Chase Anderson struck out nine batters in relief Tuesday afternoon. (Morgan White photo)
Not all mercy rule games are the same.
Case in point, Tuesday’s baseball clash on the prairie between Coupeville and visiting La Conner.
Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, the league opener, played with sunny skies and virtually no wind, was a 3-3 stalemate.
Hop ahead 20 minutes, however, and Coupeville strolled off the diamond early, thanks to a 10-run frame which made the final score 13-3 in favor of the hometown Wolves.
The victory lifts CHS to 1-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 3-1 overall, with a non-conference home game against Forks set for this Saturday, Mar. 25.
Tuesday’s clash with La Conner was a mildly tense affair for most of the afternoon, as pitching issues dictated things.
A home plate ump with an ever-moving strike zone made things dicey, as the Braves — who were outhit 13-1 with their lone hit coming courtesy the first batter of the afternoon — hung around thanks to garnering a ton of free passes.
La Conner eventually struck out 12 times on the day, but nine walks, with five of them coming in one inning, stung the Wolves for a bit.
The visitors, without putting a ball into play, walked their way to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning and had the bags crammed full.
That was when Coupeville coach Steve Hilborn went to the bullpen, bringing in freshman hurler Chase Anderson.
“The Magic Man” ended the bleeding, whiffing the first batter he faced, then went on to strike out eight more Braves before his day was done.
It took the Wolves a bit to get their own offense going, however.
Facing a soft tosser, Coupeville went down 1-2-3 in the first, then loaded the bases in the second, only to come up empty.
Singles from Camden Glover and Johnny Porter put a man on every base with just one out, but La Conner’s lobber escaped with a strikeout and a comebacker to the mound.
The Wolves finally broke through in the bottom of the third, pushing three runs across to reclaim the lead at 3-2.
Scott Hilborn led off the frame by bashing a two-bagger to left, with Jonathan Valenzuela and Coop Cooper coming up with run-producing hits soon after.
CHS looked like it might get more, but La Conner pulled off a slick double play on a liner headed back up the middle, spearing the ball and doubling a Wolf runner off the bag.
Both teams put two men aboard in the fourth, only to see the opposing pitcher slam the door shut.
That set up La Conner’s last gasp, with the Braves turning two walks, a Wolf error, and a passed ball into the tying run.
On the play at the plate, the throw from catcher Peyton Caveness back to Anderson was blocked by the Brave hitter, who failed to get out of the way.
After much discussion, the umps declined to call defensive interference, and counted the run, making at least one vocal La Conner fan happy for about 2.1 seconds.
Her joy faded fast, however.
Anderson reared back and fired BB’s past the next batter, ending the inning with his ninth strikeout, then the Wolf hitters finally put everything together.
Aiden O’Neill rips a hit. (Morgan White photo)
Coupeville sent 15 runners to the plate in the bottom of the fifth, bashing hits, drawing walks, and making hustle play after hustle play.
Whether it was Jack Porter sliding headfirst into home to score, Valenzuela wearing a pitch which plunked him square in the back, or Caveness beating out an infield single, the Wolves were on fire in the final frame.
Cooper, Jack Porter, Hilborn, and Caveness all plated runners off of hits — with Cooper doing it twice in the same inning — before fab frosh Aiden O’Neill ended the day by dropping the thunder.
Cracking a two-run single to straightaway right field as younger sister Kennedy nodded her approval, he pushed the lead out to 10 runs and sent everyone off to find dinner.
Coupeville spread its hits out between eight players, with Cooper rapping three singles, while Jack Porter, Hilborn, and Caveness had two apiece.
Valenzuela, Glover, Johnny Porter, and O’Neill also collected base knocks, with Valenzuela (2), Jaje Drake, Anderson, and Glover earning walks.
Landon Roberts had the day off at the plate but played a fairly flawless defensive game at first base for the Wolves, as well.
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