Community Sports
Sports Beat | Gig Harbor baseball ranked No. 1 in state early in the season
The Gig Harbor and Peninsula baseball teams are undefeated and playing some explosive baseball out of the gate.
The Peninsula Seahawks (3-0) have been on a merry go-round on the base paths while their pitching staff has been a house of horrors for opponents. All the Seahawks have done so far is outscore opponents 39-1 in three decisive wins.
The Gig Harbor Tides (5-0) are also undefeated under new head coach Ben Sleeter and have been just as impressive, outscoring their opponents 36-8. The Tides knocked off defending Class 3A state champion West Seattle and seventh-ranked Rogers earlier this season.
Those wins have launched Gig Harbor to the top of the MaxPreps’ Class 3A state rankings. The Seahawks will probably be ranked up near the top as well but have not played enough games to meet MaxPreps’ ranking criteria.
Gig Harbor is No. 1 in MaxPreps’ Class 3A baseball rankings. Photo courtesy of GH baseball
Gig Harbor 5, Bellarmine 3
The Tides took an early edge in the Puget Sound League Narrows Division standings with a crucial 5-3 win over Bellarmine Prep at Sehmel Park on March 25. Junior right hander Quentin Bockhorn pitched four innings of shutout baseball while striking out nine batters.
Senior second baseman Wesley Bonnici opened the scoring in the first inning when he sprinted home from third base on a Lion overthrow.
Bockhorn surrendered a base hit early in the second inning and the Lion stole second base to move into scoring position. Bockhorn was unfazed, firing successive combinations of two fastballs and one curveball by the next two hitters. He struck out a third with a snappy, 87 mph fastball at the knees.
Consider the third Lion batter impressed as he walked back to his dug out and quietly told his teammates, “This guy’s tight, yo.”
“When I’m pitching with runners in scoring position, mentally I focus on trusting my pitches and just as importantly trusting my defense. I know what each of them is capable of and I have full confidence in their ability to back me up,” Bockhorn said.
Quentin Bockhorn of Gig Harbor struck out nine Bellarmine batters in just four innings. Photo courtesy of Steve Bockhorn
The Tides scored two more runs when senior Jayce Corley’s ground ball to the right side of the infield scored senior Troy Tackett. A wild pitch allowed junior Jake Cuda to scurry home and Gig Harbor led 3-0 after two innings.
Bockhorn mowed down three more Lions, bringing the Tides back up. Senior Daniel Porras, a 6-foot-3 returning all-conference player, stepped to the plate. His .667 batting average this year includes a grand slam home run earlier this season.
Porras, who drew the interest of pro scouts last summer in Arizona, used a text book swing to swat a Lion pitch to right field before flashing his speed to steal second and third base.
“I’ve seen some very good baseball players around here in the past and Daniel is right there with them, as one of the best,” Sleeter said.
Gig Harbor senior Ethan Mar, who leads the team with nine RBIs, drilled a laser up the third base line that drove Porras in. Later in the inning, senior Cole Krilich reached out to smack a single to right field that scored Mar for a 5-0 lead.
The Lions couldn’t touch Bockhorn, but Sleeter removed him after the fourth inning to preserve his arm for future appearances.
The Tides turned to promising freshman left-hander Max Bergford, who gave up a couple hits while the Tides committed an error to make the score 5-3. But in a tense situation Bergford struck out the next two batters on quality pitches to end the threat.
Quite a catch
The top of the sixth inning saw a new Tide pitcher in junior Nathan Cheek. Cheek used a variety of curve balls to keep the Lions off balance and off the bases in a quiet sixth inning.
Cheek gave up a hit and a walk to open the seventh inning and then a Lion ripped a deep shot to right center field. That allowed Tide junior Mason Sams to make the play of the game.
Sams, a right fielder, sprinted to his right on a wet soggy field and had to look back into a low, glaring sun. He timed his leap just right and made a sensational back handed catch that saved a run and a possible Bellarmine rally.
The catch was a ray of sunshine for Sams’ grandfather Chuck, a retired teacher who rarely misses his grandson’s game but was at home recovering after a recent heart attack. The news of the game-saving catch was delivered to Chuck postgame and his smile proved to be just what the doctor ordered.
Peninsula has early lead in Nisqually Division
I haven’t seen the Seahawks (3-0, 2-0) play yet, as the threat of a storm canceled a recent home game. But I know their roster of returning players and that’s all I need to know.
The Seahawks started the season with a 7-1 win over Bainbridge Island, then boat raced Lincoln by a score of 23-0. After that they silenced Timberline by a 7-0 score.
The Seahawks currently sit alone in the top spot of the Puget Sound League Nisqually Division and will probably stay there.
Both local teams will be in action for their hometown fans on Saturday, March 29, at Sehmel Field against a brave Prairie team from Clark County. The Falcons scheduled a doubleheader against two of the state’s best, playing the Tides at 11 a.m. and then the Seahawks at 2 p.m.
Isaac Schultz-Tait of Peninsula during a game last season. Photo courtesy of Peninsula baseball
Peninsula fastpitch looks like a contender again
Both local girls fastpitch teams are also in first place in their divisions of the PSL.
Peninsula still has players who won a state championship two years ago and plenty of younger players who have been waiting in the wings.
Those players are flying now and so are the Seahawks (4-1, 4-0 Nisqually Division), who dismantled the Lincoln Abes 21-2 at Sehmel Field on March 17.
Peninsula junior pitcher Meghan Webster kept her pitches low and fast against the Abes. She has a 1.27 ERA so far this season.
Seniors Mira Sonnen and Ava Miranda led the attack against Lincoln. Both were starters on the state championship team and are red-hot to start this season.
Miranda leads the team with a .625 average, 10 hits and eight RBIs. Sonnen, who won her second girls state wrestling championship last month, is batting .571 with six RBI and one towering home run.
Ten Seahawks are batting over .400 and the team has outscored opponents 53-15. Their only defeat was a 3-2 loss at North Kitsap, but the Seahawks returned to league play and earned victories over Capital (12-2) and North Thurston (7-5 on March 27).
Gig Harbor scoring runs in bunches
The Gig Harbor fastpitch team (5-1, 4-0 Narrows) has also been flying around the base paths. Their only loss came against Enumclaw, but the Tides rebounded to notch decisive conference wins over Capital (15-5), North Thurston (16-5) and Lincoln (21-8).
On Thursday, March 27, the Tides pounded Silas, 20-4.
The Tides got a fine pitching effort from sophomore Isabelle Bartlett, who went all five innings to earn the victory. The Rams had difficulty timing Bartlett’s pitches as she varied her speeds and locations to frustrate hitters.
Speaking of hitters, the Tides have some good ones in the lineup. Especially seniors Gracie Carey and Danielle Biehl, who Peschek said both have been “beasts over the years.”
Carey hit a two-run home run in the first inning against Silas, connecting on a delivery she called “my perfect pitch, on the outside is where I like it.”
But the scoring didn’t stop there. The Tides crossed the plate 10 times in the inning.
Gracie Carey of Gig Harbor rounds third base after hitting a home run versus Silas. Photo by Dennis Browne
Scrappy, aggressive
That’s typically what the Tides have done over the years. They score a lot of runs, they bump their music in the dugout and they play loose.
“This team is a lot of fun, everyone is so positive. Even playing in the pouring rain is fun, our team chemistry is great. Love these girls,” Carey said.
Two years ago the Tides team hit 50 home runs, but Carey’s home run was the first of this season. These Tides do it a little different but the production is there. They have been playing small ball with multiple hits and aggressive base running.
“These girls are a tough, scrappy group. I love their attitudes and how hard they play,” Peschek said.
Gig Harbor plays at Central Kitsap at 4 p.m. March 31.
A huge matchup between the Tides and Seahawks was already canceled on March 20 due to rain. The makeup game is to be determined.