Freshman Taylor Brotemarkle had four RBI Tuesday, sparking Coupeville to a 10-1 win over South Whidbey. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
This could be the start of something big.
Taking the field with three freshmen starters Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad didn’t skip a beat.
Instead, fueled by the hot bats of their fab frosh, and a 14-strikeout performance from senior hurler Izzy Wells, the Wolves thoroughly dominated visiting South Whidbey during a season-opening 10-1 win.
The game was the 100th at CHS for head coach Kevin McGranahan (he’s 61-39 if you’re wondering) and marked the program’s 13th consecutive victory.
After going 12-0 last season in a pandemic-altered campaign — and sitting out 2020 during the early throes of Covid-19 — Coupeville softball hasn’t lost a game since May 24, 2019.
That loss was to Cle Elum in the third and final game the Wolves played during a busy day at the state tourney.
Now, three years later, Izzy Wells and Audrianna Shaw, who were freshmen on that squad, are the team’s senior leaders, and there’s a new pack of 9th graders ready to contribute from day one.
Taylor Brotemarkle, Savina Wells, and Madison McMillan were in the starting lineup on opening day, combining for three hits, five walks, and four RBI.
Add in fellow frosh Mia Farris, who came off the bench to garner a walk and make a nice catch in center, and the youngsters were more than OK.
As were the (relatively) grizzled vets, who joined the hit parade, while also coming up huge on defense.
Izzy Wells, flinging BB’s to her younger sister — who presents a tall target behind the plate — shut South Whidbey down on about 99.2% of her pitches.
Striking out the side three times, and getting a K in every inning, she had only one pitch she might have wanted back.
That one was whacked over the fence in center field in the top of the first inning, courtesy Falcon slugger Chanel Sterba.
After that brief miscue, Izzy Wells was lights-out, giving up just a single, solitary infield single the rest of the way.
South Whidbey did eke out a walk in the fourth inning, but Shaw drove a stake through the hearts of Falcon Nation with a gasp-inducing double play.
Running full tilt, the Wolf centerfielder threw her glove down and speared a rapidly falling ball, catching the potential extra-base hit right at her shoe tops.
She wasn’t done however, as Shaw immediately pulled the ball free from the webbing and zipped a throw to a teammate to nab the Falcon runner, who had drifted off base while watching the play unfold.
Wham, bam, thank you ma’am, as the Coupeville dugout went bonkers and the ever-unflappable Izzy Wells (slightly) nodded in approval.
While Coupeville briefly trailed 1-0 in the game, it quickly snatched the lead back, peppering the Falcons for runs in each of the first four innings.
Fab frosh Savina Wells is already swinging a wicked bat.
The opening big blow came from Savina Wells, who turned her first regular season high school at-bat into a highlight reel.
Cranking a two-out laser to center in the bottom of the first, she hit the gas and never broke stride, flying around second and sliding into third with a resounding triple.
South Whidbey’s defense didn’t handle the moment as well, however.
A rushed throw from an outfielder who thought the younger Wells sister was stopping at second hit the dirt at third and skidded away, allowing Savina to pop up and amble home with the tying run.
Jump to the second inning, and the fab frosh were back at it again.
This time McMillan walloped a triple to left, then scooted home on a grounder off of Brotemarkle’s bat — the first of Taylor’s four RBI in her high school debut.
The Wolves broke the game open, and shattered South Whidbey’s will, with a five-run third inning which featured Coupeville sending nine hitters to the plate.
Shaw bopped a double, Gwen Gustafson slapped an RBI single back up the middle, then Brotemarkle struck again with a gorgeous two-run single to straight-away center field.
The final two runs in the frame showcased Coupeville’s aggressive baserunning, as two Wolves crashed across home plate on the same wild pitch.
McMillan, coming in from third, was an expected arrival as the wayward ball bounced towards freedom.
Brotemarkle, roaring in on a jet plane, then nimbly side-stepping the catcher’s tag, was much more of a surprise, earning a double fist-pump from McGranahan.
The Wolves pushed the game towards mercy rule status by tacking on three runs in the fourth inning — all without getting the ball out of the infield — but came up a run short of ending the game in less than seven innings.
That frenzy in the fourth was fueled by five walks, with four of those coming thanks to Wolves being drilled by pitches.
Sofia Peters, Shaw, Savina Wells, and McMillan were all plunked, while Brotemarkle’s RBI walk with the bases loaded came thanks to an eagle eye and no ducking and praying.
Coupeville almost ended the game early, putting the first two runners on base in the fifth thanks to walks to Mckenna Somes and Farris, but South Whidbey escaped.
Which just gave Izzy Wells more time to fine-tune her low-key punch-out celebration — she slightly cocks an eyebrow in appreciation of each third strike if you look closely enough.
McGranahan’s 100th game in charge of the CHS softball program allowed him a chance to play all 14 girls on his varsity roster, with 10 of them reaching base.
McMillan (3B), Savina Wells (3B), Shaw (2B), Brotemarkle (1B), Gustafson (1B), and Izzy Wells (1B) collected hits, with Brotemarkle and McMillan each walking twice.
Farris, Somes, Peters, Maya Lucero, Shaw, and both Wells sisters walked once, while Allie Lucero, Melanie Navarro, Lily Leedy, and Violette Huegerich also saw action.
Kevin McGranahan — 100 games in and he’s still smiling.
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