Sports Roundup — Kickers rally, turn away Viks/Frazee goes crazy in win/Fastpitchers fall to Raiders/High winds, high spirits/Butler plunges to gold medal

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Kickers rally, turn away Viks

The North Kitsap Vikings swarmed into the first minutes of each half of play of a soggy, non-conference soccer game Saturday, building a 2-0 advantage over Bainbridge.

Despite the two-goal deficit early in the second half, the Spartans battled back for a 3-2 win in an entertaining tune-up for Metro League play.

“I do believe we started too lackadaisical, too soft,” said Bainbridge coach Anh Tran. “We weren’t focused at the start. They took advantage; give them credit.”

At the opening kickoff the Vikings (2-2, 1-1 in Narrows League play) swept down the right side with midfielder Steve Prevost claiming the goal in the first minute.

Their five midfielders clamped down on the Spartans with early pressure and confident ball control throughout the half, forcing good saves from Spartan keeper, Alex Bolt, to keep it close.

Early Spartan confidence appeared to lead them into too casual play, giving up possession and missing the solid pass once they got in range. Although they approached the North Kitsap penalty area, the Spartans could not test Viking goalkeeper Devin Langaker, who had only one save to make in the first half.

Bainbridge seemed hardly prepared for the road back when North took a 2-0 lead two minutes into the second frame. Bolt came out to the top of his box to make sliding kick save on a probe by Carlos Portillo. North’s Prevost pounced on the rebound, knocking across to midfielder Jorge Chehade, who struck it on the half-volley into the open net from 25 yards for the commanding lead.

But soccer coaches don’t say the 2-0 lead is the most dangerous in sports for no reason.

With 38 minutes to go, Bainbridge awoke, winning midfield battles on the sluggish wet field. The Spartans willed their way to 18 shots on goal by the end of the game, opening their scoring in the 47th minute.

Jordan Droppert, from inside the penalty area, slotted to Zach Mallove who received close in to the left. Mallove squeezed through two defenders and shot from inside the six-yard box where Langaker sprawled but could not make the stop.

“I think it was a matter of time before we would score,” Tran said. “We were attacking, trying to figure out the best way in – down the middle or a build up from the outside.”

Bainbridge bascially did both. They kept pressuring North Kitsap in the back-and-forth play, entertaining a crowd estimated at more than 150 people.

Mallove drew a foul that gave the Spartans a free kick 22 yards out.

Jesse Burk-Rafel kept looking for teammate Dylan Tucker-Gangnes to give him a signal but the freshman midfielder was intent only on the ball and the Viking wall of five.

His shot cleared the wall and blasted through the arms of Langaker who could not prevent its creasing the roof of the net for the tying goal in the 68th minute.

“That’s his shot,” Burk-Rafel said. “He made it to win their state cup game. If he wanted it I wasn’t going to take it from him. It was a great shot.”

Burk-Rafel credited the resilience of his team, including defenders Zach Conner, Will O’Donnell and Bolt. Despite the sloppy conditions and play, he felt the team never wavered nor let down.

The Vikings’ plan had worked to a point but were now showing no counter threat. Credit the Bainbridge attack.

“The three forwards made some great runs up front,” said Tran. “They kept them from really having an attack or build up.”

The only question was whether North could salvage a tie for their effort, or whether Bainbridge would cap the comeback with a winning score heading down to the wire.

The win was secured when Burk-Rafel fed Droppert up the middle for the winning goal in the 78th minute.

Dylan Tucker-Gangnes, whose brother Zach started strong in midfield in his stead, could only talk about the flu that kept him from the field until 30 minutes remained.

“I feel terrible from this flu,” he said. “I’m glad it went in.”

Bainbridge next travels to Nathan Hale March 31 and visits Ingraham April 5 before they host West Seattle at Memorial Stadium April 8. The junior varsity plays at 5:30; Varsity kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

– T.F. Smeeth

Frazee goes crazy in win

Since the beginning of the season, Bainbridge varsity baseball coach Jayson Gore has told his team that getting off to a good start in the Metro League is crucial to their success this year.

They’ve listened.

Junior second baseman Matt Frazee went 4 for 4, smacking two home runs and two doubles and driving in nine runs, as the Spartans defeated the Nathan Hale Raiders 14-0 in five innings on Friday.

Junior pitcher C.J. Hall went the entire five innings for the victory, only allowing two hits. He also gave up no walks and struck out four, just facing 20 batters and throwing 65 pitches.

The big inning for the Spartans was the bottom of the fourth. After Hall singled and senior rightfielder Blake Jensen walked, senior leftfielder David Lantz struck out.

Junior first baseman Josh Truan then doubled, scoring both players.

Senior Ranger Sciacca singled, then catcher John Williams was hit by a pitch. After junior shortstop Zach Peach hit into a fielder’s choice, Frazee sent a bomb to right center field, clearing the bases and effectively ending the game.

Alongside Frazee’s four-hit day, Peach went 2-3 with a double and three runs scored.

Williams went 0-1, but was hit by a pitch twice, walked two times and scored two runs.

The Spartans were slated to play Monday, but their game against Rainier Beach was cancelled when rains left the field in an unplayable condition. They were scheduled to make the game up yesterday, and will play Lakeside at Bainbridge High School, then travel to Lakeside on Friday. All games are at 3:30 p.m.

For his efforts, Frazee was selected as a Star of the Week by one of the Seattle dailies. In three games last week, he went six for 10 with 10 RBI.

Gore said it was the first time that a Bainbridge baseball player has been selected for that honor.

– John Becerra, Jr.

Fastpitchers fall to Raiders

If they can’t win at home, the Bainbridge Island fastpitch team will have to get it done on the road.

Despite showing a marked improvement from their game against North Kitsap last Thursday, the Spartans were beaten 5-2 by the Nathan Hale Raiders on Friday.

Freshman pitcher Karen Robinson’s hard luck run continued as she gave up all five runs on 10 hits. She did walk only one and strike out two.

“She did a great job,” head coach Liz McCloskey said of Robinson. “We played well, but it was that one inning that did it for us.”

That inning was the third, in which the Raiders sent seven batters to the plate and scored four times. Pitcher Emily Radolla hit a double that scored two runs.

The Spartans took the lead in the bottom of the first when sophomore first baseman Emily Wagner hit a double, scoring sophomore centerfielder Kelcee Azure.

But after the third, the Spartan bats could only muster up one more run in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by senior shortstop Amanda Szarzynski.

“We had that one inning and that was it,” McCloskey said. “They get down on themselves and it’s frustrating, because they’re so close (to getting it.) But it’ll all come together. As we get more into the season, they’ll have more confidence and their heads (are) going to be more into the game.”

The Spartans were to play at Rainier Beach on Monday, but the game was cancelled because of poor field conditions. They made the game up yesterday, then play Lakeside today at Bainbridge High School and at Lakeside on Friday.

All games are at 3:30 p.m.

– John Becerra, Jr.

High winds, high spirits

High school sailors from the ISSA Northwest District traveled to Western Washington University’s Lakewood sailing venue for a Kickoff Regatta to jumpstart the season last weekend.

Winds were very blustery but the rain failed to dampen spirits as Bainbridge and other teams took to the water.

High gusts caused a temporary delay and a decrease in the number of boats available for safe use on the lake.

When the racing got under way, Port Angeles and Anacortes struggled with the conditions, and retired early from the competition, leaving the powerhouses North Kitsap, Orcas, and Bainbridge on the water.

Observers were witness to various dramatic maneuvers, capsizes, “death rolls” and ejections of crew as hiking straps gave out.

The first race saw Bainbridge’s Carl Shorett and Adrian Mason go from first to last when they capsized, yet they persevered to win the second race.

In one sequence, Pat Layton and Garrett Linrothe quickly scoop-righted their boat and were sailing fast again almost before the second person climbed back aboard, winning their race as a result.

Bainbridge varsity and junior varsity competed all together, and after 12 starts, Bainbridge and North Kitsap scored 31 and 32 respectively, with Orcas in a close third.

Butler plunges to gold medal

Bridget Butler placed first with a score of 211 over eight dives from both the 1- and 3-meter springboards, as the Bainbridge Island Dive Club hosted a dual meet with Tualatin Hills of Beaverton, Ore., March 12 at Don Nakata Pool.

Butler competed in the 14-15 year-old girls recreation event.

In the 12-13 intermediate girls age group, Ali Watson placed first on 1-meter with eight dives with a score of 193.4.

In nine 3-meter dives, Watson came in first as well with a score of 204.2.

Diving in the 14-15 girls Junior Olympic event Shelby Mann came in first on both the 1- and 3-meter boards.

On 1-meter using nine dives Mann scored 244.1 and on 3-meter 270.9 using nine dives as well.

In the 16-18 boys JO event, Olaf Olson came in first on 1-meter with a score of 422.6 using 11 dives. On 3-meter Olson came in first with a score of 490.1 over 11 dives.

In the 16-18 girls JO event Stephanie Whalen came in first on both 1- and 3-meter boards. Using 10 dives on both boards, Whalen scored 361.25 on 1-meter and 399.7 on 3-meter.

Competing in her first dive meet Lilia Paul, in the 10 and under girls recreation age group placed second. She finished with a score of 122.35 using six dives on both the 1- and 3-meter boards.