Community Sports
Peninsula getting hot at the right time
The Peninsula Seahawks have won six of their last seven games to draw within two games of the South Sound Conference baseball lead with six league games remaining.
The Seahawks (8-5, 5-4 SSC) are the reigning league champions and appeared in the past two state tournaments under fifth-year coach Michael Johnson. They are in a three-way tie for third in the conference. Timberline and Gig Harbor, at 7-2 in league, are the co-leaders.
Slow start
Peninsula started the season slow, but a 10-9 win over Capital on March 29 at Sehmel Homestead Park may prove the turning point. It was the Seahawks’ first conference win, earned with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Peninsula shortstop Payton Knowles is batting .529. Photo by Bryce Carithers.
The Seahawks’ recent winning streak brought them back into the thick of the league race. They have games remaining against River Ridge (the Seahawks thrashed the Hawks 14-3 on April 18), a make-up game against North Thurston, then home-and-away series against league leaders Timberline and Gig Harbor. Those last two series could decide the SSC race.
“The boys are playing some gritty baseball and have proven they are never out of a game,” Johnson said. “We feel if we can continue to play our brand of baseball, pitch well, play sound defense, and execute our approach at the plate, we have a chance to be right in the mix for a conference title come May.”
At the plate
Reigning league MVP Payton Knowles, a Gonzaga signee, leads the Seahawks. He is batting .529 with 18 hits, seven RBI and five doubles. He has drawn 11 walks against only two strikeouts in 34 at-bats while scoring 10 runs and stealing seven bases. Knowles also plays an excellent shortstop.
Catcher Matthew Sleeter is batting .294 with seven RBI and a number of clutch hits. Troy Buchanan is next on the team in average, batting .286 with a .432 on base percentage. He has 10 hits, nine RBI and seven runs.
On defense, the Seahawks are fundamentally sound and make very few errors. Their infield is one of their strengths, with third baseman Aden Deschenes and Knowles locking down the left side while Isaac Schultz-Tait plays a capable second base and Reece Brown is their dependable first baseman.
Right fielder Justin Grande routinely makes leaping catches and has displayed the arm strength to catch lagging runners for outs. Center fielder Buchanan covers a lot of ground with his speed and aggressiveness. Gavin Sheets, Matthew Saunders, Hayden Bundy, Jackson Thomas and Michael Tellez have rotated through left field.
Peninsula catcher Matthew Sleeter against Stadium. Photo by Bryce Carithers
Pitching staff
Senior Aidan Klumker, who is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and seven strikeouts in 22 innings, leads the Seahawks pitching staff. Deschenes is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 17 innings. Junior Aiden Valdez is two-for-two in save opportunities with 10 strikeouts.
The Seahawks have managed so far without their ace from last year, Sheets. Sheets is recovering from an arm injury but Johnson said he is a full go for the remainder of the season.
Pitcher Aden Deschenes throws during Peninsula’s 3-1 win over Stadium at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. Photo Bryce Carithers