Community Sports

Sports Beat | Gig Harbor, Peninsula baseball both make state

The Gig Harbor baseball team (22-1) — ranked No. 1 in the WIAA RPI rankings — qualified for the state tournament with a 1-0 win over Kelso in a West Central District 3/4 game on May 13 at Sehmel Field.

Pitching was the story in this game. Tides starter Quentin Bockhorn remained unbeaten, allowing only two hits in 4 2/3 innings while striking out 10 Highlanders with a glove-popping 89 mph fastball.

Bockhorn went toe to toe with Kelso ace Bryce Collins, who also had 10 strikeouts and consistently fired pitches that were clocked over 90 miles per hour.

Collins has signed to pitch for Ole Miss starting in 2027 and looked the part. The Rebels may want to bring Bockhorn along as well, as he matched Collins pitch for pitch and is now 7-0 with a 0.26 earned run average.

GH reliever comes through

As impressive as both starters were, Tides reliever Jake Cuda stole the show. Cuda, 5-0 with a 0.42 ERA on the season, entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth inning. Bockhorn, who was tiring, had walked successive batters.

Gig Harbor pitcher Jake Cuda. Photo by Dennis Browne

With the bags full of Highlanders and a large Tide crowd on the edge of their seats, Cuda piped a clutch, 3-2 pitch for a called third strike and walked off the mound as cool as the other side of the pillow.

“It’s very intense. It takes a certain mindset in that situation but when I’m out there, there isn’t a single thought in my head. I may use two brain cells while I’m pitching. It’s just put the ball in the strike zone,” Cuda said. “I have some velocity and a couple of off-speed pitches and that’s a deadly combination in high school baseball.”

Game’s only run

The game was scoreless into the bottom of the sixth inning when Cole Krilich — the hero in Gig Harbor’s league title victory — fell behind behind Collins 0-2. The pitcher shook off his catcher and went to the gas station again but Krilich was ready and ripped a rocket into the gap in right center field. Krilich hit the ball so hard that it rolled through the grass all the way to Sehmel’s deep outfield fence for a lead-off triple.

Third baseman Hunter Payne hit a single into shallow center field to score Krilich for the game’s only run.

Gig Harbor sophomore catcher Zach Smith provided the play of the day after Cuda walked a batter to open the seventh inning.

A Kelso bunt attempt was nearly perfect, in the air and not very high. But Smith exploded from behind the plate and dove for the ball, catching it a few inches from the ground. He popped up and feinted a throw while the runner scurried back to first base. A Kelso coach shook his head and said, “hell of a play.”

Cuda got the final two outs of the seventh inning and finished his outing with five strikeouts in 2 1/3 innings without allowing a hit. He also smacked two hits of his own to help to send the Tides to state tournament while preserving the team’s No. 1 state ranking.

Up next

The top-seeded Tides advanced to a district tournament semifinal game against fifth-seeded Capital, who Gig Harbor beat last week for the conference crown. That game is at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 17, at Auburn High School. If the Tides win, they will play for a district championship at 4 p.m. at the same location.

Win puts Seahawks in state

Peninsula (14-7) also punched a ticket to the baseball state tournament after knocking off Decatur, 6-5, on May 13 at Auburn High School.

Decatur came into the game with a 19-2 record and ranked No. 2 in the WIAA RPI rankings. The Gators defeated the Seahawks 10-3 on April 17, but Peninsula was ready for the rematch.

Peninsula senior catcher Matthew Sleeter went 4-4 at the plate with three RBI.

Seahawks junior pitcher Kaleb Copeland, who has an impressive 1.42 ERA, got the start from coach Matt Thomas in the most important game of the year and he was ready for the challenge.

Peninsula pitcher Kaleb Copeland. Photo by Ed Johnson

Copeland may not have been overpowering, allowing 12 hits, but he was solid against an excellent hitting team. He struck out five Gators in key situations and never allowed Decatur to have the lead, although they did tie the game at 4-4 with a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Peninsula got the winning runs in the top of the fifth inning, on a Sleeter RBI single and a bases-loaded walk by center fielder Isaac Schultz-Tait.

State tournament regulars

The Seahawks reached the state tournament for the fourth year in a row. Now they will look to win the district championship for the second year in a row.

“This feels great to provide for my team, especially in a game that was so important,” Sleeter said. “That team had beaten us earlier in the year by seven runs so to clinch it against them felt amazing.”

The Seahawks advanced to a district semifinal game against North Thurston at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 17, at Auburn High School. All four district semifinalists are members of the Puget Sound League.

The Rams beat the Seahawks twice this season, but by a combined total of three runs.

The district championship game is at 4 p.m. Saturday at Auburn High.

GH girls repeat as district golf champs

The Gig Harbor girls golf team won the West Central District 3/4 Championship for the second year in a row at Allenmore Golf Course on May 12 and 13.

Consistent quality swings from the entire girls golf team helped the Tides to an easy victory in the district finals. Gig Harbor’s two-day total of 329 beat second-place Silas by 13 strokes and third-place Bellarmine by 26 strokes.

Carly Ikei of Gig Harbor tied for third in the tournament with a fabulous 152 for two rounds. The difference between tournament golf and a regular round with friends is as different as night and day but Ikei dismisses pressure easily and always seems to make the game look easy.

Ikei’s freshman sister Kaliya is a star in the making along with freshman standout Myla Louch, who has been terrific all year. Both freshmen shot rounds of 167 to finish tied for eighth.

Junior Sofia Skogen added a clean 172 for 12th place while junior Laila Douglas shot a 176 for 18th place and junior Autumn Coovert shot a 191.

The Tides finished third at state in 2023 and fourth last year. They appear stronger this year from top to bottom. Combined scores from the Tides’ top five golfers will be totaled at the WIAA Class 3A state championships at Indian Canyon Golf Club in Spokane on May 20 and 21.

GH boys third

The Gig Harbor boys golf team finished third at the district tournament at McCormick Woods on May 12 and 13, 12 strokes behind Bellarmine. Gig Harbor’s Theo Synder took second individually with a two-day total of 147.

Senior Liam Dalbec shot a 164 for 13th place, Max Ferrier shot 169 for 26th place and Davis Dansie shot 174 for 35th place.

Peninsula sophomore Leiston Stoddard handled McCormick Woods’ undulations and sloped fairways well and shot 162 to tie for seventh. Stoddard earned a trip to the boys golf state championships at Qualchan Golf Course in Spokane on May 20 and 21.

Peninsula doubles team wins league title

The Peninsula girls tennis team of Margaux Mayer and McKenna Baurichter won the inaugural Puget Sound League girls doubles championship on May 9 and 10.

They knocked off a team from Bellarmine, 7-6, 6-2 in the opening round, then got past Gig Harbor’s first doubles team of Anya Schmid and Phebe Best, 6-2, 7-6.

Their third match with Silas proved to be the most difficult as the Seahawks won the first set 6-4 but dropped the second set 6-3. The Seahawks duo’s fitness and mental toughness contributed to a 6-4 third set victory to win the PSL championship.

McKenna Baurichter and Margaux Mayer of Peninsula won the Puget Sound League doubles championship. Photo courtesy of Veronica Foley

Baurichter was the South Sound Conference singles champion last season but wanted to team with Mayer to see if they could make a run through this year’s Class 3A state doubles tournament.

Baurichter plays the game with poise and control. She combines pin point ground strokes, a consistent hard serve and gets to every ball while Mayer uses her athleticism, quick reflexes at the net and plenty of hustle to influence match victories.

But Peninsula assistant coach Britt Mayer said the duo’s high tennis IQ and communication skills helped them win the conference championship. The duo is peaking at the right time and play in the state championships at the Vancouver Tennis Center on May 23 and 24.

Gig Harbor’s Smee to state tennis

Senior Braden Smee of Gig Harbor advanced to state despite being the second singles player for the Tides for most of the season. Smee caught fire in the league and district tournaments to earn a spot in the Class 3A state draw.

The Tides’ No. 1 doubles team will also be there. Super quick Chase Horrocks, who has consistent strokes and can usually chase down almost any shot, combines with 6-foot-8 Colin Nelson. Nelson is imposing at the net with long arms and leaping ability and also has a rocket first serve that produced plenty of aces during the boys PSL regular season in spring.

The boys state championships are May 23 and 24 at the Vancouver Tennis Center.