Savina Wells takes a wicked cut. (John Fisken photos)
Win or lose, a united team to the end.
Don’t let the final score fool you.
While it’s true the Central Whidbey Little League Minors softball squad fell 17-5 to visiting Sedro-Woolley Wednesday, that alone won’t tell you the whole story.
Yes, the playoff loss, their second in as many days to the off-Islanders, ended the season for the Yellow Jackets.
And yes, it snapped a two-year run as District 11 champs for Central Whidbey’s 9/10 softball program.
But while a loss is a loss, this one, which came on a sun-drenched evening on the prairie, shouldn’t dampen what was an amazing season.
A feisty, fun-loving group of young girls, the Yellow Jackets romped to a 13-1 mark in the regular season.
All three CWLL softball squads were on fire this year, combining to go 41-4-1.
With a young, successful group of players anchoring the high school team above them, softball is the strongest it’s been in years in Coupeville, at every level.
With the possible exception of girls’ basketball, there is not a Central Whidbey sport in a better situation, top to bottom, right now.
So, while a loss like the one absorbed Wednesday likely stings a bit for young players accustomed to winning, it does not define their season.
It gives them reason to fight back, to keep working on their individual and team games, and to realize off-Island competition, where teams are drawn from a much larger population base, will always be the benchmark Coupeville needs to aim at.
Even in a 12-run loss, one in which too many errors piled up on each other, there were bright spots.
First and foremost was the team’s attitude, which remained upbeat to the final out.
Even facing a huge deficit, the Yellow Jackets were swinging from the heels, with Alena Osbourne rocketing a lead-off shot to center field in the final inning.
The hardest-hit ball of the game, it showcased Central Whidbey’s drive to succeed, even when the odds were against them.
The Yellow Jackets actually scored first, using a gorgeous bunt by the game’s opening hitter, Gwen Gustafson, to set the table.
With Central Whidbey playing as the visitors on their home field this time out, Gustafson promptly stole second, shot to third on a fielder’s choice ground-out by Vivian Farris, then scampered home on a passed ball.
The lead didn’t hold for long, however, as Sedro turned five Yellow Jacket errors into a six-run first inning.
Gustafson, who got the call in the pitcher’s circle after Savina Wells whiffed 13 in a narrow loss Tuesday, did her best to keep things under control, chasing down and tagging a straying runner who came too far around third, then panicked.
Central tacked on a run in the second (Sofie Peters reached on an error and came around to score on a passed ball), then added two more in the third.
A walk to Maddy “Mad Dog” Georges and a resounding single from Savina “The Smiling Assassin” Wells were the big plays in the brief rally.
The Yellow Jackets were within 8-4 heading into the bottom of the third, but that was where the floor caved in, with Sedro running wild on its way to a nine-run inning.
Osbourne’s hit (she came around to score) and cupcakes provided by team moms softened the finale a bit.
The season may have ended, but take note of the Central roster, because we will be hearing much more from these girls in the coming years.
That roster?
Georges, Gustafson, Wells, Allie Lucero, Osbourne, Peters, Emma Hargrave, Chloe Marzocca, Allison Nastali, Vivian Farris, Mia Farris and Hope Sinclair.
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