Xavier Murdy and his fellow CHS seniors will be honored Friday. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
One small break can be brutal.
Playing less than 24 hours after winning a battle for league supremacy, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball team took a small step backwards Thursday afternoon.
Dinged by back-to-back fielding errors at a crucial moment, the Wolves fell 3-1 at South Whidbey, allowing the Falcons to earn a season split in the series between next-door neighbors.
The non-conference loss drops Coupeville to 11-6 heading into Senior Night Friday against visiting Orcas Island.
The first time the Wolves and Falcons clashed this season, CHS pulled out a 3-2 win at home. Second time around, just as close, but not with as positive an ending.
“Probably some big game hangover,” said Coupeville coach Will Thayer.
The Wolves were likely still buzzing after handing Friday Harbor its first Northwest 2B/1B League loss of the season a day before, and they quickly jumped on South Whidbey when Hawthorne Wolfe rapped a leadoff double.
Unfortunately, the speedy senior never made it all the way home, starting a day-long trend in which Coupeville put runners on base in every inning, yet couldn’t break out a big rally.
The lone run for the Wolves came in the top of the third, when Jonathan Valenzuela smacked a two-out triple, then skittered home on a double off of Scott Hilborn’s bat.
Coupeville collected seven hits — three from Sage Sharp — and two walks, but stranded eight of those nine runners, making life dicey.
Valenzuela, who whiffed five while going the distance on the mound, pitched well, but South Whidbey scratched out just enough offense to carry the day.
Jonathan Valenzuela brings the heat.
The Falcons plated one run in the first, with a walk to Grady Davis bringing Nick Black in to score.
It was the bottom of the third which proved to be Coupeville’s Kryptonite, however, as Ashton Leland and Andrew Hilton both tapped home for South Whidbey thanks to Wolf errors.
From there, Coupeville was in lock-down mode, with catcher Xavier Murdy throwing out two would-be base stealers.
The Wolves cap a three-games-in-three-days run with Friday’s tilt with Orcas, and they’ll honor seniors Murdy, Wolfe, Cody Roberts, Cole Hutchinson, and Sharp.
Coupeville Sports 
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