After their March 21 and 23 scheduled games were rained out, the Port Townsend High School baseball team was unable to break its no-win streak when it resumed play March 28 and 30.

BREMERTON

PT’s March 28 game against Bremerton was the Redhawks’ first home game of the season, but the home field yielded no advantage for Port Townsend, who got blanked by Bremerton 0-17.

“After a strong start to the game, our defense really let us down,” PT coach Lamont Thornton Jr. said. “Getting consistent effort, day in and day out, hasn’t come easy so far this season. Not to make excuses, but just getting enough players to play games has been our biggest hurdle.”

Thornton explained he had no choice “but to throw freshmen right into the fire of high school varsity baseball.”

He has also fielded talent from unexpected quarters, including former PT girls’ softball team member Jordyn King, who joined the Redhawks’ baseball program after its softball program folded due to lack of participation.

“By stepping up like she has, Jordyn has made our season possible,” Thornton said. “She’s a senior, and is close friends with basically everybody. She’s also a legitimate baseball player.”

Thornton went on to praise sophomore Noa Apker-Montoya, who plays two other sports for the high school, for pitching “really well” and starting the Bremerton game.

“Fielding fly balls and pop-ups has been a issue early on,” Thornton said. “These are easy outs we aren’t making consistently. It really put our pitchers in a bind.”

By contrast, Thornton deemed PT’s pitching “one of our bright spots this year,” with seniors Marc Evans and Payton Lake having pitched “great” so far, in his estimation.

“These guys have each only given up a few scattered hits between them,” Thornton said. “Our opponents are scoring their runs off fielding errors. The final score of the Bremerton game was 17-0, but it was actually closer than the score shows. It just really got away from us later on.”

COUPEVILLE

When the Redhawks went to Coupeville March 30, they were playing a team that beat them 25-0 last year.

“I’m not going to lie,” Thornton said. “Going into this game, right after the Bremerton game, I was scared it had the potential to be worse.”

Lake asked Thornton if he could start the game on the mound.

“Payton’s family history in baseball dates back to my dad, Lamont Thornton Sr., and his grandpa, Al West, who were teammates in PT’s historical men’s league,” Thornton said. “My dad coached Payton’s uncle, Ed Lake, and I grew up playing ball with Payton’s dad, Kurt, who was a heck of a player. Payton’s mom, Tracy, was probably the best athlete out of all of them. I tell Payton all the time how he’s born for competition.”

In the March 30 game, PT senior Payton Lake threw 93 pitches against Coupeville.

“In five innings, he only gave up one earned run,” Thornton said. “We lost 1-3, but it felt like a victory. It’s the best game we’ve played in three years.”

Just as Thornton blamed much of his team’s losses on poor defense, so, too, did he credit much of this perceived win to its defense.

“It’s amazing how much better things go when we catch the ball,” Thornton said. “One of the game’s highlights was freshman Jake Fenton making a nice grab in left field and preventing two runs. I’m so proud of him for stepping up and showing, regardless of age, it’s about who wants to make plays.”

Thornton described Fenton as “fearless,” adding, “We all gain confidence from him.”

The Redhawks head back home April 9 to play against Chimacum.