Fastpitch: Riders power past Wolves on ‘Pink’ day

Three teams have separated themselves from the rest of the Olympic League and Sequim is once again in the lead pack.

 

Three teams have separated themselves from the rest of the Olympic League and Sequim is once again in the lead pack.

With a split of league match-ups last week, the Wolves are at 7-2 and tied with Olympic for second place behind undefeated Port Angeles.

The as-of-yet-unconquered Roughriders overcame an early 2-0 deficit to knock off the host Sequim Wolves 10-2 on April 29, as both teams donned pink uniforms to promote cancer awareness.

Rider sophomore pitcher Nizhoni Wheeler tossed seven strong innings, only giving up a pair of unearned runs on the bottom of the second as Sequim (7-2 in league play, 10-4 overall) took a 2-0 lead.

Port Angeles (7-0, 12-0) rebounded to score five runs off starter Allysen Montelius in the fourth inning to take the lead, one they’d never relinquish, thanks to some timely hitting and several Sequim errors.

“It was routine plays,” Sequim head coach Mike McFarlen said. “(Without those), it was a lot closer than the score says.”

Sequim rebounded to knock off Kingston 9-6 on May 1.

The top four teams are vying for top seeds to the West Central District tournament, set for May 22-23 at Tacoma’s Sprinker Fields.

McFarlen said his team is looking to regroup and get back to its winning ways. “Lots of hard work — that’s all we can do,” he said. “Just hit the ball. This team is streaky. We’ve got to find a way to stay focused.”

Sequim was slated to host North Mason on May 5. The Wolves are at Black Hills for a non-league game on May 9 before playing at Port Angeles on May 12. Sequim closes the regular season with a home game against Kingston on May 14 and a non-leaguer at White River on May 20.


Olympic League standings

(as of May 3)

Team Lg.   Over.

Port Angeles 7-0 12-0

Olympic 7-2 11-3

Sequim 7-2 10-4

Bremerton 3-5 4-8

North Mason 3-6 3-8

Kingston 2-5 5-5

North Kitsap 0-9 0-13