Coupeville Sports

   Veronica Crownover had two hits and three RBI Wednesday as Coupeville mashed Klahowya 15-1, taking the upper hand in the race for a league crown. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The mission is simple.

Beat Klahowya twice this season and the Coupeville High School softball squad wins its first league title since 2002.

And now it’s halfway there.

Led Wednesday by the booming bats of junior sluggers Veronica Crownover and Sarah Wright, the Wolves shellacked KSS 15-1 in Silverdale, capturing the first round in a three-game season series.

With the victory, Coupeville improves to 3-1 overall, 1-0 in Olympic League play, while Klahowya falls to 5-2, 0-1.

Conference mates Chimacum and Port Townsend suspended their softball programs during the first week of practice, citing a lack of players, which left only two teams standing in what had been a four-team league.

So now, beat the Eagles Apr. 20 on Whidbey, and the Wolves will exit the Olympic League — CHS joins the new North Sound Conference in the fall — as champs.

The third, and final, regular season meeting between the two schools is Apr. 30 back in Silverdale.

Wednesday Coupeville struck early and late, both times inflicting serious damage.

While Wright “had a monster game,” lashing three hits including a triple while driving in six, and Crownover was hot on her heels with two hits and three RBI, every Wolf contributed.

And I do mean EVERY Wolf, as all nine starters recorded at least one hit and one run as CHS showed remarkable balance.

Coupeville came off the bus swinging from the heels, dropping a three-spot on Klahowya pitcher Amber Bumbalough before she even got properly warmed-up.

Lauren Rose led off with a single, promptly stole second and third, and scored the game’s opening tally when she and Katrina McGranahan, aboard on a walk, scampered home on a two-run single from Wright.

Crownover capped the opening surge with an RBI single of her own, and a rout looked like a distinct possibility.

Bumbalough is a two-time Olympic League MVP and D-1 recruit, though, and she settled down, matching goose eggs with McGranahan from that point on until the top of the fifth.

CHS got back-to-back hits from Scout Smith and McGranahan to lead off the third, but was ultimately stiffed. In the fifth, the Wolves went in a different direction, and it paid off.

This time they had two outs and no one on base, then fired the ignition.

Sophomore sensation Smith, who played superbly against Klahowya as a mere freshman, was just as sharp Wednesday, and ripped one of her three hits on the day to trigger things.

McGranahan followed with a base-knock of her own, before Wright went medieval on the ball, dropping a two-run triple into the farthest reaches of the ballpark.

While a 5-0 lead was nice, the Wolves decided to triple their fun in the top of the sixth, knocking Bumbalough out of the pitcher’s circle en route to a 13-batter, 10-run inning.

Crownover started things, reaching on an error, then came back around to drive home the final nail with a booming double that caused dad Darren to nearly lose his voice with all of his good-natured screaming and caring on.

It’s rare to look at a score-book and see an inning where every player on a team scores, but it was nothing but a gorgeous string of filled-in diamonds in the sixth for CHS assistant coach Justine McGranahan.

Everyone chipped in, with Chelsea Prescott, Emma Mathusek, Hope Lodell and Coral Caveness all collecting their first hits of the game in the inning.

With the game in hand, Coupeville coach Kevin McGranahan made sure all 12 girls in uniform saw playing time, with Nicole Laxton, Mollie Bailey and Mackenzie Davis hitting the field in the bottom half of the inning.

Klahowya scraped out a single, solitary run in its half of the sixth to stave off the shutout, but the blowout remained intact.

CHS spread out 15 hits among its nine starters, with Wright and Smith each having a three base-knock afternoon.

Crownover and Katrina McGranahan chipped in with two hits apiece, while Rose, Prescott, Lodell, Caveness and Mathusek each added one of their own.

“Huge win for us and now we are in the drivers seat for the league title,” said Kevin McGranahan. “Now they have to come to us.

“Sarah was clutch all day (at bat) and picking a girl off at third. Coral also had a great game, with a big hit off Amber,” he added. “Hang on tight; it is gonna be a wild ride this year.”