Coupeville Sports

   Staff ace CJ Smith is one of three seniors who the Wolves will lose to graduation. (Sylvia Hurlburt photo)

   Junior left fielder Gabe Wynn is one of seven starters who could return next season. (John Fisken photo)

Better than Klahowya.

The Coupeville High School baseball squad bowed 6-1 to Seattle Christian Thursday, ending its playoff run, but they didn’t get shellacked like their Olympic League rivals.

The Eagles were drilled 10-1 when they faced the Warriors in the opening round of the district playoffs and were one and done.

The Wolves, as league champs, got two tries, but a loss to Cascade Christian Tuesday put them in a precarious spot, and Seattle Christian finished the job behind stellar pitching.

Coupeville finished its first year under Marc Aparicio at 10-12.

“Great season. Wish it would have lasted a bit longer,” said the hardball guru.

With the win, Seattle Christian gets a chance to play for a berth in the state playoffs Saturday.

Their foe will be Vashon Island, the Nisqually League’s #1 seed, which was upset 4-2 Thursday in the district championship game by Cascade Christian.

The Warriors blitzed Coupeville behind a superb performance by hurler Alex Evenson, who took a perfect game into the sixth inning.

The Wolves refused to go down easily, however, breaking up the no-no on a sharply-hit single by junior Clay Reilly.

While he was gunned down by half a step on a subsequent steal attempt, CHS then put together three consecutive singles to plate its only run of the afternoon.

The base knocks came off of the bats of Ethan Marx, Matt Hilborn and Hunter Smith.

Coupeville added a fifth hit in the seventh, when Kory Score laced a single, but that was it for the late-game revival at the plate.

Seattle Christian scored early, putting two across in the first, plating three in the second and tacking on a final run in the third, then coasted home.

While the loss ended Coupeville’s season, the Wolves, a very young team, can look back in pride on being the first CHS baseball squad to win a league title since 1991.

They lose just three seniors, with staff ace CJ Smith, rock-solid catcher Cole Payne and utility man Brenden Gilbert bidding farewell to the program.