PORT ANGELES — Sophomore Ricky Crawford smacked a game-winning double in the bottom of the 10th inning as Port Angeles shaded rival Sequim 4-3 in Olympic League baseball action at Civic Field.
The victory keeps the Roughriders right in the middle of the hunt for a playoff spot with three games left as of Thursday morning.
Port Angeles played North Mason later on Thursday; results not available by press time.
A win against the Bulldogs (6-7) would give the Riders (8-5) a playoff spot with games left against second-place North Kitsap (10-3) today and against Kingston (3-10) on Monday.
The league playoffs start Wednesday.
Port Angeles is half-game behind Olympic (9-5) for third place and a half-game in front of Klahowya (8-6).
If the Riders end up tied with either Olympic or Klahowya, they would earn the tie-breaker because they are the only team in league to beat Bremerton (12-1) this year.
The youthful Wolves (3-10) meanwhile, are out of the playoff picture despite being in both games until the end against the Riders.
Port Angeles had big comebacks both times to sweep Sequim this year.
The Wolves had the first game under control at home, leading 5-1 going into the seventh inning.
But Port Angeles exploded for seven runs in the top of the seventh to win 8-5.
In Wednesday’s game, the Wolves were leading 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh when the Riders scored two to send it into extra innings.
Brian DeFrang, Wesley Giddings and Brady Konopaski all got on in the seventh to load the bases, still trailing by two.
But then Kevin Herzog brought a run home on a fielder’s choice play, and Marcus Konopaski walked to load the bases again.
Larsson Chapman knocked in a run on another fielder’s choice play but the Riders left three on base with the score tied 3-all.
In the bottom of the 10th, Chase Jangula got on base with a single and was replaced by pinch runner Curan Bradley.
Crawford then ripped a double to score Bradley and end the game. The hit would have gone for a triple if the game hadn’t ended when Bradley scored.
Herzog had a triple in the first inning for the Riders.
Port Angeles is on a roll, winning five of its past six games.
Sequim, though, took the Riders to the limit in their two games.
“It doesn’t matter how the teams are playing when Sequim plays Port Angeles, anybody can win,” Port Angeles coach Chad Wagner, a Sequim High School graduate, said.
Longtime Sequim coach and athletic director Dave Ditlefsen, meanwhile, is a Port Angeles High School graduate.
The second game between the schools wasn’t the slugfest the first game was as the combined four pitchers struck out 23 batters in the 9-plus innings.
Sequim starter Nick Johnston fanned 10 in seven innings, allowing three hits and no earned runs while walking five.
Tanner Rhodefer, who took the loss, threw the final three innings, giving up two hits, two walks and one earned run.
Giddings started on the mound for the Riders, striking out six in seven innings while giving up three earned runs on eight hits and a walk.
Michael Konopaski, who earned the win, fanned seven batters in the three innings he threw, allowing no runs and only two hits while walking none.
Jon Donahue carried the big bat for Sequim as he went 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBI.
Teammates Brett Wright was 2 for 5 with an RBI and Cameron Harrison was 1 for 2 in the game.
Port Angeles 4, Sequim 3
Sequim 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 3 8 3
Port Angeles 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 — 4 5 0
WP- Michael Konopaski; LP- Rhodefer
Pitching Statistics
Sequim: Johnston 7IP, 3H, 3R, 0ER, 10K, 5BB; Rhodefer 3IP, 2H, 1ER, 0K, 2BB.
Port Angeles: Giddings 7IP, 8H, 3ER, 6K, 1BB; Michael Konopaski 3IP, 2H, 0R, 7K, 0BB.
Hitting Statistics
Sequim: Donahue 3-4, 3B, RBI; Harrison 1-2, Wright 2-5, RBI.
Port Angeles: Crawford 1-1, 2B, winning RBI; Herzog, 3B, RBI; DeFrang 1-2, R; Marcus Konopaski 4BB; B. Konopaski RBI.
Chimacum 3, Seattle Christian 2
CHIMACUM — Myles Hundley picked up the win as the youthful and inexperienced Cowboys earned their third win of the year.
Chimacum scored three times in the bottom of the third and then held on to improve to 3-8 in the Nisqually League and 3-10 overall.
Hundley went the distance on the mound, giving up four hits.
Tracyn Anderson went 1 for 3 at the plate.
Chimacum 3, Seattle Christian 2
Seattle Christian 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 — 2 4 1
Chimacum 0 0 3 0 0 0 x — 3 5 5
WP- Hundley; LP- Perkinson
Hitting Statistics
Seattle Christian: Hegland 2-3.
Chimacum: Anderson 1-3.
Olympic 20,
Port Townsend 10
SILVERDALE — The Trojans, in third place, captured the Olympic League slugfest by the football-like score after scoring nine runs in the sixth inning.
The two teams traded big innings early on with Olympic leading 3-0 after one, 10-8 after two and 11-9 after three.
The Redskins came within 11-10 in the fifth before the nine-run outburst by Olympic in the sixth to end the game on the mercy rule.
Cody Russell led the Redskins by going 2 for 3 with three RBI and a run scored while Devon Courtney went 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Softball
Seattle Christian 10, Chimacum 2
CHIMACUM — Seattle Christian came out on fire, scoring eight runs in the first three innings and then held on to win the Nisqually League game.
Kristen Castillo and Megan Dukek both went 2 for 3 for the Cowboys. Castillo also stole home in the seventh.
Krista Hathaway, Ashley Kelly and Kyah McKinlay all went 1 for 3 each.
Ryley Eldridge came out of the bullpen to allow just three hits in the final four innings.
Seattle Christian kept the Chimacum defense busy in the game.
Dukek had the hot corner, making four plays to first from third while Kiersten Snyder had a fly and a line drive from shortstop.
Hathaway made a couple of plays at first, and had another double play to third while Cydney Nelson also was hot at shortstop, making an out to second, one to first, a fly and a line drive.
Eldridge had two outs from the mound to first.
Olympic 26,
Port Townsend 9
SILVERDALE — The Trojans scored no less than five runs in the first four innings to run away with the Olympic League win.
Olympic led 5-1 after one inning, 12-1 after two and 20-9 after three.
The Redskins’ big inning came in the third when they scored eight runs.
Megan Lee and Rose Gitelman both went 2 for 3 for Port Townsend with Lee hitting a double and scoring three runs.
Track and Field
PA in three-way
BELFAIR — Kyle Tupper was a double winner for the Roughriders in a three-way Olympic League meet with state powerhouse North Kitsap at North Mason.
The Vikings easily won both meets, scoring 90 points for the boys and 86 for the defending 2A state champion girls.
The Riders took third with 25 points on the boys side and 44 for the girls.
Several North Olympic Peninsula best times fell at the meet with Jolene Millsap improving in two events as she won the 100 meters in a best time of 12.68 seconds and was second in the 200 in a best time of 26.35.
Elyse Lovgren, who won the long jump in 15-07.5 and was second in triple jump, also claimed third in the 200.
Also winning for the Port Angeles girls were freshman Willow Suess with a Peninsula best-time of 2:34.84 in the 800, Elizabeth Stevenson in a best time of 5:32.82 in the 1,600 and Zoe Owens with a best distance of 37-09.25 in triple jump.
Brittany Norberg, meanwhile, was second in the javelin throw.
Tupper led the boys by winning the 1,600 in a best time of 4:37.5 and the 3,200 in a best time of 10:30.19.
Also performing well for the boys was Tony Dalgardno, who claimed second in the 400 meters.
Sequim sweeps
at Klahowya
SILVERDALE — The Wolves boys and girls swept a three-way meet over Port Townsend and Klahowya.
Neah Bay and Clallam Bay also participated in the meet hosted by Klahowya.
The Sequim girls were particularly dominant, racking up 103.5 points. The Redskins were second with 37, and the Eagles scored 34.5.
Jasmine McMullin was a two-time winner for the Wolves, taking the long jump with a distance of 15 feet, 3.5 inches, and the triple jump with a 33-07.25.
McMullin also ran with the first-place 4×200 relay team, along with Sarah Hutchison, Hannah Hudson and Heidi Vereide.
Hutchison won two individual events herself, the 100-meter hurdles and the pole vault with a height of 10 feet, which is the best vault on the North Olympic Peninsula this season.
Vereide had a good showing in the sprints, taking first in the 100-meter dash and second in the 200.
Other individual winners for Sequim were Audrey Shingleton in the 1600-meter run, and Mariah Frazier in the shot put, with a heave of 32 feet, 9 inches.
Sequim also won the 4×100 relay (Sarah Breitbach, Hannah Hudson, Mattie Clark and Emily VanDyken) and 4×400 (Hudson, VanDyken, Waverly Shreffler and Gretchen Happe).
Port Townsend had a pair of double winners on the girls side.
Jewel Johnson took the 200 and 400, and Brittany Grant won the 800 and 3,200.
Johnson’s 400 time of 1:02.28 is the best on the Peninsula.
Kenna Welever of Clallam Bay had the best javelin throw of the meet with 72-01.
Neah Bay’s Faye Chartraw had the second-best shot put and discus marks.
The Sequim boys had 96 points, followed by Klahowya with 64 and Port Townsend with 16.
Freshman Oscar Herrera won the 110- and 300-meter hurdles for the Wolves, setting new area marks in both events.
Judah Breitbach was also a double winner, taking the long jump and the triple jump.
Dylan Chatters won the 400-meter run, and also participated in winning 4×100 (with Jayson Brocklesby, Christian Miles and Hamish Peers) and 4×400 (with Alex Barry, Herrera and Breitbach) teams.
Lopaka Yasamura won the shot put with a 49-01, which is the best mark on the Peninsula.
He also set new Peninsula-best marks in the 100 (11.64 seconds) and 200 (23.49), despite finishing second in both events.
Barry placed first in the javelin with a Peninsula-best 150-07, and Joshua Cibene took the pole vault with a 11-06, also tops in the Peninsula this season.
Brocklesby won the high jump with a 5-08.
Port Townsend had a pair of second-place showings: Ryan Clarke in the 3,200 and Skyler Coppenrath in the triple jump.
Clallam Bay’s Justin Welever ran the third-fastest 100 time of the meet at 11.82 seconds.
Teammate Evan Messinger had the second-best javelin and discus marks of the meet.
Neah Bay’s best placer on the boys side was Elisha Winck, who took second in the 110 hurdles.
Girls Tennis
Sequim 6,
Port Angeles 1
SEQUIM — The Wolves remain undefeated on the year by taking this nonleague matchup against the rival Roughriders.
Kyrie Reyes won the No. 1 singles match for Port Angeles over Anna Prorok 6-4, 6-3, but Sequim swept the remaining singles and doubles matches.
In singles, Hillary Smith beat Callie Peet 6-0, 6-3, and Hannah Gauthun beat Hannah Little 6-1, 6-1.
Doubles winners for the Wolves were the teams of Karen Chan and Melanie Guan, Heidi Stallman and Maggie Christie, Anna Mittman and Kortney Oen and Andrea Tjemsland and Tenisha Powless.
The Wolves next plays at Olympic today, while Port Angeles plays its last league match of the regular season at North Kitsap.