SELAH — Port Angeles pitcher Heidi Leitz was even better in her second outing of the day, tossing a complete game no-hitter with 12 strikeouts, Lynzee Reid pounded out four hits, and the Roughriders advanced to the state semifinals with an 8-1 win over No. 11 Woodland Friday evening.
No. 3 Port Angeles (18-2) will face No. 2 Mark Morris (24-2) at 10 a.m. Saturday at Carlon Park in Selah. Win that one and the Roughriders will play in their second-ever state championship at 2:30 p.m. (2017).
Leadoff hitter Reid went 4-for-4 with two doubles, drove in three runs and scored twice.
Leitz helped her own cause at the plate with by going 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and two RBIs.
Mikkiah Stevens also drove in a run and Ava-Anne Sheahan scored twice in the victory.
Leitz just missed out on a perfect game, throwing one walk and having one runner reach via error.
Earlier Friday
A six-run first inning provided No. 3-seeded Port Angeles all the offense it needed, and Heidi Leitz tossed a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts as the Roughriders rolled 10-0 in their Class 2A state softball tournament over No. 14 Cedarcrest in a fast five innings at Carlon Park on Friday morning.
Port Angeles faced the winner between No. 11 Woodland and No. 6 East Valley (Yakima) after press time. Check www. peninsuladailynews.com for updates.
Leitz was dominant in the circle, throwing strikes on 56 of her 69 pitches (81 percent).
The Roughriders pounded out 11 hits, seven of them of the extra-base variety.
Politika 3-RBI triple
Back-to-back RBI doubles by Kennedy Rognlien and Abby Kimball opened the scoring in Port Angeles’ first turn at-bat. Lexi Smith came through with an RBI single and Morgan Politika added a three-run triple, and the rout was on at 6-0 after one frame.
Rognlien led off the second with a solo home run, Kimball and Smith also doubled, and Leitz ended the game with an RBI triple in the fifth.
A win in Friday afternoon’s game would put the Riders in a 10 a.m. semifinal. A loss and Port Angeles would face an immediate third game, a loser-out.
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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@ peninsuladailynews.com.
