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Peninsula fastpitch shuts out Gig Harbor, 10-0

After his team shellacked Gig Harbor 10-0 on Tuesday, April 7, Peninsula fastpitch coach Mike Paul made a bold statement.

He declared this year’s Seahawks (9-1, 6-0 Puget Sound League) his “most talented (team) ever.” That’s saying a lot, given that his 2023 team went 29-2 and won the Class 3A state title.

Did you really mean to say that, coach?

“Yes, I am fine with saying that this is the best group, all together, that I’ve ever had,” Paul said. “I have 12 kids that should be starting for me.”

Dominance on both sides of the ball

Peninsula looked the part from the very start against Gig Harbor (7-2, 4-1).

The first seven Seahawk batters all hit line drives to take a 4-0 first inning lead off Tide pitcher Camden Riley. Riley, a freshman, had good velocity and threw quality pitches, but the Seahawks were swatting the ball with the middle of the bat on almost every pitch.

Another freshman, right-hander Abby Hoyt, started on the mound for Peninsula. Her pitches popped the catcher’s mitt in a manner reminiscent of Alli Kimball, the pitcher whose excellence led the Seahawks their aforementioned state title.

Hoyt leads Peninsula with 28 strikeouts and a 1.42 earned run average. On Tuesday, she mixed up her pitches to keep a talented Tides team off balance and scoreless.

In the field behind her, an excellent Seahawk defense made crisp plays on the occasions the Tides managed to hit the ball hard.

Peninsula freshman pitcher Abby Hoyt. Photo by Dennis Browne

Slick fielding

Sophomore first baseman Izzy Michaels, sophomore shortstop Paige Jones, junior third baseman Claire Smith and senior second baseman Meghan Webster all made difficult plays look easy. Freshman catcher Maddi McCasland clearly has chemistry with the powerful Hoyt.

Peninsula senior outfielder Ashanti Perez made a sensational running catch to stop a Tides rally in the second inning, while sophomore center fielder McKenna Peterson and junior left fielder Vivien Sweet showed speed and athleticism throughout the game.

The Seahawks scoring machine churned on as it has all season. Peninsula has outscored its opponents 116-25 this year.

Already up 4-0, they added more runs in the third inning. Sweet singled and Jones drove her in with a hot shot to left field. McCasland then reached base on an infield squibber before two more runs scored on an overthrow to first base that made the score 7-0.

Two-way star

Those were certainly all the runs Hoyt would need to win. But she added to the total when she jumped on a fastball up in the zone and launched it over the fence in right-center field for a two-run home run. Michaels added a solo shot to complete the scoring.

“I am just really excited for my team and I to have played so well in this big game. … I feel like I have been well prepared for this moment, so this feels really good,” Hoyt said.

Peninsula defeated Gig Harbor, 10-0. Photo by Dennis Browne

Hoyt also leads her team with three home runs this season. So which does she like best: The complete-game shutout or hitting the big home run?

“I don’t know, I liked them both!” Hoyt said. “We have so many good players on this team that all work so hard, this was a really satisfying win for us.”

On deck

Though it’s still relatively early in the season, Peninsula’s next game could go a long way toward determining who wins the Puget Sound League Nisqually Division. Paul said the Seahawks’ next opponent, Timberline (7-2, 7-0) is one of the best teams in the state.

Peninsula hosts Timberline at 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 10.

Gig Harbor faces River Ridge at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.