The Port Townsend High School baseball team wrapped up its season with losses to Chimacum, Quilcene and Coupeville during the course of three days.

The Redhawks’ best showing turned out to be their April 30 game against the Chimacum Cowboys. PT held its crosstown rival to a single-point lead, with Chimacum just barely edging the Redhawks out 2-1.

“I wasn’t really sure how things would go, because Chimacum, in my opinion, is the best team in our league,” PT coach Lamont Thornton said. “So, we decided to put our best foot forward and put sophomore Noa Apker-Montoya on the mound.”

According to Thornton, he told Apker-Montoya, “Just go out, be free and easy, and just have fun,” because the Redhawks had nothing left to lose.

“What Noa did for the next seven innings was give us the pitching performance I knew he was capable of,” Thornton said.

During seven innings, the Redhawks could only muster a single run, but it was good enough to take a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh.

“It was a great game for us to be a part of,” Thornton said. “Typically, our games haven’t come down to the final inning.”

Thornton praised PT’s defense for playing one of its better games, with senior second-baseman Robert Hammett Jr. playing a big part in that performance.

“Robert has been our most consistent infielder, and it showed that day,” Thornton said.

The April 30 game was already into the fifth inning within 45 minutes after its start.

“This was a pitchers’ duel,” Thornton said.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Cowboys were able to load the bases with no outs.

“That’s when Noa dug down deep, getting a strikeout and an inning-ending double play,” Thornton said.

The Redhawks took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the seventh, before Chimacum wound up with runners on second and third with two outs.

“So many things were happening in the moment,” Thornton said. “It’s hard to make all the right moves as a coach, but I learned something about managing late-game situations.”

Thornton blamed himself for not making sufficient defensive adjustments in time, in terms of late-game positioning.

From there, Chimacum came up with a game-winning single, scoring two runs and handing the Redhawks a narrow 2-1 defeat.

“This win would have been a nice cherry on top to a season of gradual improvement,” Thornton said. “Unfortunately, it ended in another lesson hard-learned. This one hurts, because we really had a chance.”

PT turned right around the next day, May 1, to play against Quilcene, and suffered a 16-3 loss.

“I could tell we were just mentally and emotionally drained from the previous day’s heartbreak,” Thornton said. “It was unfortunate, because I really wanted to give Quilcene coach Darrin Dotson’s team a quality game, but things just went bad pretty much all game long.”

One of the Redhawks’ few bright spots was freshman Ben Flanigan getting his first at-bat of the year and reaching base, making his way all the way to third base.

“Everybody loves Ben,” Thornton said. “You can’t help but smile when he is around.”

The season’s final game came May 2 at Coupeville, and Thornton described it as “a big day of reflection” for all the seniors, as PT was blanked 11-0.

“We went out and played hard, but Coupeville threw their best pitcher at us, and he can just be dominant,” Thornton said. “Our team’s spirit and togetherness stayed intact pretty much all season, and I love them for that.”

Thornton closed by thanking PTHS seniors Marc Evans, Payton Lake, Jackson Foster, Jaden Steinfort, Robert Hammett Jr., Jordyn King and Dakota Schulz for “making this season possible.”