This past Saturday at the home of the Tacoma Rainiers, the Tides played against the Fife Trojans in an out-of-conference matchup. This was an exclusive game and a great experience for everyone who attended, especially for our Tides, who have had an incredibly dominant season. As the Tides rounded out regular season play, they continued to prove why they are one of the top teams in the state.
Logan Pedersen (11) started off the game on the bump for Gig Harbor, and he was able to get the Tides rolling with a shutout in the first frame. There wasn’t too much action in the first inning, as the Tides stranded Danny Poras (12) on first base after his base hit.
After Pedersen’s outing of 1.2 IP and a couple of strikeouts, Kyle Anderson (11) took the hill in relief and was able to get a strikeout to end the top half of the 2nd. In the bottom half of the frame, Gig Harbor’s offense came to life with a very productive inning. Cole Krilich (12) got the rally started with a leadoff single to left, followed by another base hit from Hunter Payne (11). With the first two runners reaching safely, Wesley Bonnici (12) laid down a beautiful bunt down the third baseline and beat out the throw to load the bases. Tanner Kelley (12) added a base hit of his own, along with a sacrifice fly from Troy Tackett (12) and an RBI flair from Jayce Corley (12) to make it a 2-0 game.
After a solid showing in the 2nd, Anderson once again shut down the Trojans’ offense with a scoreless frame, even after surrendering a walk. Gig Harbor wasn’t able to plate anyone else in the bottom half after an infield single by Ethan Mar (12) and a walk from Krilich. The offense still showed signs of life by keeping traffic on the basepaths, but no runs were scored.
Entering the 4th inning, Jackson Thomas (12) took the mound to face the Fife lineup, which had struggled to get anything going in the early stages of the game. After a leadoff double for the Trojans, Fife returned the favor with an infield bunt single of their own, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. After a stolen base moved both runners into scoring position, Thomas issued a walk to load the bases. The next batter tied the game with a two-run single into left field with just one out. However, the Tides were able to get a key momentum shift after Thomas worked a double play ball started by third baseman Payne and finished by Bonnici on the throw to Mar at first, who stretched out to end the inning, limiting the damage. Gig Harbor answered right away to break the tie after a leadoff single by Bonnici and an HBP on Kelley. With runners on first and second, Corley hit a grounder to the left side that had double-play potential, but the second baseman threw the ball away on the run to first, allowing Bonnici to come all the way around to score, making it 3-2 in favor of the Tides after the error.
Heading into the 5th, Max Bergford (9) came in to pitch. He put together a nice outing, leaving a runner stranded at second after a great diving play in right field by Cole Krilich. After keeping the line moving in previous innings with consecutive singles, the Tides showed the power element in the 5th. Mar crushed a ball to left field that had a chance to get out but hit the base of the wall, holding him to a leadoff double. Krilich continued his strong game with an RBI single to left that scored Mar. After two wild pitches moved Krilich to third and a walk from Payne, that would be all for the Tides in the inning as they added to their lead.
Nathan Cheek (11) came in to pitch the sixth inning and also held the Trojans’ offense scoreless, even after allowing two base runners to reach. Gig Harbor wasn’t done offensively. Another hard-hit ball by Danny Porras found the wall in right-center field, scoring Jayce Corley, who had reached on a base hit of his own, adding more insurance to make it 5-2. After getting a few more runners on base, Hunter Payne kept the hitting parade going with a two-run single that stretched the lead to 7-2.
After another strong offensive effort in the bottom of the 6th, where they added three more, Quentin Bockhorn (11) came in to close the game for Gig Harbor. Bockhorn recorded two strikeouts to finish it off after allowing a few batters to reach, and the Tides walked away with a final score of 7-2. Gig Harbor ended the game with 11 hits and a commanding win at Cheney Stadium. With a combination of strong offensive output and lockdown pitching, the Tides won this one in convincing style.
Danny Porras had a great game with two hits, including an RBI double that nearly left the yard. Porras talked about the game plan heading in: “Our game plan coming into the game was simple: play clean defense and hit the ball hard.” Porras also added, “As simple as it sounds, it’s paid off all year, and this makes us be able to capitalize offensively and do it well from the top to the bottom of the lineup.”
Kelley was asked how the team handled giving up the lead in the 4th inning, and he said, “We kept the energy up in the dugout and had great fan support that helped us stay resilient.” Another comment by Bonnici highlighted how the team has overcome obstacles throughout the season to perform at this level. “The whole season it’s been the same thing; we don’t panic and know we can rely on each other to pick ourselves up.” That mindset was certainly on display in this game, as the team stayed composed and continued to execute the rest of the way.
As special as the game was, it was also exciting for the team to play in a more professional environment at Cheney, which added a fun element to the experience. Ethan Mar reflected on what it meant to him: “The entire town comes out to celebrate something bigger, and everyone gets to play in a minor league stadium, which makes it special because not many other teams get to do that.”
With a 20-1 record and a Puget Sound League title already secured—thanks to a walk-off two-run bomb by Cole Krilich—the Tides now look ahead to an exciting playoff run. With a talented, focused roster, hopes are high that this team can make a deep push into the state tournament.