Wolf catcher Jake Tumblin (possibly) snags a nap between pitches. (John Fisken photo)
David backhanded Goliath.
Two days after losing a one-run game in extra innings, the Coupeville High School baseball squad returned the favor to Cedarcrest, dumping the host Red Wolves 6-5 in nine innings Wednesday.
It was a win for small teams everywhere, as CHS is the smallest 1A school in the state (225 students in grades 9-11) and Cedarcrest the largest 2A school (691 students) in the 1A/2A Cascade Conference.
The victory snapped a four-game losing skid, moved Coupeville back into a tie with South Whidbey as the top 1A team in league play (the Wolves own the tiebreaker) and, after three straight shutout losses, brightened CHS coach Willie Smith’s mood considerably.
“We scored our first run on a double play ball,” Smith said. “It wasn’t the greatest way to score, but we haven’t scored a lot lately, so it was nice to have someone over at third to talk to besides myself for a change!”
Aaron Curtin took the mound for the Wolves and blunted nearly every charge Cedarcrest tried to make. He got double plays to end the first two innings and helped carry Coupeville to the lead.
After three and a half games of offensive futility against Archbishop Thomas Murphy and Cedarcrest, CHS finally got the bats going in the top of the fifth.
And they did it in unusual fashion, staging a two-out, no-one-on-base rally.
Ben Etzell walked and stole second, then was plated by a booming double off of the bat of Wade Schaef to get things going. Morgan Payne and Aaron Trumbull followed with RBI singles to open a 4-1 advantage.
After Cedarcrest chipped away the lead, Coupeville reclaimed it in the seventh, again starting with no one on and two down. Trumbull singled, then scampered home on a triple from Kurtis Smith.
Not ready to give up, the hosts staged their own rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring once to tie things up.
Curtin saved the day, however, gunning down what would have been the winning run with a laser from left to catcher Jake Tumblin, nailing the runner by a good ten feet.
Mimicking the team’s game Monday, when Cedarcrest won 1-0, the visitors again scratched out a run in the top of the ninth to claim the victory.
This time, it was Coupeville’s chance to play hero, as Payne singled, stole second and scored when Cedarcrest muffed a Trumbull grounder to first.
Curtin’s successor on the mound — sophomore CJ Smith, who tossed 3+ “ice in his veins” innings of relief — shut down the Red Wolves in order in the bottom of the ninth to seal the deal.
Etzell put the final stamp on the day, getting the last out on a sensational play where he went deep in the hole to snag the ball.
After a week-plus of offensive struggle, nearly the entire CHS lineup clicked Wednesday. Schaef, Payne, Trumbull and Kurtis Smith each had two hits.
Defensively, the Wolves were nearly flawless, gunning down runners at the plate, turning double plays, making smart choices (Trumbull nailed a runner headed into second) and going the extra step to make the play.
“A great effort, great team win, and a great way to rebound after Monday’s heart-breaker,” Willie Smith said.
The Wolves, now 4-5 overall, 3-5 in league play, wrap their three-game set with Cedarcrest Friday at home. First pitch is 4 PM.
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Coupeville Sports 