PORT ANGELES — A commanding pitching performance from starter Connor Spears and some timely hitting pushed Port Angeles to a 9-5 win over the Northwest Honkers at Civic Field on Friday night.
Played on a sweltering summer evening, Spears struck out 11 Honkers hitters in six innings on the hill, allowing no hits, no walks and just one runner to reach base via an error.
“I was spinning the ball really well,” Spears said. “When I’m staying on my four-seam [fastball] and really spinning it I will get a lot of swings underneath it and that complements my slider, curveball and changeup.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Lefties center fielder Garet Lake rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning on Thursday night at Port Angeles Civic Field.
“It was pretty easy tonight, I commanded the zone really well, kept guys off balance. I’m working on bringing back some of my shimmies, so messing with their timing a little bit. All those things kind of helped.”
The Lefties offense continued to shine against nonleague competition, with Port Angeles plating 69 runs in its last six contests, all wins.
Coleman Schmidt scored on a double steal attempt to get things going in the bottom of the second for the Lefties and Carson Crawford added a two-out RBI single for an early 2-0 lead.
Port Angeles added three more in the bottom of the fifth highlighted by Zach Thomas’ RBI triple. Thomas later came home on a passed ball for a 5-0 advantage.
Holding a 6-0 lead heading to the eighth inning, the Lefties’ allowed the Honkers back in the contest by plating five runs.
But Port Angeles answered back with its own big inning in the home half of the eighth.
Richie Amavizca doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a Jack Holman single.
Shea Thomas poked a double to the opposite field to score a run and Holman came home on a safety squeeze bunt by Nick Oakley for an 8-5 lead.
Luke Saunders capped the scoring by doubling with two outs and came home on an RBI double by Corey Sanchez.
Port Angeles 11, Highline Bears 1
The Lefties swept a three-game nonleague series with the Bears for the second time this season in a Thursday night game shortened to seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
Port Angeles received solo home runs by Garrett Lake in the first inning and Coleman Schmidt in the second to stake new pitcher Jonah Giblin to an early 2-0 lead.
Giblin, a Bainbridge High School product who spent his freshman season on the Oregon State roster, struck out four in three innings in his Lefties’ debut.
The righthander allowed no runs on one hit and two walks.
Port Angeles added four runs in the bottom of the third, scoring on a Jack Holman sacrifice fly, an RBI single by Nathan Chong, a double steal and an RBI double by Kai Saterstrom.
Schmidt also tracked down what looked to be a sure-home run in left-center, snagging a catch at the fence that saved a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.
Zach Thomas, a pitcher seeing some time in the lineup, added two hits in the win.
“I just try to do whatever I can to help the team at the end of the day,” Thomas said. “It’s always fun to hit.”
Steven Brooks went the rest of the way for Port Angeles, striking out five in four innings.
Keith Thorpe/Peninsula Daily News Lefties pitcher Jonah Giblin throws in the first inning against Highline on Thursday evening at Port Angeles Civic Field.
