PORT ANGELES — Wooden bat baseball returned to the Civic Field diamond Wednesday night as the host Port Angeles Lefties opened up the summer 2024 campaign with a 10-7 loss in a nonleague contest to the Redmond Dudes of the Pacific International League.
Port Angeles tried to stage a late-game rally, but couldn’t keep the Dudes off the scoreboard in the later innings.
Despite the loss, right-handed pitcher Colby Scheuber — who made the All-West Coast League second team last season with the Lefties — started off strong, tossing two innings of shutout ball as he looks to lock up the No. 1 starting role.
The Dudes got on the board first, striking for one run in the third inning as Charlie Deggeller — as part of a three-walk, three-run game — came across the plate to score.
Port Angeles tallied its first run in the fourth inning when Aiden Arriaga led off with a single, advanced to second on Lefties’ returner Roberto Garza-Núñez III base hit and to third on Colin Spear’s base on balls.
Arriaga then came home on a wild pitch. He ended up reaching base four times on the game for Port Angeles.
Garza-Núñez III — who just wrapped up his senior season at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott — added onto his strong second-team All-WCL season in 2023 with a 2-for-5 day and an RBI.
Redmond kept Port Angeles at arms length for the rest of the game, plating five in the fifth, three in the eighth and another insurance run in the ninth. Kaden Wu pinch hit in the eighth frame and had another at-bat in the ninth, reaching base and scoring both times.
The Lefties open the West Coast League season with a three-game weekend series today through Sunday on the road against the Wenatchee AppleSox.
First pitch tonight is 6:35 p.m.
Lefties broadcaster Thomas Johnson contributed to this report.
Redmond 10, Port Angeles 7
Redmond 0 1 0 0 5 0 0 3 1 — 10 12 0
Port Angeles 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 3 0 — 7 5 3
WP: Durvasula LP: Joyce
Pitching
Redmond — Cupic 4 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 6 K; Beebe IP, H, 3 R, ER, 3 BB, K; Durvasula 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K; Droz IP, H.
Port Angeles — Joyce 2 IP, 3 H, R, K; Price 0.2 IP; Acker 3 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; Verkuilen IP, H, K; Schumann 2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, K. Scheuber 2 IP.
Hitting
Redmond — Brown 2-3, BB, 2B, RBI; Varne 2-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI; Otte 2-4, RBI.
Port Angeles — Spear 1-3, R, BB, 2B; Giesegh 0-4, SF, R; Arriaga 1-2, HBP, 2 BB, 2 R; Nunez 2-4, BB, RBI.