Community Sports

Walk-off hit secures 1-0 win for Gig Harbor

Posted on April 29th, 2026 By: Dennis Browne

Gig Harbor senior Hunter Payne’s walk-off hit secured a 1-0 win over Peninsula during an extra-inning game Tuesday, April 28, at Sehmel Park.

But in the seven innings before Payne’s single scored the game-winning run, both the Seahawks and the Tides showed why they are atop their Puget Sound League baseball divisions.

Peninsula (13-3, 12-2 Puget Sound League) came in to the game ranked fourth in the WIAA’s Class 3A state rankings, featuring a potent offense that averaged 11.7 runs per game. But the Tides (12-6, 12-2) feature one of the state’s best pitchers in senior Quentin Bockhorn, the favorite to win his second straight Narrows Division Pitcher of the Year award next week.

Strong first inning

Bockhorn has been waiting all year to pitch against the Seahawks after throwing a shutout against Peninsula last year.

He began by facing Peninsula’s Pete Browand, who is batting .455. When Browand walked into the batters box, both looked at each other for a few seconds, as if each was saying to the other: “bring it.”

After two balls, Bockhorn fired successive mitt-popping fastballs for strikes before Browand laced a ball into the glove of left fielder Mason Samms.

Gig Harbor pitcher Quentin Bockhorn. Photo by Ben Griffin

Bockhorn pitches fast, like an excited kid pulling back the lever to start a pinball game.

He quickly struck out the next Seahawk batter looking before snagging a hotshot back to the mound for the third out.

“After that first inning I felt strong … felt really good,” Bockhorn said. “I knew I was going to go the distance.”

Matching pitch for pitch

The Seahawks countered with their ace, senior Kaleb Copeland, who is 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA.

Copeland may not quite have Bockhorn’s velocity, but he was equally impressive on the mound. He mixed an array of off-speed pitches and used well-timed fastballs to rack up several victims.

Kaleb Copeland of Peninsula runs to first base. Copeland pitched seven shutout innings against Gig Harbor. Photo by Ben Griffin

The Seahawks’ best chance to score came in the second inning, when junior Thomas Marzano smacked a Bockhorn fastball in to center field. Logan Johnson followed with a double to center, putting runners on second and third with two outs.

Knowing first base was open, Bockhorn was careful with Evan Fulghum and eventually walked him to load the bases.

Then Bockhorn went to the gas station for the high octane stuff that struck out Jeff Ortega to end the threat.

Defensive excellence

One might think that such a low-scoring game might be a little boring. But this game featured web gems by both teams.

In the third inning, Tides shortstop Payne charged a tricky hopping ball and fired a strike just in time. Gig Harbor center fielder Greyson Riley dove head-first to rob the hot-hitting Andy Merry of a hit in the fourth inning. And Payne and Daniel Sleeter turned in a smooth double play to end a Seahawk threat in the fifth.

The Seahawks’ Merry lunged to his side to snag a hot shot at third base before throwing a bullet for an out in the fifth inning. Seahawk second baseman Kainoa Coit sprinted to his right and backhanded a ball all the way behind second base to snag a near-impossible grounder.

The decisive run

Tides reliever Max Bergford entered after Bockhorn’s pitch count reached the mid-90s and left the mound to a loud ovation.

Bergford, a hulking left-handed sophomore, faced a full count but took a deep breath before striking out Fulghum to end the top of the eighth inning.

Peninsula also made a pitching change in the bottom of the eighth inning, bringing in reliever Drew Brown.

Brown got one out before Gig Harbor senior Jack Price singled and took second on Samms’ bunt down the third base line.

“Normally in that situation, I’m not bunting a guy over with one out,” Tides coach Ben Sleeter said. “But I saw Payne on deck and he’s been a stud for us all year and I wanted to give him one swing to win it. Plus, Samms has executed all year for us when we needed him, it was a perfect bunt.”

The Tides still needed the hit, though. Payne delivered the pain to the Seahawks with a line drive to right-center field that easily scored Price.

Hunter Payne delivered the base hit that won the game for Gig Harbor. Photo by Dennis Browne

When asked if that was his biggest hit ever Payne said: “I had some important hits in the state tournament that helped us last year but well … this is my first-ever walk-off, and to do it against Peninsula. I think it is.”

Bockhorn was all smiles after the game as well.

“It feels good to get them, because they’re having a hot season right now,” Bockhorn said. “This whole week our practices have been dialed in. We had no doubts of losing and the defense behind me was great, I really trust those guys.”

Possible rematch

“We will probably see them again next week (in the Puget Sound League championship game) and if I get the ball again I’ll be ready,” Bockhorn said before Payne interrupted to remind that “we still have to beat Capital, it’s a one-game-at-a-time mindset right now.”

Across the diamond, a dejected Copeland said he wished he could have done more to help his team win. When reminded that he shut out the Tides for seven innings without allowing a runner to third base, he said: “I appreciate it, but this is pretty upsetting with it being against our rivals and a bunch of people coming out to see it.”

Not that Copeland could have done more, but he could get a chance to try next week.

“We’ll have a little bit more of a chip on our shoulder coming in next time,” he said. “I’m looking to get the start again, hopefully our bats get a little hotter and we see Q (Bockhorn) again next Wednesday.”

Both teams need to win their remaining two league games to clinch their divisional championships. If that happens, they would meet for the PSL title at 4 p.m. May 6 at Sehmel Park.

Gig Harbor plays Capital at 4 p.m. April 29 at at Sehmel. Peninsula plays Silas in Tacoma at 4:30 p.m. April 29.