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Diamond rally falls short

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 8, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Chaos reigns on the baseball diamond. (Ryan Blouin photo)

The good news is they rallied. The bad news is it was too little, too late.

Returning from Spring Break Monday, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad started off cold, then warmed up a bit in the latter stages of a 9-4 loss to visiting Sultan.

The non-conference defeat drops the Wolves to 3-7 on the season and kick-starts what could be a very busy week.

CHS is slated to travel to Darrington Tuesday, host La Conner Thursday, then trek to Forks Saturday, with the first two of those rumbles against Northwest 2B/1B League rivals.

With 10 regular season games down and nine left to play, the Wolves hope the second half of the campaign plays out like the second half of Monday’s game.

Held hitless until Cole White plunked a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth, Coupeville was in a 7-0 hole at that point.

Four errors on defense stung, and an inability to get anything going on offense didn’t help on a cold, windy, slightly rain-splattered day.

White’s base knock finally lit a fire under the Wolves, as they scratched out two runs in the fourth, one more in the fifth, and a final tally in the seventh.

But while Coupeville sliced the lead down to 7-3, it never got closer than that.

Sultan tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the sixth to stretch the margin back out to six runs, before CHS briefly mounted a rally in its final at-bats.

Peyton Caveness thumped his second double of the day, followed by an RBI triple from Johnny Porter, but the Turks escaped thanks to a double play and strikeout.

Sultan finished the day with an 8-5 lead in hits, though the Wolves eked out a 6-4 advantage in walks.

Steven Gonzalez, Aidyn McDermott, and Landon Roberts each earned a pair of free passes, while Coop Cooper collected a single to round out the hit parade.

Coupeville used four pitchers on the day, with Seth Woollet whiffing five in 4.2 innings of work to carry the biggest portion of the load.

He was joined on the hill by Jack Porter, Camden Glover, and Cooper, who combined for another five strikeouts.

It was Cooper’s season debut on the mound, and the Wolf sophomore pitched a perfect seventh inning, setting two batters down on K’s before inducing a groundout back to his glove.

Jack Porter flings heat. (Ember Light photo)

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All I need is some numbers

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 4, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Wolf senior Peyton Caveness is filling up the stat sheet. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Every at-bat, every pitch recorded for posterity.

Coupeville High School baseball coaches use Game Changer to record stats, which makes it easy for me to poach their numbers.

So, as the Wolves rest up during spring break, here’s a look at where stats sit through nine games.

Steven Gonzalez rips an RBI single. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

HITTING:

 

At-Bats:

Landon Roberts – 26
Peyton Caveness – 25
Yohannon Sandles – 25
Cole White – 24
Jack Porter – 22
Aiden O’Neill – 19
Camden Glover – 16
Coop Cooper – 14
Johnny Porter – 13
Seth Woollet – 9
Aidyn McDermott – 6
Matthew Gilbert – 5
Carson Grove – 2
Jack Farrell – 1
Steven Gonzalez – 1
Jayden Little – 1

 

Hits:

Sandles – 10
Caveness – 9
White – 7
Ja. Porter – 5
Roberts – 4
Jo. Porter – 3
Cooper – 2
Glover – 2
Grove – 2
McDermott – 2
O’Neill – 2
Gilbert – 1
Gonzalez – 1

 

Runs:

White – 7
O’Neill – 6
Ja. Porter – 5
Roberts – 5
Caveness – 4
Glover – 4
O’Neill – 4
Sandles – 4
Cooper – 3
Jo. Porter – 3
Gilbert – 2
McDermott – 2
Grove – 1

 

2B’s:

Caveness – 3
Ja. Porter – 2
Jo. Porter – 1
Sandles – 1

 

3B’s:

Caveness – 3
Ja. Porter – 2
O’Neill – 1

 

RBI:

Sandles – 7
Caveness – 6
Ja. Porter – 5
Cooper – 4
Jo. Porter – 4
O’Neill – 3
White – 2
Glover – 1
Gonzalez – 1
Grove – 1
McDermott – 1
Roberts – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Walks:

Glover – 8
O’Neill – 8
Caveness – 5
Cooper – 5
Ja. Porter – 4
Roberts – 3
White – 3
Jo. Porter – 2
Sandles – 2
Gilbert – 1
McDermott – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Stolen Bases:

Roberts – 9
Caveness – 4
O’Neill – 4
White – 3
Ja. Porter – 2
Glover – 1
McDermott – 1
Ja. Porter – 1

 

Batting Average:

Gonzalez – 1.000
Grove – 1.000
Sandles – .400
Caveness – .360
McDermott – .333
White – .292
Jo. Porter – .231
Ja. Porter – .227
Gilbert – .200
Roberts – .154
Cooper – .143
Glover – .125
O’Neill – .105

 

Landon Roberts deals. (Morgan White photo)

 

PITCHING:

 

Games:

Glover – 6
Caveness – 5
Roberts – 4
O’Neill – 3
Gilbert – 2
Grove – 2
White – 2
Woollet – 2
Ja. Porter – 1

 

Starts:

Roberts – 4
Caveness – 3
O’Neill – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Hits:

Roberts – 18
Woollet – 11
Caveness – 10
Glover – 10
Grove – 6
O’Neill – 3
White – 3

 

Runs:

Roberts – 29
Caveness – 16
Glover – 10
O’Neill – 9
Woollet – 8
Grove – 6
Gilbert – 5
White – 3

 

Earned Runs:

Roberts – 14
O’Neill – 8
Caveness – 7
Glover – 6
Gilbert – 2
White – 2
Woollet – 2

 

Walks:

Roberts – 25
Glover – 23
Caveness – 22
O’Neill – 14
Grove – 5
Gilbert – 4
White – 4
Ja. Porter – 1
Woollet – 1

 

Strikeouts:

Roberts – 18
Caveness – 16
Glover – 15
Gilbert – 3
Grove – 3
Woollet – 3
Ja. Porter – 2
O’Neill – 1
White – 1

 

Innings Pitched:

Roberts – 16.1
Caveness – 13.2
Glover – 10.0
Woollet – 4.1
O’Neill – 3.0
Grove – 2.1
Gilbert – 1.0
Ja. Porter – 1.0
White – 0.1

 

Batters Faced:

Roberts – 100
Caveness – 74
Glover – 62
Woollet – 28
O’Neill – 26
Grove – 15
Gilbert – 10
White – 9
Ja. Porter – 4

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Diamond men ready for a break

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

It’s been that kind of season. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Time to step back and take a deep breath.

Coming off a 14-1 loss to visiting South Whidbey Saturday, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad sits at 3-6 on the season.

But the defeat to their Island rivals, while it stings, came in a non-conference rumble.

The Wolves are 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play and just a game out of first place with eight more conference clashes ahead on the schedule.

In other words, there are days when Coupeville’s diamond men play really solid ball. And a few when things don’t necessarily go in the direction they intend.

So, with spring break arriving, it’s a perfect time for the Wolves to get some rest, let things go for a bit, then get back at it on the other side.

CHS returns to action April 8 with a home non-conference game with Sultan, then plays eight of its final nine against NWL rivals.

When the Wolves return to play, they’ll likely be focused on cutting down defensive errors and increasing scoring opportunities.

Both of which stung Coupeville Saturday, as five errors and 16 walks allowed South Whidbey to pile up some runs.

While the Wolves were also outhit 5-3, the hometown heroes put runners on base in every inning.

Unfortunately, the guys in red and black didn’t bring anyone all the way around the basepaths until they scraped out a late run in the bottom of the fifth, and final, inning.

Before then, the Wolves put two runners on base in the first, second, and third, and a solo man aboard in the fourth.

But Coupeville kept on missing on getting that one key hit to really kick a rally off, and stranded runners each time until Peyton Caveness tapped home very late in the game.

Peyton Caveness has been a rock for the Wolves this season.

The visitors, by contrast, pushed four runs across in the top of the first, another three in the second, and one more in the third.

The Wolf defense stiffened in the fourth, holding South Whidbey scoreless for a frame, but then the Falcons threw six more runs on the board in the fifth to ice the game.

Coupeville, which was ending a very busy week, mixed and matched its pitchers, using Caveness, Cole White, Jack Porter, and Camden Glover on the hill.

The foursome combined to whiff six Falcons, two more than the number of K’s racked up by South Whidbey’s pitching staff.

The Wolf hits — all singles — came from Coop Cooper, White, and Caveness, while Aiden O’Neill walked twice and Landon Roberts and Yohannon Sandles both eked out a free pass.

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Hit-happy Wolves crack Concrete

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on March 29, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Scoring runs is dusty work. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Concrete was the cure.

A Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad which had tallied 20 runs across its first seven games topped that total in just five innings of play Friday afternoon.

Rapping out hit after hit, including three separate three-run triples, the Wolves pasted their hosts, cracking Concrete 25-7 in a game mercy-ruled.

The win lifts CHS to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 3-5 overall heading into a home showdown Saturday with next door neighbor South Whidbey.

Coupeville’s offense was unstoppable Friday, rolling up a season-high 20 hits and 11 walks. Overall, 14 of the 16 Wolves to see the field reached base.

Concrete had one brief glimmer of hope in the top of the first, then things went sideways in a hurry.

Wolf leadoff hitter Peyton Caveness crunched a triple but was nabbed trying to come home on a ball off the bat of Landon Roberts.

After that, it was all Coupeville, all day.

CHS pushed seven runs across in the first, with Yohannon Sandles delivering a two-run single and Aiden O’Neill clearing the bags with a triple to right field.

With Seth Woollet dealing on the mound and punching an RBI single of his own through the Lion defense, the Wolves shoved the lead out to 12-0.

Caveness delivered his team’s second three-run triple to cap the early push.

Peyton Caveness prepares to get dramatic.

While Concrete scraped out a pair of runs in its half of the second, Coupeville scored in every inning, with the advantage eventually ballooning out to 25-2 through the top of the fifth.

In the third, the big blow was an RBI double from Jack Porter, while in the fourth it was an RBI triple from the very same batter.

The fifth was brutal for Concrete, as the hometown nine couldn’t get off the field quickly enough, surrendering eight more runs.

Jack Porter, having himself a day, blasted Coupeville’s third, and final, three-run triple, with Camden Glover, Carson Grove and Jayden Little all plating runners with base-knocks.

Grove, just an 8th grader, was superb in relief, tossing two shutout innings for the Wolves, holding his foes to a single hit across the third and fourth.

Concrete, looking for a little redemption, or at least a positive note to end its tortured day, scored five runs in the waning sunshine in the bottom of the fifth, but it was too little, too late.

Woollet, Grove, Matthew Gilbert, and Glover combined for the win, with the group racking up nine strikeouts.

At the plate, Jack Porter was a man afire, blasting two doubles and two triples while being credited with a team-high five hits and five RBI.

Caveness collected a pair of triples as part of a three-hit day, while White, Grove, and Sandles each added a pair of singles.

Cole White can kill you with his bat or glove.

Rounding out the hit parade were O’Neill (3B), Glover (2B), Johnny Porter (1B), Gilbert (1B), Little (1B), and Coop Cooper (1B).

Glover and O’Neill both walked three times, with Aidyn McDermott, Sandles, Roberts, and Cooper showcasing eagle eyes while collecting a free base.

Easton Green and 8th grader Nick Laska also saw playing time, with the latter making his varsity debut.

Saturday’s rumble with South Whidbey, which is a rematch from earlier in the season, is scheduled to start at 1:00 PM.

It’ll be part of a busy day on the prairie, with the Wolf softball squad slated to host Onalaska in a doubleheader starting at the same time.

In other words, a perfect time to do some spring cleaning in the morning, then bring your no longer needed DVD’s down to be left next to my green ‘n dirty Xterra in the parking lot as I build a secret underground shrine to Videoville’s glory days.

Just sayin’.

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(Bad) Wolves beat (good) Wolves

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Landon Roberts played strongly while patrolling the outfield Wednesday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Welcome to Willie Smith Day, sort of.

The Coupeville High School Athletic Director was a busy bee buzzing around the prairie Wednesday afternoon.

First, he brought me both candy and a sizzlin’ batch of donated DVDs — “Dick Tracy vs. Cueball” to “True Grit” to “Willy Wonka” and much more!

Then, he watched his old-old team (Sequim) beat his old team (Coupeville) 10-0 in a baseball battle played out in front of former CHS greats like Bill Jarrell and Sandy Roberts.

With two packs of Wolves scrapping, it created some confusion for fans as they hollered support.

Even more reason Coupeville should mix it up and find a hip new mascot like the Mighty Mussels or Mosquitos or Geoducks and sell a ton of merch to hipsters across America.

Create a cartoon character featuring a Penn Cove mussel, flexing its muscles, and slap that sucker on t-shirts, mugs, and hoodies and sell ’em from Bangor to Bangladesh.

Rake in that sweet, sweet Mighty Mussels moola, and there’s your balanced budget right there, baby!

But anyway, back in reality — where I scored DVDs featuring both Clint Eastwood and One Direction — Wednesday’s non-conference tilt was a fairly one-sided one.

Sequim, reppin’ a 2A school, outhit the 2B Wolves from Cow Town 9-3, earned a 9-1 advantage in walks, and played perfect defense while Coupeville committed five errors.

The visitors, who packed the bleachers with fans, opened the game with a quick one-two shot, pushing across a pair of runs in the top of the first to seize an early advantage.

Meanwhile the hometown Wolves had a little trouble getting their own offense kick-started.

The first trip through the lineup produced just one baserunner from nine at-bats, and it only happened because of a great deal of pain.

CHS shortstop Cole White got blasted by a wayward pitch, the ball burrowing nice and deep into his Gonzaga-bound flesh.

As he hobbled down to first, waves of pain rolling out of every pore on his body, even his mom, Morgan, averted her eyes and grimaced.

Her pale prairie prince survived — he’s a tough kid as shown by the 1,371 times he bled during basketball season — but Cole will likely have a deeply impressive bruise to show off in the morning.

“You wore the pitch. Respect.” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Unable to bring White home, Coupeville at least held the line on defense, thwarting a potential steal of home in the top of the second.

With the bags juiced, a Sequim runner tried to catch CHS pitcher Aiden O’Neill napping, but the sophomore hurler pegged the ball to catcher Peyton Caveness in time.

Trying to avoid the tag, the incoming player awkwardly went airborne at the last moment, then realized too late that, unlike disgraced singer R. Kelly, he really didn’t believe he could fly.

Coupeville third baseman Yohannon Sandles made a nice play on a hot grounder to end the inning, and the good version of the Wolves stayed close for a bit.

Sequim tacked on a run in the third to make it 3-0, then made its move with a three-run fourth and a four-run fifth.

CHS finally got its bats clicking, at least a bit, but couldn’t put enough base knocks together to mount a rally.

Caveness thumped a double but was stranded when Sequim tracked down a long fly ball off the bat of Landon Roberts to end the third.

Jack Porter lashed one of Coupeville’s three hits, while also making a strong defensive play on a long fly to left. (Ember Light photo)

Then, in the fourth, after Sandles and Jack Porter delivered back-to-back one-out singles, Sequim dodged a bullet by pulling off superb defensive stops on hard-hit balls from Coop Cooper and Camden Glover.

O’Neill and senior Seth Woollet got their first major pitching work of the season, while Sequim countered with Ayden Holland, who had himself a day.

The 12th grade chucker held Coupeville largely in check while throwing the shutout, and also reached base four times with two hits and two walks while operating as a batter.

The Cow Town hardball squad, which sits at 2-5 after the loss, continues a busy week with a trip Friday to Concrete for a league clash.

After that, Coupeville’s nine are back on their home field Saturday for an Island rumble with South Whidbey.

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