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Capri Anter (left) and Sydney Van Dyke whacked home runs in the big city Thursday afternoon. (Photo courtesy Colleen Henderson-Van Dyke)

“There is just no substitute for live reps.”

With that in mind, Coupeville High School softball coach Aaron Lucero took a collection of Wolf sluggers to Oak Harbor Thursday for the first JV game of the season.

And once in the big city, the young guns held their own against a 3A school, rallying late to eke out a 6-6 tie with the host Wildcats before daylight ran out.

The game, which featured a pair of final-inning two-run home runs from Coupeville’s Capri Anter and Sydney Van Dyke, and several spiffy defensive plays by catcher Ava Lucero, was a perfect confidence builder.

“A great experience for a number of players who don’t get the opportunity,” Aaron Lucero said.

“I’m proud of the resilience and never being out of the fight.”

Trailing 6-2 in the late going, Coupeville got its bats barking, and how.

Emma Cushman sparked things with a single, with three consecutive extra-base hits providing the big boom.

Anter, who jacked a home run in her team’s most-recent varsity contest, belted an inside-the-park round tripper to cut the lead to 6-4.

Following hot on her footsteps, Ava Lucero crushed a double, before Van Dyke walloped a two-run tater to knot things up.

While the offense came up big, so did the Wolf defense.

Anter whiffed 10 Wildcats from the pitcher’s circle, “pitching well and making adjustments when she ran into trouble and wasn’t getting the calls.”

Meanwhile, her battery mate was superb, with Ava Lucero throwing out a runner at second and scrambling to recover a wild pitch and catch an incoming runner at the plate to preserve the tie.

Mary Western keeps an eagle eye on things. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville had 10 players in uniform, with eight of them getting on base.

Allie Powers and Mary Western rounded out the Wolf roster, with everyone involved getting the nod of approval from their coach.

“Lot of positives to take away from the game,” Aaron Lucero said. “We have items to work on but will get there.”

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — One home run, three walks
Emma Cushman — Two singles
Emma Leavitt — Two singles
Ava Lucero — One double
Olivia Martin — One walk
Chelsi Stevens — Two singles
Danica Strong — One walk
Sydney Van Dyke — One single, one home run, one walk

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Freshman hurler Adeline Maynes leads the Wolves into action. (David Somes photo)

They’re trending upward.

Sitting at 11-1, with just a one-run loss to a 3A school marring their perfect record, the Coupeville High School softball team continues to rise in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association RPI rankings.

After cracking the top 10 last week, the Wolves move up one slot to #9 among 2B schools in rankings released Wednesday by the WIAA.

Up next for Aaron Lucero’s sluggers is a home nonconference doubleheader Saturday against always-testy Forks.

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Capri Anter (left) and Haylee Armstrong hit back-to-back home runs Tuesday as Coupeville scored 47 runs in a doubleheader sweep. (Michelle Armstrong photo)

Pay the woman.

Coupeville High School sophomore softball slugger Capri Anter was promised $100 (and new cleats!) by family members if she hit an out-of-the-park home run.

Boom.

Delivering on her pledge, Anter sent a ball into the upper stratosphere Tuesday, letting it crash down well beyond the fence in left and launching her teammates into a torrid celebration.

Then, before the rival Concrete pitcher could even catch her breath, Anter’s cousin, fellow sophomore sensation Haylee Armstrong, took the very next pitch, smacked it deep, and used her wheels to turn the blast into an inside-the-park home run.

Coming on the heels of earlier taters for Mia Farris (inside the park) and Madison McMillan (way, way outside the park), everything was flying off of Wolf bats.

I said everything.

It was that kind of day for the big, bad Wolves, who got to 8-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 11-1 overall after thrashing the visiting Lions 22-2 and 25-4 in a doubleheader sweep.

How things played out:

 

Game 1:

When did you know in your heart of hearts that this was going to be one long rout?

Probably from the first pitch by Wolf pitcher Adeline Maynes, a fastball which cracked into Teagan Calkins glove while Concrete’s leadoff hitter swung way too late.

The fab frosh whiffed all three hitters she faced in the top of the first, before allowing her defense to help out a bit and settling for nine K’s across five innings.

Coupeville’s offense was ferociously effective, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the opening frame, while giving away two of three outs by having runners leave early.

It was a steady rain of hits and walks — on a perfectly sunny day — punctuated by Farris crashing a three-run tater to deep right-center.

The Wolves tacked on five more runs in the second, before closing with four-run pops in the third and fourth.

Highlights included Chelsi Stevens getting an RBI the hardest way — being plunked by a wayward pitch with the bases loaded — and triples from Taylor Brotemarkle, McMillan, and Sydney Van Dyke.

Actually, in Brotemarkle’s case, it was multiple triples, as the fleet-footed shortstop swung a sizzlin’ bat and tore around the basepaths like a woman unleashed.

Taylor Brotemarkle prepares to destroy pitchers, one swing at a time. (Bailey Thule photo)

 

Game 2:

The lineups were juggled, some between-games snacks were nibbled, and then, déjà vu, the Wolves feasted on Lions pitching.

Playing as the road team in the finale, CHS got triples from Armstrong, Danica Strong, and Farris en route to opening up a quick 8-0 lead, and the rout was on.

With Maynes sitting out game #2, Armstrong got the call in the pitcher’s circle, and threw raw heat, picking up 12 strikeouts in her five innings of work.

Concrete did put together a pair of mini rallies, plating two runners each in the third and fourth, but Coupeville’s bats knew no mercy.

The Wolves were up 17-0 before the Lions got on the board, and an eight-run top of the fifth was the cherry on top.

Madison McMillan goes deep. Again. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

McMillan’s monster mash, a mammoth shot which soared over the fence in left, set the stage, while Strong, Stevens, and Brotemarkle went off for back-to-back-to-back RBI extra-base hits at one point.

And Anter, after walloping her roundtripper?

She actually came back around to hit again in the same inning, as the Wolves worked their way relentlessly through the lineup.

When she did, Anter capped things with a perfectly placed RBI single right back up the middle, pushing Coupeville’s 47th, and final, run of the day across the plate.

 

What’s up next:

The Wolves, whose only loss was a one-run affair with 3A Oak Harbor, get a big test at home Saturday against a traditional powerhouse in their own 2B classification.

Forks enters at just 5-6, riding a four-game losing streak, but the Spartans have plenty of state tourney glory in their recent past (and Ron Bagby’s niece on the roster).

Game times for the non-conference doubleheader are 2:00 and 4:00 PM.

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — Three singles, one home run
Haylee Armstrong — One triple, one home run, three walks
Taylor Brotemarkle — Two singles, two triples, three walks
Teagan Calkins — One single, one double, one triple, one walk
Emma Cushman — One walk
Mia Farris — Three singles, one triple, one home run
Jada Heaton — Two singles, two walks
Ava Lucero — Two singles, three walks
Olivia Martin — One walk
Adeline Maynes — Two walks
Madison McMillan — Three singles, two triples, one home run, one walk
Allie Powers — One walk
Chelsi Stevens — One single, one double
Danica Strong — One single, two doubles, one triple
Sydney Van Dyke — Two doubles, one triple, two walks

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Capri Anter, here bunting, was more about crushing extra-base hits Thursday afternoon. (Bailey Thule photo)

You will know them by the trail of screaming softballs they leave behind.

The Coupeville High School diamond squad is comprised of hardy hitters, top of the order to bottom, with a pack of young women who enjoy blistering opposing pitchers.

That was on display once again Thursday, as the Wolves rapped out 20 base knocks, including seven extra-base hits, en route to clobbering visiting La Conner 29-0 in a game mercy-ruled after five torrid innings.

The victory lifts Aaron Lucero’s crew to a crisp 6-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 9-1 overall, with Concrete next up on the chopping block.

Thursday’s showdown was decided quickly, and with great emphasis.

Starting pitcher Adeline Maynes, who whiffed six across three innings of work, picked up two of those K’s wrapped around an infield popup she corralled with her own glove, and then the Wolf offense unleashed.

Taylor Brotemarkle got drilled by a pitch to open Coupeville’s half of the frame, sending the feisty shortstop hoppin’ around and (possibly) thinking about charging the pitcher’s circle.

But before any cheeky writers could start a chant of “fight! fight! fight!!” Brotemarkle ambled down to first base, then promptly tore around the basepaths, coming in to score two batters later on a wild pitch.

Coupeville slapped five runs on the board in the first, with Teagan Calkins cranking a double to deep left, while Madison McMillan and Maynes pasted singles back up the middle.

The opening frame was just a taste of the havoc to come, however, as the Wolves added 11 runs in the second and nine more in the third, before coasting in with a four-spot in their final at-bats in the bottom of the fourth.

Aggressive baserunning fueled the run explosion, with the Wolves taking extra bags in the blink of an eye and keeping the Braves jumpy and frustrated all day.

“Sun’s out, guns out, and runs for everyone!!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Put a pitch anywhere near the plate and Coupeville’s sluggers promptly sent the ball screaming off to explore the wild blue yonder.

Mia Farris crunched a long triple, then scooted home when the throw back in went wide, while running mate Jada Heaton lashed an absolute laser down the left field line for a two-run double.

Not to be outdone, Brotemarkle, making sure not to get drilled by any more wayward pitches, blistered the ball for a pair of three-baggers, while Capri Anter came within a step of hitting an inside-the-park home run.

The sophomore pitcher, who came on in relief of Maynes, walloped a ball to straight away center field and had a sure-thing triple.

Running under a full head of steam, it was going to take a great throw to nail Anter at the plate, and give La Conner credit, the Braves absolutely nailed the heave, with their catcher slapping the tag.

Even the hits that weren’t official hits were impressive, as young gun Emma Cushman, who reached base thanks to a dropped third strike, nailed a screamer down the first-base line which banked foul at the very last second.

Not to be lost in all the offensive shenanigans, Coupeville’s Ava Lucero, having moved from first base to catcher midway through the game, delivered her own sensational defensive play.

Popping up from behind the plate, she delivered a note-perfect pick-off throw that caught a straying La Conner runner off of third, the ball popping right into McMillan’s glove and earning a roar of applause from the Wolf bench.

 

Thursday stats:

Capri Anter — One triple
Taylor Brotemarkle — One single, two triples, one walk
Teagan Calkins — Three singles, one double
Mia Farris — One triple, one walk
Jada Heaton — One single, one double
Ava Lucero — One double, two walks
Olivia Martin — One walk
Adeline Maynes — One single
Chloe Marzocca — Two singles
Madison McMillan — Three singles, one walk
Danica Strong — One single, one walk
Sydney Van Dyke — One single

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Danica Strong and associates are on a hot streak. (David Somes photo)

They’re on a rocket ship.

Jumping seven spots, the Coupeville High School softball squad has cracked the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Top 10 RPI rankings for the first time this season.

Coming off a 20-0 win at La Conner Tuesday, the Wolves sit at 8-1 on the season and are ranked #10 among 2B schools.

That includes wins over two 1A rivals (East Jefferson and Meridian) and a 2A squad (Lakewood), with their only loss a one-run defeat to 3A Oak Harbor.

Aaron Lucero’s sluggers play their next six games at home on the prairie, starting with a Thursday rematch with La Conner.


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