outfield to put Port Angeles on the board and Taylor Flodstrom hit a fly ball to center field that was deep enough to score a second.
The Vikings had their chances — they got runners into scoring position in the first, second, fourth, sixth and seventh innings, but the big hit eluded them all afternoon.
“I didn’t think for a second we weren’t going to compete, battle and get back into the game,” Weible said.
The head coach was right. The Vikings battled all the way to the end.
Ryland Schmidt pinched-hit a single in the seventh to start the frame and Nick Alexander followed with another to put runners on first and second. Jared Reister bunted them over to second and third and Richardson knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly. But relief pitcher Scott Scofield induced a groundout to end the game.
Following Friday’s action, Port Angeles had improved to 6-0 in league play this season while North Kitsap was in second place at 5-1.
Port Angeles 2, North Kitsap 1
PA 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 2 6 2
NK 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 — 1 6 1
WP: Merrit LP: Richardson SV: Scofield
Pitching
Port Angeles — Merrit 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 3 K; Scofield 3 IP, 3 H, R, ER, K.
North Kitsap — Richardson 6.2 IP, 6 H 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K; Gowin IP.
Hitting
Port Angeles — Guerrero 1-3, RBI, BB; Flodstrom 1-3, RBI; Hall 1-3, R; Basden 0-3, R; Wood 1-4; Bowen 1-3; Lunt 1-1.
North Kitsap — Richardson 0-3, RBI; Schuchart 1-3, BB; Schmidt 1-1, R; Alexander 1-3; Larsen 1-2; Bower 1-3; Chmielewski 1-3.
Roughriders pull away late on big hits
PORT ANGELES — A pair of home runs helped Port Angeles pull away from North Kitsap and pull into a three-way tie for first place in the Olympic League.
Following Friday’s game, North Kitsap, Port Angeles and Olympic all had 4-1 records.
Things started out well for North Kitsap. Alicia Goetz and Samantha Burgh opened the game with singles and Goetz eventually came around to score on a wild pitch to give her team a 1-0 lead.
But some bad luck and poor execution would eventually cost them.
The Vikings, usually a sound defensive team, made four errors in the game, one of which aided Port Angeles in scoring its first two runs.
In the fifth, Goetz and Burgh again reached, putting runners on for Lamara Villiard, who lined a rocket into the right-center field gap. A great grab by Ella Holland robbed the Vikings of two runs that would have significantly closed the gap.
The Vikings also had runners on second and third with no one out in the sixth after a walk to Mackenzie Wagner and a double by Iyreland Lawson, but Port Angeles ace Hope O’Connor came on in relief and defused the threat.
Port Angeles 9, North Kitsap 1
NK 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 7 4
PA 0 0 2 1 1 5 x — 9 12 0
WP: Watson-Charles LP: Stockman
Pitching
North Kitsap — Stockman 5 IP, 1o H 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K; Smith IP, 2 H, 2 R.
Port Angeles — Watson-Charles 5 IP 7 H, R, 4 BB, 3 K; O’Connor 2 IP, 2 K.
Hitting
North Kitsap — Burgh 2-3; Lawson 1-2, 2B, BB; Goetz 1-3, BB, R; Keller 1-3.
Port Angeles — Roening 2-3, BB, HR, 2 RBI; Smithson 3-3, BB, RBI; O’Connor 2-4, 2B, RBI; Nevaril 1-4, R, HR, 4 RBI; Holland 2-3, 2R; Rudd 1-3, R; Politika 1-4.
— Michael Carman of the Peninsula Daily News, a sister publication of the North Kitsap Herald, contributed to this report.
— Mark Krulish is a reporter for Kitsap News Group. He can be reached at mkrulish@soundpublishing.com. Follow him on Twitter @MKrulishKDN.
North Kitsap’s Sarah Smith lines up the pitch as Port Angeles catcher Zoe Smithson waits for the delivery during Friday’s game in Port Angeles. (Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News)
