Coupeville Sports

 McKayla Bailey — she’ll destroy your very soul with her fiery pitches, and smile all day long afterwards. (John Fisken photos)

Madeline Roberts scored the first run of the game, the only run CHS would need.

Bellingham ain’t got nothin’ on Coupeville.

Continuing a run of dominance that started with two wins — including a playoff thriller — during basketball season, the Wolf girls own Meridian this school year.

Thursday, the game was softball and CHS stormed into town and delivered a hard slap-down, routing the host Trojans 8-0 in a non-conference game.

The victory lifted Coupeville to 3-5 and was a nice bounce back after a rough, waterlogged doubleheader sweep at Archbishop Thomas Murphy earlier in the week.

“Offensively we worked yesterday on staying back on the ball and looking to hit the pitch to the right and up the middle,” CHS coach David King said. “The players executed what they practiced. All of our hits were up the middle and to right.

“It’s great to see the execution on things we are working at during practice.”

When the bats weren’t booming, Wolf hurler McKayla Bailey was busy bein’ nasty, twirling a two-hitter and striking out eight. Both hits were harmless singles.

“She had them off balance by hitting her spots and her change up was working well today,” King said.

Coupeville gave Bailey the only run she would need without actually getting a hit.

Madeline Roberts led off the game with a walk, zipped all the way to third on a sac bunt from Breeanna Messner, then trotted home on a passed ball.

The Wolves continued to play small ball, adding a run in the second before blowing the game open.

Madeline Strasburg singled and came in to score when a ball put into play by Monica Vidoni was bobbled for an error.

The wheels really came off for Meridian in the third and fourth innings, as Coupeville popped for three runs apiece in each round of at-bats.

Hailey Hammer crushed a two-run single in the third (Roberts and Messner scored), followed by Strasburg lofting a long sac fly to bring Bailey in from third.

Capping their offensive output, the Wolves juiced the bags in the fourth on two walks and Roberts beating a fielders choice throw to first.

Messner, who was torrid at the plate all afternoon, cracked an RBI single, Bailey dropped a sac fly in for another run, then Strasburg closed the day with an RBI single of her own.

While the big boppers were on fire, two of the team’s freshmen stepped up at the plate as well.

Tiffany Briscoe absolutely crushed a laser line drive up the middle for her first high school hit, while Erin Josue also joined the hit parade for the first time. Josue smacked a shot down the first base line, with the ball ricocheting off the fielder’s glove.

Sophomore Emily Coulter slid over into a different position for the game and “made some nice defensive plays at third.”

Coupeville wraps up a six-game road trip (they’re 2-2 so far) with a doubleheader Monday, April 14 in Sultan, then finally gets to come home for a stretch.

After the face-off with the Turks, the Wolves play their next six games on Whidbey — five home games and a short trip to Langley to face arch-rival South Whidbey.