Olympic League standings (as of March 25)
Team Lg. Over.
North Kitsap 3-0 5-2
Olympic 2-0 3-3
Port Angeles 2-0 3-3
Sequim 1-2 3-3
Kingston 0-2 0-5
Bremerton 0-2 1-4
North Mason 0-2 2-5
Following a shutout loss to their rivals from Port Angeles two days prior, Sequim’s Wolves got back to their winning ways by no-hitting an over-matched Mount Tahoma squad on March 23, capping a busy week that saw Sequim win three of four games.
Johnnie Young had a double, a triple and three RBIs, Silas Thomas drove in two and Joey Oliver had two hits in a 10-0, mercy-rule shortened affair in Sequim over Mount Tahoma’s Thunderbirds.
Sophomore Brandon Barnett tossed four innings of no-hit ball, striking out five and walking four. Hayden Eaton added a perfect fifth, striking out one.
Strong start
Sequim started the week with a non-league win, winning an eight-inning, 8-6 decision at Sammamish on March 18.
The Wolves plated two runs in the top of the eighth and held on for the non-league win, with Oliver picking up the win in relief after he tossed three scoreless, hitless innings.
Oliver also had two hits, two steals and three runs scored. Eaton had three of the Wolves’ 11 steals.
Sequim took advantage of a bit of wildness from Sammamish pitchers, walking seven times.
After Sammamish got to Sequim starter Brandon Barnett for five runs in three innings, Eaton threw two innings of relief, striking out three and giving up one unearned run.
Young shines
Two days later, Johnnie Young dominated an over-matched North Mason squad on 79 pitches as Sequim topped the Bulldogs, 10-1.
“He was in command of all his pitches,” Sequim coach Dave Ditlefsen said. “It was strike one, strike two all night, no matter what we called.”
Brother Michael Young went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Thomas was 1-for-3 with two RBIs, Barnett and Kyler Rollness both scored twice and Austin Newton drove in two with a fifth inning single.
Johnnie Young gave up five hits — four singles and a double — while striking out 10, and 60 pitches of 79 were strikes.
“We’re still pretty young … (but) we’re trying to get better every day,” Ditlefsen said. “We’re starting to see that.”
Troy McCormick started for the Bulldogs, giving up six runs (two earned) over three innings.
“That’s a four-year varsity pitcher they started,” Ditlefsen said. “He’s been tough on us.”
Jakob Stark was 2-for-3 with a double for North Mason.
See more photos from the game here.
Riders prevail
A loaded and talented Port Angeles Roughrider squad dominated their peninsula rivals in a mercy rule-shortened, 10-0 rout on March 21.
Eric Floodstrom had a home run and the Riders needed just four hits after Sequim pitchers gave up five walks and hit four batters.
Joey Oliver had Sequim’s two hits, both singles, and senior Hayden Woods tossed five shutout innings with seven strikeouts, needing just 59 pitches to knock off the Wolves.
“Hayden was very tough,” Ditlefsen said. “He was getting his off-speed stuff for strikes, too. It’s hard to simulate that in practice, the kids don’t see that too much.”
Woods, who threw 42 strikes in his 59 pitches, credited getting first-pitch fastballs across from strikes and the Riders’ defense backing him up for the strong outing.
“Fastballs, getting ahead in the counts and then just coming in with curveballs,” Woods said. “It was working all night, so I used that to my advantage. Having a lock-down defense helped, too.”
Looking ahead
Sequim was scheduled to host non-league foe Crosspoint — led by former SHS standout Derrin Doty — on March 26; details were not available at press time.
The Wolves are at Port Townsend on March 27 and host Bremerton on March 29 before heading into spring break. Sequim is back on the field April 10 at Kingston.
Sequim starter Johnnie Young hurls a complete game five-hitter in the Wolves’ 10-1 win over North Mason on March 20. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Sequim’s Michael Young dives back to first base in the Wolves’ March 20 win over North Mason. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
As Sequim coach Dave Ditlefsen looks on, SHS’s Hayden Eaton rounds third base and scores late in the Wolves’ 10-1 win over North Mason on March 20. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Sequim sophomore Caleb Pozernick gets into a pitch as the Wolves take on North Mason on March 20. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
