Chelsea Prescott struck out nine Friday as Coupeville’s JV softball squad thumped Concrete’s varsity. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Chelsea Prescott already knows how to crack Concrete.
The Coupeville High School freshman made her high school softball debut Friday, and blitzed the visiting Lions, using her arm and bat to propel the Wolf JV to a 9-2 win over Concrete’s varsity.
Flinging mad heat all game long, Prescott, who will see a fair amount of time as a varsity player once that squad finally kicks off its season, whiffed nine and retired another five batters on bouncers back to the mound.
She was only hit hard once, maybe twice, and teamed up with freshman catcher Mollie Bailey, her former Little League teammate, to blitz Concrete at every step.
The Wolf JV, which got to make its Opening Day splash a day before the varsity travels to South Whidbey for its opener, controlled every aspect of the game.
On defense, Coral Caveness and Melia Welling came up with laser throws from short and third, respectively, while Coupeville’s hitters spread the love around from the top of the lineup to the bottom.
Prescott whacked a pair of singles to spark the Wolf attack, but it was Nicole Laxton and Caveness who had the biggest base-knocks.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, courtesy Bailey walking before Prescott and Welling were plunked, Laxton sauntered to the plate ready to get rowdy.
Hefting her bat, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth as varsity catcher Sarah Wright kept up a steady stream of positive chatter from the bench, Laxton found her pitch and made Concrete’s pitcher weep silent tears of despair.
Ripping the hide off the ball, she sent a low, screaming shot down the left field line, plating two runners and effectively ending the game in one sweet swing.
Coupeville tacked on another run a batter later, with Welling beating a throw home after Marenna Rebischke-Smith got on base when the Concrete catcher failed to catch a third strike.
The Wolves stretched their lead to 5-0 in the second inning, netting two runs thanks to smart base-running.
Thora Iverson, who got aboard on a walk, scampered home on a passed ball, before Bailey psyched out Concrete’s first-baseman on a stop-and-go move between third and home.
Coming halfway down the line, the one true Photo Bomb Queen faked like she was headed back to third, then, when her frazzled rival paused for a split-second, suddenly spun and shot home.
Faked out of her shoes by a prime-time bit of Bailey magic, the Lion fielder was slow on her throw, and Bailey was quick on her slide under the tag, making for pure kismet.
Coupeville had a runner gunned down at the plate in the third, then hit a two-inning dry spell at the plate, giving Concrete a chance to crawl to back within 5-2.
That would be the last gasp from the Lions, however, as Prescott continued to heat up on the mound, and the Wolf bats recovered at a crucial moment.
Blowing the doors off the barn, the Wolves exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to put an exclamation point on things.
Chloe Wheeler led off with a walk, stole second, got to third when Concrete was slow to respond, then strolled home after Caveness crunched an RBI double to deep center field.
From there it was a hail of runs, as Prescott and Laxton each stroked an RBI single and Rebischke-Smith brought the game’s final run around on a hard-hit grounder to the right side.
Coupeville collected six hits on the afternoon, with Bailey, Caveness, Prescott, Jenna Dickson and Laxton leading the hit parade.
Ivy Leedy came within an inch or two of joining them, but her wicked liner back up the middle in the fifth was snagged in a reflexive move by the Concrete pitcher, who was just trying to keep from taking a softball to the noggin.
Prescott’s nine K’s were spread out nicely, with the Wolf hurler ringing up at least one batter in six of seven innings.
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