Rio just grand for Wolves

"Elton Goodwin always stresses the importance of pitching and defense. But he also emphasizes how crucial it is for the bottom of the batting lineup to contribute its share of hits.The South Kitsap coach's beliefs were borne out Monday in the Wolves 5-0 home win against the Peninsula Seahawks.The win improved their record to 18-0, marking the third time a Wolves' team finished the regular season undefeated.The feat was also accomplished in 1996 and 1998.The Wolves host Wilson Saturday for the Narrows League Championship. A time has yet to be determined.In a matchup between No.1 aces, SK's Adam Seward came out on top against hard-throwing Nick Johnson.For three innings both teams went scoreless, but SK junior Domonic Rio, batting in the No. 8 spot, broke the scoreless tie with a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth for a 2-0 lead.No runs were scored in the fifth inning, but SK's bottom of the lineup came through again.Bryan Lefler started the rally with a hard single into right field and Rio advanced him to third on a double.No. 9 hitter Taren Glover rapped a single to score Lefler and give SK a 3-0 lead.Steve Hall followed with his second triple of the game to score Rio and Glover.The timely hitting mixed with Seward's pitching kept Peninsula at bay the whole game.Seward finished the game with eight strikeouts and gave up only three hits and walking three.Though he fell behind on batters, Seward said it only brought out the best in him.Sometimes you can be effective pitching from behind, Seward said. If you know how to pitch from behind you can be effective because it's lot harder to get guys out.He also said it was important for the team to face a strong pitcher such as Johnson because it will better prepare them for the playoffs.Nick threw really hard today, Seward said. It's nice seeing a guy throw hard against us. He's the fastest pitcher we've seen so far.Through five innings, the Wolves had only three hits against Johnson. But SK caught up to him in the sixth with four hits in the inning.Four of the seven hits came from the bottom of the lineup, which pleased Goodwin.Other people picked up the guys who weren't having big games, Goodwin said. That what you gotta have throughout your lineup."

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read.