The district baseball playoffs start this week for three North Olympic Peninsula high school teams.
Port Angeles, Chimacum and Sequim are all trying to advance to regional tournaments that are preliminary state games.
The Cowboys have the inside track, of course, as the undefeated defending 1A state champions.
Sequim opens the proceedings today in the Class 2A West Central District tournament with a first-round game against Sumner at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma starting at 2:30 p.m.
Port Angeles gets a first-round bye in 2A action and will open district competition Wednesday against the winner between Interlake and Foster at Kitsap County Fairgrounds in Bremerton at 4 p.m.
Cowboys at home
Chimacum, meanwhile, starts Class 1A tri-district play on its home field Wednesday against Lynden Christian at 4:30 p.m.
These first games are not loser-out but, oh boy, teams that lose in the first round in 1A or the first two rounds in 2A have to dig out of deep holes to qualify for regionals.
There are 12 2A teams fighting for five regional spots and eight 1A squads vying for five regional berths.
Which makes it a little easier for the 1A teams.
All they have to do is win Wednesday first-round games to advance to regionals. The first-day winners get the top four seeds.
But that means the four first-day losers have to fight for that last remaining seed, No. 5.
“Wednesday’s first game is very important for us,” Chimacum coach Jim Dunn said.
Ditto for Sequim coach Dave Ditlefsen.
“It’s a tough road to get to state if you lose in the first two rounds [of 2A],” he said.
Ditlefsen saw just how bumpy that road is when the Wolves lost in the first round last year.
The Wolves then lost to Franklin Pierce in the consolation round to get knocked out of the 2A playoffs.
This year, though, Sequim is going into the district playoffs on a high note after playing well in the sub-district tournament last weekend, splitting two games for a No. 6 district seed, but more importantly breaking out of a hitting slump.
“We ended the regular season struggling a little bit at the plate but we turned it around this past weekend, and played good baseball,” Ditlefsen said.
The Wolves exploded for seven runs im the fourth inning to beat Fife 8-5 early Saturday, and then they lost a 7-6 eight-inning heartbreaker to Interlake in Saturday’s second game.
Nick Ramirez had two hits in each game, recording a double, three RBIs and scoring three runs in the two contests.
Karsten Wake had five hits in the two games, including three doubles, while knocking in five runs and stealing three bases. Not bad for a day’s work.
Tyler Campbell hit a two-run homer against Fife, and had two hits, a double and two RBIs against Interlake.
“And we played really good defense and had good pitching in the games,” Ditlefsen said.
Starting pitcher Nick Johnston picked up the win against Fife while Jake Hudson threw the final three innings to get the save while allowing just one earned run and two hits.
Wake started on the mound against Interlake and allowed no runs and just two hits in four innings.
The other good news for Ditlefsen is seeing how well Olympic League teams performed on the whole at the sub-district tourney with all five squads advancing to district play.
Olympic League low seeds Kingston and Olympic both had big wins in loser-out games.
The Buccaneers pounded Renton 12-2 and the Trojans shut down Steilacoom 10-0.
“It shows that the Olympic League is pretty strong,” Ditlefsen said.
If the Wolves win today, they will play Olympic League champion North Kitsap in the championship quarterfinals Wednesday at Franklin Pierce at 2:30 p.m.
If they lose, they play in the consolation quarterfinals Saturday in a loser-out game against Wednesday’s loser between Port Angeles and either Interlake or Foster.
The Wolves are healthy and ready to take the field against Sumner today, Ditlefsen added.
The Roughriders, meanwhile, have an extra day of rest before taking on that same Interlake team that barely beat Sequim, or playing Foster, whoever wins Tuesday’s first-round game.
A Port Angeles win propels the Riders into the championship semifinals Saturday and an automatic regional berth, but a loss sends it into a loser-out consolation quarterfinal game Saturday.
Win and in
The Cowboys, meanwhile, are a victory away from advancing to regionals and getting on with the defense of the state championship.
Only Lynden Christian stands in the way of that goal.
“I think my guys are ready to go, to get the playoffs under way,” Dunn said.
The coach is expecting his powerhouse Cowboys to be a bit apprehensive in this first real playoff game of the season.
“They will be a little bit nervous going into the game but they have been playing huge games since before they could drive.
“They play big games all the time.”
The only player questionable for the game is utility player Derek Ajax, who has missed the past two games because of a hamstring strain.
Dunn is expecting Ajax to be ready to play but if not he has senior Brady Anderson ready, and Anderson has been having big games of late.
“I’m not worried,” Dunn said. “Brady is playing really well.”
Dunn will start Quinn Eldridge against Lynden Christian. Eldridge is the No. 2 starting pitcher with a 0.00 ERA and 6-0 record.
Hopefully this won’t jinx him but Eldridge hasn’t given up any runs all year.
If the Cowboys win Wednesday, they will play at Bellingham’s Joe Martin Stadium in the district semifinals at 10 a.m. Saturday.
If they lose, they will play in a loser-out game at Sehome High School in Bellingham on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Either way, the Cowboys will leave school at 6 a.m. Saturday to catch the 6:30 a.m. ferry.
“We don’t have the money to stay overnight,” Dunn said.
The coach isn’t worried that it will affect his team.
“It’s what we have to do,” he said. “They can sleep on the bus.”
No matter what, these Cowboys are always all-business once they step onto the field.