Remote Surveillance Trailer in Port Angeles, WA

SELAH — The Port Angeles girls softball team finished second at state for the second time, the Port Angeles baseball team won its first game at the state tournament since 2001 and a pair of athletes from Sequim and Port Angeles won district championships in track and field.

That was a summation of this weekend’s local postseason sports featuring Olympic Peninsula teams and athletes.

At the top of that list is the Port Angeles softball team, which came within one run of winning the state championship. The Roughriders, behind star pitcher Heidi Leitz, dominated during its state tournament run, beating Cedarcrest 10-0, Woodland 8-1 and Mark Morris 1-0 in the semifinal game.

Leitz fired a no-hitter against Cedarcrest and a one-hitter against Woodland, but her performance against Mark Morris was truly legendary. She not only pitched a perfect game, she struck out 19 out of the 21 batters she faced.

In the championship game, the Riders went up against pitcher Lilly Camp and her Aberdeen teammates. Leitz and teammate Lynzee Reid kept the Bobcats in check, allowing only two runs, but Camp was nearly unhittable, striking out 13 Riders. Lexie Smith had an RBI double in the title game to get the Riders within one run at 2-1, but that was all the damage the Port Angeles batters could do. Camp finished the season with an astounding 342 strikeouts.

It was the second straight season that Port Angeles placed at the state softball tournament. The Riders finished fourth last year. They came in second at state in 2017, when the team was led by star pitcher Nizhoni Wheeler, who went on to have a successful career at Lower Columbia College.

Baseball

Port Angeles had some really good baseball teams in the 2010s, but the Riders also had a lot of heartbreak at the state 2A tournament during that stretch with four one-run losses in the first round. In fact, the Riders had lost eight straight in the first round of the state tournament dating way back to 2002.

No more. For the first time in 24 years, Port Angeles won a game at the state tournament, a hard-fought 10-inning 6-4 victory over Tumwater. And they did it after storming back from a 4-10-1 start to the season.

Alex Angevine was the hero of this game. First, he had two hits and scored three runs, but more importantly, he came in to pitch the final 3⅔ innings as neither team could break the 4-4 tie. Normally the team’s shortstop, Angevine struck out five batters in that stretch and gave up just one hit.

Josiah Gooding finally helped the Riders win with a clutch go-ahead RBI single in the 10th.

Luke Flodstrom also had a big game, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs.

In the second-round elite eight game, the Riders went up against Selah, the No. 3 seed in the tournament, but ranked No. 1 in Washington in Ratings Percentage Index.

The Riders had a 3-1 lead early, but Selah broke through for three runs in the fourth and four more in the fifth to pull away. The Riders tried to battle back with two runs in the sixth, but that was as close as they could get in a 9-5 loss. Nathan Basden and Josiah Gooding both went 3-for-4 with Gooding hitting a double and driving in two runs. Trae Hanan had a two-run single.

Port Angeles finished the season going 9-2 over its last 11 games, which included a 4-2 record in postseason. The Riders finished with a record of 13-12-1 with several seniors on the team signing on to play baseball at two- and four-year schools next year.

Track, tennis

In track and field, Port Angeles got a district champion in javelin thrower Teanna Clark. It was the second straight year that Clark won the district title. She finished third at the state 2A track meet last year.

Clark’s best throw of the year was 134 feet, 2 inches, which is tops at the 2A level statewide. She won district with a throw of 122-4. Clark throws in the javelin Thursday at the state 2A meet at Mount Tahoma High School.

Also a district champion is Sequim’s Clare Turella, the defending state champion in the girl’s high jump. Turella won district with a jump of 5-3, higher than the 5-2 she jumped at state last year.

In boys’ tennis, Port Angeles’ Basden and Flodstrom had a hectic weekend. They qualified as a doubles team for the state tennis tournament last fall. The state tournaments are held in the spring, however, and that conflicted with the Port Angeles baseball team.

Basden and Flodstrom, who won district and league titles in tennis, competed at the state tennis meet Friday at the University of Washington, winning one of two matches. They competed in a consolation semifinal Saturday morning and lost a close one in three sets. They then hopped in a car and made a 2½-hour, 140-mile drive to Selah in time to be in the lineup for the Riders’ baseball team, which played Tumwater at 2 p.m. They combined to contribute eight hits on the day for the Roughriders, who played past 9 p.m. in their second game against Selah.

PORT ANGELES — More than 340 young baseball players and their families and coaches are expected to descend upon Port Angeles this week for the Northwest Washington Cal Ripken Baseball Tournament Championships

The tournament will feature a total of 31 U9, U10, U11, U12 and U13 teams from all across northwest Washington, with most of the games at the Lincoln Park ballfields.

The tournament will kick off with an opening ceremony Wednesday at Civic Field at the Port Angeles Lefties game. Kids will be let into the field after 4:30 p.m. The game begins at 6:35 p.m. with the ceremony beforehand at roughly 6 p.m. All Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth players participating in the tournament also get in the game for free.

North Olympic Baseball and Softball board president David Melnick estimated that, including families and officials, the tournament will bring somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 people into the community this week.

Melnick said the last time the Cap Ripken north state championships were held in Port Angeles was roughly 20 years ago. The town and its ballfields have hosted major tournaments before, such as the state American Legion tournament last year.

Melnick said he started working on the preparations for the tournament last July.

“The state officials came out and took a look at our fields,” Melnick said. They were impressed enough to award Port Angeles the tournament.

There will be a concession stand at the games run by the Rotary Club and then three food vendor trucks from Southern Nibble, El Taco Loco and Drake’s. Dragon’s Brew Coffee Company will be providing coffee.

The tournament will begin at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. The U9 through U12 Cal Ripken teams will all play at the Lincoln Park fields, while the two U13 teams are actually Babe Ruth teams. One of those teams is the North Olympic Baseball U13 team. The U13 games will be across the street at Volunteer Field.

There will be a total of five local teams at the tournament, one in each age class.

The Port Angeles Youth Baseball 9U team plays Silverdale at 11 a.m. Thursday, and Moses Lake at 9 a.m. Friday. They also play Eastmont at 1 p.m. Friday.

The Port Angeles 10U All-Stars play at 8:30 a.m. Thursday against the MLYBA All-Stars 10U and the Ferndale Eagles 10U at 2:30 p.m. Thursday. They continue to play Friday with times and opponents to be determined.

The NOBAS 11U team plays the Silverdale 11U All-Stars at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the MLYBA 11U All-Stars at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the Lynden Lobos 11U at 10:30 a.m. Friday and the Ferndale 11U at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

The PAYB12U team plays the Eastmont All-Stars at 9 a.m. Thursday and the Sluggers 12U at 1 p.m. Thursday. They play the Moses Lake All-Stars at 9 a.m. Friday.

The 13U Babe Ruth team plays a team out of Lynden. They are the only two teams in this division with times still to be determined.

The semifinal games will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday with the finals 30 minutes after the conclusion of those games, roughly around 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

A full schedule of the games will be posted at the Lincoln Park ballfields.

he state of Washington is growing its economy, and part of this effort is to encourage innovation from companies that relocate or expand in this northwestern state. In 2024, the Washington Department of Commerce announced $2 million in grants to accelerate manufacturing job growth and economic opportunity across the state, with a focus on rural communities. Ten projects were awarded $200,000 each through the Evergreen Manufacturing Growth Grants program. In total, it has been estimated these projects will create more than 500 jobs over the next three years.

“Innovation is a hallmark of each of Washington State’s key growth industries. From aerospace and clean energy to agriculture and timber tech, eyeing the future and investing in emerging technologies keeps us globally competitive,” said then-Director of Washington State Department of Commerce Mike Fong. “These new grants will help to advance expansion of existing projects with potential to spur new economic growth and good jobs in communities throughout the state.”

Grants to support specific business expansion projects were awarded to proposals submitted by local economic development groups, referred to as state Associate Development Organizations. The ADOs administered state funds for the projects. Following are several examples of the grants awarded through the Evergreen Manufacturing Growth Grants.

Port of Whitman County awarded Alternative Energy Materials for its development of clean hydrogen production material and manufacturing technology to produce advanced ceramic electrolyzers that use renewable power to make carbon neutral fuels and fertilizers. Grant funding helped enable an upgraded and expanded manufacturing space and a facility design for further expansion.

Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County awarded Chinook Enterprises for its strategic expansion to meet increased demand by enhancing manufacturing capabilities, accommodating growth, and increasing the company’s workforce at its facility located at Skagit Valley College.

The Economic Development Alliance of Snohomish County awarded Lafarge & Egge for its plan to scale the business by two, expanding the manufacturing space and workforce to modernize its technology by implementing a sustainable manufacturing process.

Grant County Economic Development Council awarded Twelve Benefit Corporation so that it could accelerate the company’s sustainable aviation fuel facility deployment in Moses Lake, where the company broke ground in 2023.

Nestled between the towering peaks of the Olympic Mountains and the vast, open waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Port Angeles, Washington is more than just an active harbor—it’s a thriving hub for manufacturing and marine trades

With direct access to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean, this region offers unparalleled opportunities for businesses looking to expand their operations in shipping, freight movement, and industrial manufacturing.

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Skilled Workforce & Maritime Expertise. With a long history of shipbuilding, forestry, and industrial production, the local workforce is highly skilled in marine trades, logistics, and heavy industrial skills. Port Angeles is home to technical training programs and partnerships with regional colleges to sustain a competent industrial workforce.

Build Your Maritime Business in a Growing Market. Port Angeles is more than just a place to do business—it’s a community that supports growth, innovation, and sustainability. Eighteen vacant acres on the Port Angeles waterfront are ready for your maritime development. This city is the perfect location for manufacturing and trade companies ready to expand their reach while maintaining a high quality of life. Experience the perfect balance of work and adventure on the Olympic Peninsula.