Coupeville High School baseball coach Chris Smith surveys the field in Tacoma Saturday afternoon. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
The Wolves were eliminated from the playoffs a game short of state, but, at 15-6, had their best season in more than a decade.
One trip too many.
Making its third trip to the wilds of Tacoma in a five-day span, the Coupeville High School baseball squad finally ran out of steam.
Despite playing error-free ball and getting strong work on the mound from Hunter Smith and Dane Lucero, the Wolves fell 8-3 Saturday to Charles Wright Academy and were eliminated from the district playoffs.
CWA, which rebounded to win two straight after being drilled 10-0 by CHS in the opening game of districts, joins Bellevue Christian in advancing to the state tourney.
The Tarriers may have beat the Wolves, but they have their work cut out for them next weekend, facing last year’s 1A state runner-ups, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell).
The loss drops Coupeville’s final record to 15-6, which is still the best mark the program has achieved in more than a decade.
The Wolves, who won their second Olympic League title in three years, had at least one runner on in five of seven innings, but couldn’t land the KO punch to CWA hurler Blake Nygren.
The Tarrier junior gave up two-out singles to Smith in the first and Jake Pease in the second, but squirmed away unharmed both times.
Smith was more than matching him, blowing through the first six CWA hitters.
The game took a turn in the top of the third, however, as Charles Wright connected on a lead-off double, then delivered four straight two-out hits, plating three runners.
Coupeville got one back in the bottom of the inning, thanks to Nick Etzell being plunked by a pitch, then coming around to score on a two-out RBI single off of Smith’s bat.
That base-knock was the last time the Wolves would touch Nygren for some time, though, as CHS went 11 batters between base-hits.
Other than Pease wearing a pitch in the fourth, Coupeville got nothing going offensively in the fourth through sixth.
The same wasn’t true for CWA, however, as the Tarriers, after going meekly in the fourth and fifth, found their groove in the top of the sixth.
Using a mix of well-placed hits and walks, Charles Wright tacked on five runs to turn a 3-1 nail-biter into an 8-1 romp.
Dane Lucero came on in relief of Smith, who whiffed seven, and got the Wolves out of the sixth, then pitched the seventh.
The CHS junior retired four of the five hitters he faced, surrendering just a walk.
Down to their final outs, the Wolves showed the never-say-die attitude which marked their entire season.
Senior Jake Hoagland led off with a single, Coupeville’s first hit since Smith’s RBI single back in the third, then scored when Pease reached on an error.
The final run of the season came courtesy senior second-baseman Nick Etzell, who lofted a sac fly.
That was it for the Wolves, however, with their turbo-charged run coming to an end on a ground-out to third.
CWA out-hit Coupeville 9-4 on the afternoon, and the Tarriers had four extra-base hits while the Wolves were limited to singles.
Smith delivered two of those, with Pease and Hoagland adding the other base-knocks.
CHS, which joins the new North Sound Conference next year, had a great run under coach Chris Smith, who was in his first full season running the program.
Three of the Wolves four regular-season losses were by a single run, with two of those coming to 2A schools. They also were a perfect 8-0 at home.
That was one prairie win for every senior on the roster, as Coupeville graduates Smith, Etzell, Hoagland, Julian Welling, Joey Lippo, James Vidoni, Kyle Rockwell and Jacob Zettle.
The cupboard is far from bare though, as the Wolves can return current juniors Lucero, Pease, Matt Hilborn and Shane Losey, as well as sophomores Gavin Knoblich and Jered Brown.
Freshman Daniel Olson made his varsity pitching debut in the league-clinching game, while junior Ty Eck was on the opening day varsity roster before a nagging football injury prevented him from playing.
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