Coupeville Sports

Capri Anter (left) and Sydney Van Dyke whacked home runs in the big city Thursday afternoon. (Photo courtesy Colleen Henderson-Van Dyke)

“There is just no substitute for live reps.”

With that in mind, Coupeville High School softball coach Aaron Lucero took a collection of Wolf sluggers to Oak Harbor Thursday for the first JV game of the season.

And once in the big city, the young guns held their own against a 3A school, rallying late to eke out a 6-6 tie with the host Wildcats before daylight ran out.

The game, which featured a pair of final-inning two-run home runs from Coupeville’s Capri Anter and Sydney Van Dyke, and several spiffy defensive plays by catcher Ava Lucero, was a perfect confidence builder.

“A great experience for a number of players who don’t get the opportunity,” Aaron Lucero said.

“I’m proud of the resilience and never being out of the fight.”

Trailing 6-2 in the late going, Coupeville got its bats barking, and how.

Emma Cushman sparked things with a single, with three consecutive extra-base hits providing the big boom.

Anter, who jacked a home run in her team’s most-recent varsity contest, belted an inside-the-park round tripper to cut the lead to 6-4.

Following hot on her footsteps, Ava Lucero crushed a double, before Van Dyke walloped a two-run tater to knot things up.

While the offense came up big, so did the Wolf defense.

Anter whiffed 10 Wildcats from the pitcher’s circle, “pitching well and making adjustments when she ran into trouble and wasn’t getting the calls.”

Meanwhile, her battery mate was superb, with Ava Lucero throwing out a runner at second and scrambling to recover a wild pitch and catch an incoming runner at the plate to preserve the tie.

Mary Western keeps an eagle eye on things. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville had 10 players in uniform, with eight of them getting on base.

Allie Powers and Mary Western rounded out the Wolf roster, with everyone involved getting the nod of approval from their coach.

“Lot of positives to take away from the game,” Aaron Lucero said. “We have items to work on but will get there.”

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — One home run, three walks
Emma Cushman — Two singles
Emma Leavitt — Two singles
Ava Lucero — One double
Olivia Martin — One walk
Chelsi Stevens — Two singles
Danica Strong — One walk
Sydney Van Dyke — One single, one home run, one walk