Community Sports

Sports Beat: Gig Harbor soccer looks to stay unbeaten with win over Peninsula

The Gig Harbor boys soccer team continues to mow down opponents like a John Deere on a sunny day.

The Tides are still undefeated at 15-0 and are ranked No. 1 in the state in Class 3A by high school sports website MaxPreps. The Tides are No. 2 in WIAA’s RPI rankings.

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Gig Harbor beat Capital, 4-0, on April 25 and then defeated North Thurston, 3-1, two days later to remain perfect on the season. Coach Joe Ross has a explosive front line and physical defenders and the Tides have a real chance at a state title.

Their last conference game is against the Peninsula Seahawks, currently fifth in the South Sound Conference at 5-6-2. The Seahawks led the Tides 2-0 in their last meeting before losing 3-2 and need a victory to climb into the playoff picture. The game is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, at Roy Anderson Field.

Gig Harbor soccer players celebrate a goal in a game this year. The Tides have outscored their opponents 82-10 and are ranked No. 1 among Class 3A teams by sports website MaxPreps. Photo by Bryce Carithers

Peninsula first, GH third in fastpitch

The Peninsula (11-2, 7-0) fastpitch team also remained unbeaten in league play, as pitcher Alli Kimball shut out Yelm 2-0 on Thursday, April 27.

Kimball also scored the first run in the first inning on a Yelm error. Peninsula, second in WIAA’s RPI rankings, tacked on an insurance run in the fifth inning.

Gig Harbor (7-5, 7-2) girls fastpitch team sits in third place in the SSC, a game behind Timberline. The Tides beat Yelm, 7-6, on April 22 and River Ridge, 16-6, on April 24. The Tides then split a two-game series against Central Kitsap, losing 8-3 and winning 19-3.

GH boys golf unbeaten

The Gig Harbor (7-0) boys golf team remained undefeated with a 82-29 victory over Timberline at Madrona Links on April 24. The Tides are one of the favorites for a 3A state title after winning the Gamble Sands Invitational and finally enjoyed some nice weather against the Blazers.

Chet West continued his impressive play with a two-under 35, including an eagle on the 432-yard first hole at Madrona, for 21 points. Rylan Coovert followed with a 37 for 17 points and Colin Morkert fired a 38 for 16 points. Luke Browne posted a 40 for 14 points and Xavier Feasey-Allen rounded out the scoring with a 41 for 14 points.

The Peninsula (2-1) golf team suffered through quite a few rainouts this season. They play the Tides at Madrona Links at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 4, before heading to the conference tournament.

Gig Harbor ace Chet West started his round with a eagle versus Timberline at Madrona Links. Photo by Dennis Browne

Girls golf teams collide

Gig Harbor (6-0) beat second-place Timberline in girls golf on April 24. The Tides were led by Carly Ikei, who shot a fantastic 36 at Madrona Links. Ikei has a consistent smooth swing off the tee and is a impressive on the greens as she rarely three putts. Freshman Laila Douglas turned in an impressive 39.

“We had great play all around from the Tides,”coach Jeff Milbourn said.

Gig Harbor and Peninsula (2-2) face off Thursday, May 4. Ikei faces Peninsula’s Hailey Graf, who is ranked as the SSC’s top golfer this season. Graf has been on another level this season but Ikei knows Madrona’s course like the back of her hand and may benefit from the home course advantage in a must-see match for local enthusiasts.

Gig Harbor’s Carly Ikei fires a shot down the seventh fairway at Madrona on her way to a round of 39 for the league-leading Tides. Photo by Dennis Browne

Gig Harbor water polo wins two

The Gig Harbor (12-1) water polo team pasted the Stadium Tigers, 24-7, on April 21. The Tides’ only loss this season was to Class 4A power Curtis.

Against Stadium, captains Alexis Tujo and Isabella Puccio scored seven goals apiece and the Tides produced 25 steals. The Tides scored 24 goals on 37 attempts for a healthy shooting percentage of 64.8%. Gig Harbor goalie Kiah Sawyer blocked five shots and Jenna Nelson and Zoey Nichols each recorded five steals.

They came from behind to beat Puyallup on April 27.

The Tides were down by 3 goals late in the third quarter, but scored five straight goals to stun the Vikings, 10-8. Tujo scored five goals for the Tides.

“The athletes never gave up on themselves and it was a true display of grit and the desire to win,” coach Mike Kelly said.

Gig Harbor goalie Kiah Sawyer makes a leaping save in a win over River Ridge. Photo by Mike Kelly

Baseball series has postseason implications

A two-game baseball series between Gig Harbor and Peninsula next week could go a long ways toward determining both teams’ postseason futures.

The Seahawks (9-7, 6-6) and Tides (8-7, 8-4) play at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, and 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 3, at Sehmel Homestead Park.

Gig Harbor still has an outside chance at a share of the South Sound Conference crown. That would require the Tides to sweep the Seahawks, while Timberline loses two to North Thurston.

Peninsula’s postseason future is less certain. The Seahawks may need two wins agains the Tides just to qualify, depending on results elsewhere.

Both teams had a tough final week of April. Gig Harbor shut out North Thurston, 8-0, on April 24, before falling to the Rams, 12-6, the next day.

Timberline swept two games from Peninsula, 11-6 on April 25 and 3-2 on April 26.