CHIMACUM — It wasn’t pretty but the Chimacum Cowboys are right where they want to be.
Chimacum’s baseball team, the defending 1A state champion, is in the regionals again after beating Lynden Christian 7-2 at home in the first round of tri-district play Wednesday.
Despite a sloppy game with five errors, the Cowboys took control of the game in the fifth inning with four runs and breezed to the win.
Now Chimacum (16-0) plays two seeding games at Joe Martin Stadium in Bellingham on Saturday.
Lynden Christian, though, is in the fight of its life with a couple of loser-out games Saturday just for the right to play for the final tri-district seed in the consolation bracket.
The Cowboys play Cedar Park Christian in the tri-district semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday and that winner then would play the winner between state powerhouse Meridian and Charles Wright Academy in the championship game at 7 p.m.
Quinn Eldridge, Michael Nordberg, Austin McConnell and Landon Cray all combined for a two-run, four-hitter against Lynden Christian in the first round.
The Cowboys had only five hits but they came at good times as Lucas Dukek led the way with a double and two RBIs while Eldridge went 1 for 2 with an RBI.
Chimacum 7, Lynden Christian 2
Lynden 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 — 2 4 3
Chimacum 1 0 0 0 4 2 x — 7 5 5
WP- McConnell; LP- Tevelde
Pitching Statistics
Chimacum: Eldridge 3 IP, Nordberg 1 IP, McConnell 2 IP, Cray 1 IP.
Hitting Statistics
Lynden Christian: Heystek 3-3.
Chimacum: Dukek 1-3, 2B, 2 RBIs; Eldridge 1-2, RBI.
Interlake 2,
Port Angeles 1
BREMERTON — The Roughriders lost a pitchers’ duel and now have their backs to the wall at the 2A bi-district tournament.
Interlake of Bellevue, which beat Sequim 7-6 in an eight-inning squeaker in sub-district play last weekend, also beat Port Angeles in a heartbreaker Wednesday in the bi-district quarterfinals at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds.
The Riders now must win two loser-out games Saturday just to get to a do-or-die contest Monday for the final seed to regionals.
And those first two games won’t be easy as the Riders face archrival Sequim in the consolation quarterfinals at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds, and that winner might be facing bi-district top seed White River in the consolation semifinals at 5 p.m. Saturday at Foss High School.
The site and time for the Sequim game was changed from Foss High School at 11 a.m. to the Kitsap fairgrounds at 10 a.m.
The Hornets were upset 4-0 by Kingston in the quarterfinals Wednesday and now must claw their way out of the consolation bracket.
Meanwhile, North Kitsap — the Olympic League champion — lurks in the consolation bottom bracket and could be waiting for the top-bracket winner in the consolation final game Monday.
The Vikings were upset 2-0 by Sumner in the quarterfinals.
The Riders, though, did not fall into the consolation bracket without a fight.
They stayed with Interlake toe-to-toe as ace pitcher Easton Napiontek, headed to Central Washington University next year, gave up two unearned runs on just four hits while striking out 11 and walking only one in seven innings.
It was a true pitchers’ duel as Interlake’s Austin Strother gave up one earned run on just three hits while fanning 10 in seven innings. He did issue eight walks, though.
Interlake scored in the fourth inning with the bases loaded and two outs off an error at first base that would have ended the inning.
The Riders scored with two outs on a bases-loaded hit batter in the sixth inning.
Eli Fiscilini led the Riders at the plate with a double and a run scored while catcher Marcus Konopaski walked three times and went 1 for 1.
Interlake 2, Port Angeles 1
Interlake 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 — 2 4 3
Port Angeles 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 1 3 3
WP- Strother; LP- Napiontek
Pitching Statistics
Interlake: Strother 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 10 K, 8 BB.
Port Angeles: Napiontek 7 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 11 K, 1 BB.
Hitting Statistics
Interlake: Romero 1-3, R.
Port Angeles: Marcus Konopaski 1-1, 3 BB; Fiscilini 1-3, 2B, R.
Boys Soccer
Port Angeles 2, Clover Park 0
SILVERDALE — Anthony Brandon scored both goals to get the Roughriders within a win of the state playoffs.
The victory snapped a long playoff drought for the Riders, whose last playoff success was a second-place finish in 4A state in 2000.
Port Angeles (9-4-4) now will take on Sumner, the No. 2 South Puget Sound League team, in a loser-out seeding game to state at 11 a.m. Saturday at Foster High School in Tukwila.
“We need to do a better job of finishing opportunities and have a better overall game in order to beat Sumner on Saturday,” Port Angeles coach Chris Saari said.
On Wednesday, the Riders outshot the Clover Park Warriors 21-6 and scored their two goals in the second half after a scoreless deadlock at halftime.
Brandon first scored on a breakaway in the 58th minute, assisted by Tamrat Haskins.
Brandon then added an insurance goal on another breakaway assisted by Sam Beasley in the 65th minute.
The Riders had multiple good scoring chances in the first half but failed to capitalize partially due to some great saves from Warrior goalkeeper Ivan Luna.
Port Angeles goalkeeper Jack Doryland, the current Port Angles High School co-athlete of the week, recorded his sixth shutout of the season.
Saari named Brandon the offensive player of the match, Nick Ioffrida the defensive player of the game and Haskins the transition player of the match.
Softball
Forks wins 3 of 4
The youthful Spartans are ending the season on a high note after sweeping North Beach on Monday and splitting with Onalaska on Wednesday in SWL-Evergreen Division action.
Forks hosts the Port Angeles JV team today in nonleague action.
The Spartans had an easy time at North Beach, winning 16-0 in three innings in the first game and 14-0 in four innings in the second contest.
Jillian Raben started the game and picked up the win on the mound. Forks coach Scott Justus also had a couple of other pitchers throw in the game for experience.
Raben also was strong at the plate, going 3 for 3, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while Courtney Paul went 1 for 2 with three runs, two stolen bases and two RBIs.
Tabitha Brock scored two runs and had an RBI while going 1 for 1 at bat.
Going 2 for 2 each were Addie Reed and Sassy Price. Price hit two doubles and knocked in three runs. She also scored two runs while Reed scored a run and had an RBI.
Alisha Shaw started on the mound in the second game and picked up the win.
Shaw also had an RBI and went 1 for 1 at the plate
Paul had anther strong offensive game, going 1 for 1 with three runs while being issued three walks.
Brock went 2 for 2 with three RBIs.
On Wednesday, Onalaska — the league’s No. 3 team — nipped the Spartans 15-14 in a heartbreaker that was continued from an earlier rainout.
“I was glad we played them so well after losing 12-2 to Onalaska earlier,” Justus said.
Paul, continuing her strong play, went 3 for 5 with two RBIs, two runs and two stolen bases while Brock was 1 for 3 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base.
Sabrina Collins went 1 for 3 with an RBI-double, and she scored two runs and had a stolen base.
The freshman also pitched for the first time, holding her own on the mound.
Price went 1 for 3 with three stolen bases, two runs and an RBI while Emily Klahn was 1 for 2, scoring three runs.
The two teams played a non-counting second game with JV and some varsity players who don’t get a lot of time on the field with the Spartans coming out on top 23-8.
“It was nice getting the other girls into the game,” Justus said.
Collins went 3 for 5 with six RBIs while Kylie Finley was 2 for 5 with three RBIs and two runs scored and Brooke Jacoby was 3 for 5 with three runs and two RBIs.
Tristen Williams went 2-3 and scored three runs.