LOCAL SPORTS: Roughriders Roll in Playoff Opener; Alton Races to Top 10, Gladfelter Earns All-Conference Honors

BY OLY ARCHIBALD

PORT ANGELES – In their opening district playoff game, the Port Angeles Roughriders lived up to their billing as heavy favorites, rolling past the Eatonville Cruisers 8-1 in a dominant performance.

Junior pitcher Kody Williams was outstanding once again, going the full seven innings with five strikeouts, one walk, and seven hits allowed for just one run.

Roughrider junior pitcher Kody Williams was lights out on the mound, throwing a complete seven-inning game in Port Angeles’ 8-1 playoff win over Eatonville.

The Roughriders jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the fourth inning, and Eatonville never seriously threatened.

Catcher Luke Flodstrom had a big night at the plate with a double, two singles, a walk, and two runs scored. Third baseman Josiah Gooding made a lasting memory in his final game at Civic Field with a towering home run over the left field fence in the fifth to make it 5-1.

Senior catcher Luke Flodstrom, speaking on the KONP Newsradio postgame show, has had another strong season anchoring the Roughriders’ defense and lineup.

Junior Ian Smithson got the start in right field, scoring twice with a double and a walk. Second baseman Bryce Deleon chipped in with two singles. Alex Angevine tripled to the delight of the home crowd and scored a run.

Up next: the Roughriders face their biggest test of the season against Steilacoom, the South Puget Sound League runners-up. The Sentinels went 14-5 and split two close games with Eatonville, winning 8-6 and losing 7-6. They’re a young team with just three seniors. Last year, Port Angeles edged them 3-2 in a district playoff thriller.

You can hear today’s game live on KONP Newsradio and streaming at myclallamcounty.com. Pregame starts at 3:45 p.m. with Oly Archibald and Greg Thomas on the call.

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In fastpitch action, Bremerton upset Sequim 13-9, while Port Angeles defeated Olympic 10-1.

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It was another wild night of racing for the Alton Racing Team as Pyper Alton competed in her #42 Legends car at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe. Out of 26 cars, Pyper clocked the 6th-fastest time in trials. She then placed second in her 8-lap heat race.

In the 30-lap main event featuring 18 cars, Pyper had her share of challenges. After spinning out on lap 4, she restarted at the back of the field but didn’t give up. With six laps to go, a two-car spin allowed her to jump into 13th. Then on the final lap, three cars spun in front of her coming out of turn two. Pyper’s car spun in a full circle, but she somehow regained control and avoided the pileup—earning an incredible top-10 finish.

Adding a side note to the night, Pyper has a long-running rivalry with Kalee Decker of Duvall, dating back to their karting days. That rivalry also played out on the basketball court last season, when Pyper’s Roughriders beat Decker’s Cedarcrest team in the Sweet 16 at the UPS Fieldhouse in Tacoma.

Racing rivals Kalee Decker of Duvall and Pyper Alton continued their on- and off-track rivalry. Decker, who also plays basketball for Cedarcrest High School, faced Pyper and the Roughriders in this year’s Sweet 16, where Port Angeles came out on top.

In track and field, Port Angeles alum Jack Gladfelter, now a sophomore at Corban University in Salem, Oregon, earned Cascade Collegiate Conference All-Conference honors with a second-place finish in the 10,000-meter run at the league championships in Ashland. Gladfelter ran the 6.2-mile race in 30:59, less than a second behind winner Hayden Bostrom of the College of Idaho. This marks Gladfelter’s third All-Conference award, adding to his All-American honor from last fall’s NAIA Cross Country Nationals, where he placed eighth.