Community Sports

Sports Beat: Pair of perfectos for Peninsula pitcher

It’s time for this week’s edition of the Sports Beat, a capsule of recent high school athletic events.

We start on the fastpitch diamond, where Peninsula pitcher Alli Kimball cemented her legacy with back-to-back perfect games against the Central Kitsap Cougars.

Kimball and the fifth-ranked Seahawks didn’t allow a hit, walk or commit an error over seven innings in an 11-0 win in Silverdale on Friday, April 29.

To throw one perfect game is amazing, but to turn around and do it again is legendary.

Peninsula’s Alli Kimball threw back-to-back perfect games against Central Kitsap, retiring 42 consecutive Cougars. Ed Johnson

She repeated the amazing feat in a 14-0 win on Tuesday, May 3.

For those keeping score at home, that’s 42 up and 42 down for Kimball and the Seahawks.

Kimball became the first local pitcher — boy or girl — to throw back-to-back perfect games. Peninsula coach Mike Paul described her as “remarkably talented and super unique.”

Even before the second perfect game, Kimball had been named the West Region player of the week by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

“Kimball was nearly unhittable during her three outings last week, which included a perfect game,” the association wrote in honoring Kimball. “The junior hurler did not surrender a run and allowed just two hits over 15 innings of work.”

The Seahawks are a perfect 10-0 in the South Sound Conference and 14-1 overall, with their only loss to a Class 4A Sumner team by one run. They look to remain perfect in league against a talented Gig Harbor team (9-4, 9-2 SSC) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, after a game scheduled for May 5 was rained out.

Kimball will face Gig Harbor’s Riley Peschek and her .600 batting average followed by Audrey Allen and her conference-leading 10 home runs.

Baseball postseason begins

Both local baseball teams begin their playoff runs this weekend. Twelfth-ranked Peninsula (14-6, 10-4 SSC) face Auburn Mountainview, the No. 2 team from the North Puget Sound League, at 2 p.m. Saturday at Sehmel Park. Starting on the mound for the Seahawks will be senior left-hander Hunter Bennett.

Gig Harbor (11-10, 8-6) will open at Auburn, the No. 1 from the NPSL, at 7 p.m. Saturday. Junior right hander Garrick Cosmos will open on the hill for the Tides.

Tennis: GH wins conference title

Gig Harbor finished the tennis regular season with a perfect 8-0 record after beating conference power Yelm last week.

Georgia Pilati returns serve as partner Abbi Brandt looks on. The third doubles team secured the SSC crown by winning 6-1, 6-3 over Yelm. Jeff Crowder

Gig Harbor got a dominating performances from ace Hailey Austin (who won 6-2, 6-2) and second singles player Lindsey Muske (6-3, 6-0). The Tides lost the next two doubles matches before the conference title came down to a final doubles contest.

Abbi Brandt and Italian foreign exchange student Georgia Pilati saved the day and won the SCC championship with a commanding 6-1, 6-3 victory.

Lacrosse: Seahawks edge Tides in Bagattaway Bowl

The Bagattaway Bowl was a fierce battle between lacrosse rivals Gig Harbor and Peninsula, as both teams squared off to decide hometown supremacy and win the coveted “fire stick” that is awarded to the annual victor.

Gig Harbor got out to a 5-1 lead in the first period, but the Seahawks fought back to take a 8-7 lead into halftime. Peninsula eventually scored in the final minute to win 14-13. The win clinched a division title for the Seahawks.

The Tides were led by David Holman with six goals and four assists, while Peninsula was led by Robert Akulschin and Brendon Kolbaba with five goals each.

The Seahawks came from behind to take a 14-13 victory over Gig Harbor in boys lacrosse. Dani Akulschin

Peninsula girls golf remains unbeaten

The Peninsula girls golf team remained unbeaten on the season with a win over Central Kitsap on Thursday at Gold Mountain Golf Course in Bremerton.

Peninsula girls golf is synonymous with winning. The Seahawks joined the SSC in 2017 and were 21-1 before the pandemic hit. They have not slowed down since returning to competition.

They will head to the Home Course at Dupont for Tuesday’s league tournament. After that it’s districts at Trophy Lake in Port Orchard, March 16 and 17.

Boys soccer: Local schools open playoffs vs. Auburn schools

The 21st-ranked Gig Harbor boys soccer team (10-3-1, 10-3-1) finished the season with wins over River Ridge (3-0) and Yelm (5-1) to finish second in the tough SSC. They are the fifth seed in the district tournament and begin the playoffs at Auburn Mountainview at 7 p.m. Saturday. The talented Seahawks begin their playoff march at home against Auburn Riverside at noon Saturday.

Be sure to check next week’s Sports Beat for golf and tennis scores, baseball results and the showdown between local fastpitch teams. Gig Harbor Now will also begin our first Prep Outlook, which will take a deeper dive into local standout prep athletes. Our first feature will be on Seahawk pitcher Alli Kimball, who was recently nominated for the Gatorade National Player of the year award.