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JV sluggers build for future

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Wolf 8th grader Jack Farrell is ready for his closeup. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They’re learning under fire.

A fairly inexperienced Coupeville High School JV baseball squad shows signs of growth every time it takes the field, though that hasn’t translated to a win yet.

The young Wolves put 10 runners aboard Wednesday but were undone by 12 strikeouts in a 10-1 loss at South Whidbey.

With the non-conference defeat to its 1A neighbors, 2B Coupeville falls to 0-3-1 on the season, with all of its losses coming to larger schools.

The Wolf JV, which tied Darrington in a game called after six innings due to darkness last time out, has four games left on its schedule.

First up is a bout on Orcas Island this Saturday.

Facing off with South Whidbey, the Wolves hung tough, with four different pitchers recording two strikeouts apiece.

Landon Roberts, Jack Porter, Chase Anderson, and Aiden O’Neill each took a turn on the bump, with the game staying close until the host Falcons erupted for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

CHS had runners on base in six of seven innings, scoring their lone tally in the top of the fifth.

The Wolves best turn at the plate came a frame earlier, when Skylar Sand and Matthew Gilbert singled, while Myca Clarkson walked.

The game featured the stars of tomorrow, with both teams carrying an 8th grader on their roster.

Coupeville’s Jack Farrell eked out a walk, while South Whidbey’s Levi Batchelor ripped a base hit.

Wolf coach Jon Roberts juggled his roster, getting game time for 14 players, with Parker Fuller-Hewitt, Marcelo Gebhard, Jaje Drake, Johnny Porter, Aidyn McDermott, and Ethan Gill joining the previously noted players.

 

Wednesday stats:

Chase Anderson — One single
Myca Clarkson — Two walks
Jack Farrell — One walk
Marcelo Gebhard — Two walks
Matthew Gilbert — One single
Johnny Porter — One single
Landon Roberts — One walk
Skylar Sand — One single

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Falcons rally late, edge Wolves

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Freshman Camden Glover whacked a double Wednesday in Langley. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Missed it … by that much.

The Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad stranded too many runners Wednesday in Langley, leaving host South Whidbey a chance to rally late for a 4-2 win.

The non-conference loss snaps a five-game winning streak for the Wolves, who tumble to 9-4 on the season.

With the victory, the Falcons even their mark at 7-7 and earn a split in the season series, after Coupeville clobbered them 13-2 in the season opener.

This time around the Wolves had plenty of chances to blow the game open, but left runners aboard in each of the first five innings.

Trailing 2-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, South Whidbey finally broke through thanks to Coupeville’s lone error and a two-out RBI double from Tyson Henry.

With Falcon hurlers retiring the final nine Wolf hitters, the hosts capitalized on their chances in the sixth, pushing three runners across to claim the lead for the first time.

Three walks jammed the basepaths, with a Josh Sterba sac fly knotting things up at 2-2.

Coupeville was an out away from escaping, but Grady Davis delivered the game-buster, launching a two-out, two-run double to center to knife the Wolves.

The game opened as a pitcher’s duel, with CHS hurler Coop Cooper carrying a shutout through the first four innings.

The freshman flinger whiffed six Falcons and didn’t surrender a hit until the third, but his own team struggled to provide run support.

The Wolves stranded four runners through the first three frames, before finally breaking through to score in the top of the fourth.

Starting with the bases loaded and no outs after a Camden Glover double, a Peyton Caveness single, and Cooper being plunked by a pitch, things were looking explosive.

But while CHS did score twice, forcing in a run when Aiden O’Neill was hit by another pitch, and netting another tally off of a Scott Hilborn smash to third base, the Wolves offense sputtered out after that.

Other than a Jack Porter walk to open the fifth, Coupeville came up empty across the final three innings.

While the Wolves outhit the Falcons 4-3, South Whidbey walked 10 times to Coupeville’s five free passes.

The CHS hardball squad gets an immediate chance to fix that, as it plays its third game in as many days Thursday, when it hosts Mount Vernon Christian.

That game pits the top two teams in the Northwest 2B/1B League, with MVC sitting at 9-0 in conference action, and Coupeville right behind them at 7-1.

First pitch is 4:00 PM at Robert Sherman Field.

 

Wednesday stats:

Peyton Caveness — Two singles
Coop Cooper — One walk
Camden Glover — One double
Scott Hilborn — One single
Aiden O’Neill — One walk
Jack Porter — Two walks
Cole White — One walk

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Hardball squad locks down #1 playoff seed

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Chase Anderson is playoff-bound. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They control their own destiny.

Playing fast and furious Tuesday afternoon, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad thwacked visiting Friday Harbor 4-0, claiming the #1 seed for the District 1/2 postseason tourney.

The victory, keyed by seven strong innings from starting pitcher Scott Hilborn and a big two-run single from fellow senior Jonathan Valenzuela, lifts the Wolves to 7-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 9-3 overall.

That record includes the recent addition of a forfeit win over Concrete from a game that was supposed to be played April 8.

Coupeville still has eight games left on the regular season schedule — six of them league contests.

The Wolves remain in a battle for the league title with 1B Mount Vernon Christian (9-0, 9-2) — which it hosts Thursday — but Tuesday’s win means CHS will be the top 2B squad.

Having beaten both Friday Harbor and La Conner twice already, the Wolves are 4-0 in that three-team round-robin and own all the tiebreakers.

So, when the playoffs arrive in mid-May, Friday Harbor, as the #2 team from District 1, faces off with the only school playing baseball in District 2 — Northwest Christian.

The winner advances to face Coupeville in a loser-out, winner-to-state game.

That’s still several weeks away however, so for now, the focus is on finishing strong.

The Wolves are scheduled to play four times in a five-day span, following up their shutout of Friday Harbor by traveling to South Whidbey Wednesday, hosting MVC Thursday, then bouncing to Orcas Island Saturday.

Game one in the hardball odyssey finished almost an hour before the Coupeville vs. Friday Harbor softball game across the street did, as Hilborn mowed down the Wolverines.

Scott Hilborn fires BBs.

Scattering four hits and two walks in seven innings of work, the senior righty set nine batters down on strikes, including two of three in the final frame.

He was never in trouble but did pick a runner off of first base and got some help from his defense when Valenzuela and Peyton Caveness combined to turn a double play.

Coupeville got the only runs it would need in the bottom of the first inning.

Hilborn reached on an error, freshman Chase Anderson plunked a single, then Valenzuela ripped a two-run single to centerfield to stake the Wolves to a quick 2-0 lead.

CHS added a run in the second, with Hilborn socking an RBI double that sent Cole White skittering home, before scraping out a final tally in the bottom of the sixth.

Valenzuela led off the frame with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Camden Glover, stole third, and tapped home after a Friday Harbor error.

 

Tuesday stats:

Chase Anderson — One single
Peyton Caveness — One single, one walk
Coop Cooper — One single
Scott Hilborn — One double
Jonathan Valenzuela — Two singles

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Wolves run over Braves

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on April 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Chase Anderson flies for home. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Speed kills.

So, good thing the fastest team on the diamond Thursday was Coupeville, and not La Conner.

Sparked by 19 steals, the Wolf varsity baseball team ran away with a resounding 12-2 win over the host Braves, handing them a key league win.

With the victory, CHS gets to 5-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-3 overall.

That keeps the Wolves right on the heels of 1B powerhouse Mount Vernon Christian, which is 6-0 in NWL action, while also pushing them to 3-0 against their fellow 2B schools.

League title or not, Coupeville’s playoff fate is determined entirely by how it does against La Conner and Friday Harbor, and Thursday’s win gets the Wolves halfway to a sweep of that six-game royal rumble.

CHS spaced out its runs against the Braves, scoring in six of seven innings, while using three pitchers to shut La Conner down.

Camden Glover got the start and tossed two scoreless innings before giving way to fellow freshman Chase Anderson, who whiffed seven batters across three frames.

Senior hurler Scott Hilborn wrapped things up, striking out five while working the sixth and seventh.

The Wolves jumped on the Braves for two runs in the top of the first, after starting things off with two outs and no one aboard.

Jack Porter poked a single to give Coupeville its first runner, before Jonathan Valenzuela and Glover eked out walks to juice the bags.

Taking full advantage of his opportunities, Peyton Caveness smacked a two-run single to left field, and the Wolves were off and rolling.

Back-to-back RBI singles from Hilborn and Anderson keyed a three-run rally in the second, while the third inning was the only time the Wolves failed to score.

La Conner briefly rallied in the bottom of the third, plating a pair of runners to cut the margin to 5-2, but that was it for the Brave offense.

Working methodically, and running the bases like crazy, Coupeville pushed three more runs across in the fourth, one in the fifth, two more in the sixth, and a final tally in the seventh.

“I love it when a plan comes together!”

Hilborn and Anderson delivered back-to-back RBI singles for a second time, while the run in the fifth came courtesy of a rare triple steal.

The last big crunch of the game came off of Glover’s bat, with the fab frosh walloping an RBI double to left.

CHS was strong in all facets of the game, with Hilborn gunning down a runner at the plate, and Anderson teaming up with Cole White and Glover to pull off an inning-ending double play.

Eight different Wolves garnered a steal in the speed-fest, with Aiden O’Neill, Hilborn, and Anderson notching four apiece.

 

Thursday stats:

Chase Anderson — Two singles, one walk
Peyton Caveness — One single
Coop Cooper — Two singles
Camden Glover — One double, one walk
Scott Hilborn — Two singles
Aiden O’Neill — One walk
Jack Porter — One single, one walk
Johnny Porter — One single, one walk
Jonathan Valenzuela — One walk
Cole White — Two walks

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Coupeville grads dazzle on diamond

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on April 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Hawthorne Wolfe, old-school style. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Wolf alumni still have that lovin’ feeling for baseball.

Coupeville High School grads Hawthorne Wolfe and Joey Lippo are deep into collegiate hardball seasons in different parts of the country.

Wolfe is a freshman at Western Washington University, where he’s part of a Viking squad sitting at a sweet 10-6 on the season.

With the former Coupeville ace striking out a season-high six batters in a game this past weekend, WWU claimed two of three from the University of Washington to cement its status as the second-best team in their five-team conference.

The Vikings, who are 4-2 in league play, have 12 games left on the schedule.

Western hosts Gonzaga this coming Saturday and Sunday for three games, then gets a first-place showdown with the University of Oregon (12-4, 5-1) the following weekend.

On the season, Wolfe has pitched in a team-high six games, starting three, and is 1-0 with a save. His 16 strikeouts across 15+ innings of work ranks second among WWU hurlers.

Lippo, a junior outfielder at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, is having a solid season for a team struggling to improve its win/loss record.

The Owls are 1-18 heading into a pair of weekend doubleheaders with Thomas College in Waterville.

Coupeville’s alumni is hitting .258 — second-best on his squad — with 16 hits, eight runs, two triples, a home run, seven RBI, seven walks, and four steals.

Lippo also displays a nimble glove and a strong arm while patrolling the field for UMPI.

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