Miscues cost Peninsula in loss to Sequim

Young team coming together, but errors still problematic

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

The last time the Peninsula Seahawks fastpitch team played the Sequim Wolves, it wasn’t a pretty sight. They were rocked 13-2 on the road and committed seven errors.

Since then, Seahawks coach Pete Pratz, in his fourth year with the program, has been trying to remove errors and force the other team earn the victory.

Last Wednesday, it was a complete turnaround — up until the final two innings, when the Wolves tacked on five runs and beat Peninsula, 7-2.

Later in the week, the Seahawks (2-6 overall, 2-5 Class 3A/2A Olympic League) were shut out by the Olympic Trojans after the fifth inning.

Against Sequim, the Seahawks were leading 1-0 going into the fifth inning. Their defense, including senior pitcher Richelle White, had come to play.

But an infield error and a slow move in the outfield on a relay throw person put runners in scoring position.

The next hitter busted a triple into right-center, scoring two to give Sequim a 2-1 lead.

Still, Pratz said he noticed a considerable difference in his team’s defense.

The Seahawks jumped off to an early start, with Mackenzie Johnson hitting a single in the first inning. She stole second base and went to third on an overthrow.

White knocked her in with an RBI single.

After the Seahawks faltered in the fifth, the Wolves scored five runs in the last two innings for insurance.

Peninsula got on base in the bottom of the sixth with a base hit by junior pinch hitter Kaitlin Stainbrook.

However, Johnson’s routine fly out proved costly, as Stainbrook was doubled up at first base.

Later in the fifth, sophomore shortstop Ashley Holland singled and White followed with a double. Holland took off, scoring all the way from first.

Pratz said the score could have been cut to just one run with the middle of their lineup hitting.

“Our defense is getting better, but our bats are still young,” Pratz said.

White said she had a good feeling they were going to beat Sequim.

“I was a little disappointed we lost,” she said.

While just three Peninsula players are seniors, White said the team is slowly getting used to each other.

“The most improvement is that we are all meshing well together,” she said. “Last year, we had a team full of seniors, and now they are all gone. A whole new team needed to get together and understand how we play.”

One of those underclassmen is freshman catcher Ashley Bowles.

Bowles said it’s been a good year, especially since she’s getting a lot of varsity playing time.

“I thought we did good and we were holding them,” she said. “They just got some good hits, and we didn’t hit our cuts (cutoff players).”

If the Seahawks want to finish the season on a positive note, they’ll need to start playing better defense: In the last three games — prior to press time — Peninsula has committed 28 errors.

Half of those errors came game against Olympic, as the Seahawks mustered just three hits against a stingy Trojans defense.

Reach Sports Editor Marques Hunter at 253-853-9243 or marques.hunter@gateline.com.