Wolves break out the lumber

SK hitters

decide consecutive games early.

They watched helplessly a day earlier as Gig Harbor’s Nico Youngren hit a walk-off home run to give the Wolves their first league loss since March.

In a rematch between the two schools on Friday, South Kitsap’s hitters were determined to avoid a similar outcome.

They accomplished that with seven runs off Tides starter Bubba Brown in the first and second innings to earn a 9-3 Narrows League win.

“They came out with the resolve and attitude I wanted them to have,” South coach Jim Fairweather said. “We came out stroking.”

Tyler Sartor scored on an RBI single by Todd Dalrymple and Brady Steiger also crossed home when Gig Harbor’s catcher overthrew third base in the first inning to give the Wolves a 2-0 lead.

Two of South’s first three batters in the second took advantage of full-count pitches to draw walks.

Chris Sizemore scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Sartor. The Wolves produced even more with two outs when Charlie Hough and Steiger hit consecutive RBI triples to center field.

Dalrymple, who was 3 for 3 with 2 RBI, followed with a single to score Steiger and Ghryn Hobson gave South a 7-0 lead on a double to right-center field that scored Dalrymple.

“We started timing the pitcher, getting into his head and he started to leave stuff up,” Hough said. “We all worked together.”

That was enough for South starter Drew Saddler (2-0), who retired the Tides in order in the third and induced a groundball double play to get out of trouble in the fourth.

Saddler pitched 4 2/3 innings, but left with the bases loaded in the fifth. Reliever Mike O’Brien surrendered a bases-clearing double to Cameron Holcomb, but got Brandon Rohde to pop up to third base to end the inning.

“I started out as a three-inning pitcher and could go 60 or 70 pitches before I would tire out,” Saddler said. “This game, I thought I proved myself. I’m on my way to being a starter — a No. 1 starter.”

Fairweather agreed.

“It really sets on Drew Saddler coming out and throwing the way he did,” he said. “He’s becoming a guy for us. He showed me something … I hope we can build on that.”

But the Wolves responded as Hobson, who was 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and Ricky Johnson hit consecutive singles in the fifth and Sizemore hit a 2-RBI single to right-center to end the scoring.

O’Brien then retired the Tides in order in the sixth after a leadoff single and combined with Adam Douty to shut down Gig Harbor in the seventh. O’Brien left with two outs and a 3-1 count on Kyle Mavren before Douty induced a groundball on two pitches to end the game. Fairweather said O’Brien wasn’t injured.

“It was my third visit,” Fairweather said. “I thought I had another one because I had a new pitcher (Saddler to O’Brien), but it doesn’t rollover evidently.”

Douty and O’Brien returned Saturday and limited North Kitsap to seven hits as the Wolves earned a 13-3 league win. Sartor went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and Steiger was 1 for 2 with 3 RBI.

Johnson, who went 3 for 3 with 3 RBI, and Collin Monagle also hit home runs for South.

The wins helped South (9-2 overall, 6-2 league) remain 1?2 a game behind Gig Harbor (9-3, 7-2), which beat the Wolves 7-6 Wednesday in the Bridge Division.

“They’re a big, big rival,” Hough said. “We had them until the home run, but that’s the way baseball is sometimes.”

Saturday

South Kitsap 13,

at North Kitsap 3 (6)

South Kitsap 0 0 1 5 4 2 — 1 3 1 2 1

North Kitsap 0 0 1 0 2 0 — 3 7 1

Adam Douty, Mike O’Brien (5) and Todd Dalrymple. Jamaal Smith, Dan Jewett (5), Benjamin Geronka (6) and Nick Benish.

W—Douty. L—Smith.

Leading hitters—SK: Tyler Sartor 3-4 2 RBI, Charlie Hough 1-3 RBI, Brady Steiger 1-2 2B 3 RBI, Todd Dalrymple 2-4 RBI, Collin Monagle 1-1 HR, Rocky Johnson 3-3 HR 2 RBI, Shawn Stayton 1-4 RBI.

Friday

At South Kitsap 9,

Gig Harbor 3

Gig Harbor 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 — 3 5 1

South Kitsap 2 5 0 0 2 0 x — 9 1 4 2

Bubba Brown, Scott Schultz (6) and Cameron Holcomb. Drew Saddler, Mike O’Brien (5), Adam Douty (7) and Todd Dalrymple.

W—Saddler (2-0). L—Brown.

Leading hitters—SK: Todd Dalrymple 3-3 2 RBI, Gyhrn Hobson 3-4 2B RBI, Scotty McGallian 2-3, Charlie Hough 1-3 3B RBI, Brady Steiger 1-4 3B, Chris Sizemore 1-2 2 RBI, Shawn Stayton 1-2 2B.

Thursday

At Gig Harbor 7,

South Kitsap 6

South Kitsap 2 0 3 0 0 1 0 — 6 8 2

Gig Harbor 1 04 1 0 0 1 — 7 11 3

Scotty McGallian, Adam Douty (4) and Todd Dalrymple. David Bigelow, Bubba Brown (7) and Drew Young.

W—Brown. L—Douty.

Leading hitters—SK: Tyler Sarter 1-3 HR, Charlie Hough 2-4 2B, Chris Sizemore 3-4 2B 2 RBI.

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