Feeds:
Posts
Comments

This one hurts!!

April 22, 2017 by David Svien

   Wolf catcher Taylor Consford had two hits Friday, but Coupeville fell to Klahowya. (John Fisken photo)

Slip-sliding away.

Coupeville’s chances of repeating as Olympic League champs in baseball took a shot to the ribs Friday, and while its hopes aren’t dead, they’re getting closer to flat-lining.

A rough fifth inning in which the Wolves surrendered five runs with two outs allowed host Klahowya to break open a close game and make off with an 11-6 win.

The loss, the second in as many games against the Eagles this season, drops Coupeville to 2-2 in league play, 7-7 overall.

That leaves the Wolves in a second-place tie with Chimacum (2-2, 4-4), two-and-a-half games off of Klahowya (5-0, 6-3).

Port Townsend (0-5, 0-7) is firmly stuck in the cellar.

CHS still has time to rally, with five league games left on the schedule, but to keep the Eagles from regaining the title they won in 2015, the Wolves will absolutely have to finish with a better record.

By taking the first two games of the three-game season series, Klahowya holds a tiebreaker over Coupeville should they finish with identical records.

The Wolves jumped out to an early lead Friday, scoring a run in the first on a double by Hunter Smith and an RBI single by Clay Reilly, but their hosts never blinked.

Klahowya rallied for three in the bottom half of the opening inning, then plated another run in the second to build a 4-1 lead.

Coupeville twice cut the margin back to one, first at 4-3, then at 5-4 heading into the bottom of the fourth.

The Wolves picked up two runs in the third — Taylor Consford drilled a double to score Matt Hilborn, then came around himself when the Eagles booted a ball hit by Reilly.

Kory Score reached on an error in the fourth, moved up on a steal and a single off of Joey Lippo’s bat, before shooting across home on a passed ball and the game looked like it would come down to a single play.

Then, things kind of fell apart.

After answering with their own run in the fourth, the Eagles exploded for a ten-batter, five-run fifth to bust the game wide open.

All the damage came after there were two outs, as a deadly mix of walks, Wolf errors and a balk or two conspired to doom the visitors.

Coupeville rallied for two in the top of the seventh, on RBI singles by Consford and Reilly, but it wasn’t enough.

The Wolves did manage to pile up 10 hits, with Hilborn and Consford collecting two apiece, but Klahowya hurler Dylan Zuber managed to spend most of the afternoon getting out of trouble while suffering minimal damage.

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Walk this way!!

April 21, 2017 by David Svien

   Emma Mathusek had two hits and a walk Friday, as the Wolf JV rolled to a 15-2 win. (John Fisken photo)

Patience pays off.

Drawing an astounding 17 walks in just three innings Friday, the Coupeville High School JV softball squad crushed host Klahowya 15-2.

The win lifts the Wolf young guns to 2-0 on the season.

All nine CHS players reached base at least once, with freshman Emma Mathusek leading the way.

Batting lead-off, she collected two of Coupeville’s three hits, rapping out a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk.

Nicole Lester had the other Wolf hit, crushing a third-inning double.

Scout Smith, Kyla Briscoe and Mackenzie Davis drew three walks apiece, while Melia Welling and Robin Cedillo each nabbed two free passes.

Tamika Nastali and Hope Lodell settled for just a solo base on balls, as the Wolves scored in every inning.

After putting up a six spot in the first, CHS added five in the second and four in the third, before the call of the ferry ended the game early.

While Klahowya’s young hurlers had issues, Wolf pitcher Scout Smith was on point.

The fab frosh scattered two hits.

“Scout pitched very well and the defense played very well behind her,” said Coupeville coach Kevin McGranahan. “Great way to gain experience for both squads.”

Posted in Softball | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

“This was a huge win!!”

April 21, 2017 by David Svien

   Wolf catcher Sarah Wright smashed a fences-clearing home-run Friday, propelling CHS softball to a huge league win. (John Fisken photo)

What a difference a year makes.

Clearing a major psychological hurdle, the Coupeville High School softball squad knocked off host Klahowya 5-2 Friday, its second straight win over the Eagles this season.

The victory lifts the red-hot Wolves to 3-1 in Olympic League play, 10-1 overall.

That ties the 2002 squad for the best record by a CHS softball team through 11 games.

It also pulls the Wolves within a game of two-time defending league champ Chimacum (4-0, 6-1), the only team to beat Coupeville this season.

The second of three games with the Cowboys comes on the road next Friday, Apr. 28.

The Wolves have non-conference games against Lynden Christian (6-7) Saturday and Meridian (2-9) Monday and a league clash with Port Townsend (0-4, 0-6) Wednesday before the shootout at the Chimacum corral.

For a (very small) moment, though, CHS can bask in a reversal of fortune against Klahowya and two-time league MVP Amber Bumbalough.

Last year, a very-young Wolf squad was swept by the Eagles, losing 7-1, 9-1 and 16-6.

This year, a still-young (they often start seven underclassmen) but more-seasoned Coupeville team has broken the hex, helping drop Klahowya to 1-3 in league, 4-4 overall.

After winning their first meeting by one run, the Wolves came out Friday and controlled every aspect of the game.

“This was a huge win. We dominated from start to finish,” said Coupeville coach Kevin McGranahan. “We played error-free softball and just completely dominated them.”

Wolf hurler Katrina McGranahan won her individual dual with Bumbalough, tossing a two-hitter while whiffing eight Eagles.

At the same time, Coupeville mashed 12 hits, including a solo home-run over the fence in right-center off of the bat of sophomore slugger Sarah Wright.

It was the eighth tater whacked by a Wolf this season, with Wright becoming the sixth different starter to hit a round-tripper.

CHS ripped hits up and down the line-up, collecting at least two base-knocks in each of the first five innings as it built a 5-0 lead.

After stranding two runners in the first, the Wolves broke through in the second, scoring the game’s first run off of a double from Veronica Crownover and a single off the bat of Hope Lodell.

Wright went ballistic in the third, launching a two-out moonshot to make it 2-0, and that seemed to open the floodgates.

Mikayla Elfrank followed with a single, went to second on a passed ball, scooted to third on an overthrow, then scored when the Eagles booted a ball hit by Crownover.

Four hits in the fourth — singles from Tiffany Briscoe, Robin Cedillo, Lauren Rose and McGranahan — plated two more.

Meanwhile, Coupeville’s pitching ace was throwing her best game of the season.

McGranahan blitzed through the first 11 Klahowya hitters, not allowing a base-runner until Bumbalough poked a two-out single in the fourth.

Just to keep everyone on their toes, the Wolf hurler promptly plunked the next Eagle, then got out of the inning unscathed when she induced a ground-out to Elfrank.

Staring down her rivals, McGranahan mowed down Klahowya one-two-three in the fifth and sixth, had a wee bit of trouble in the seventh when the ump narrowed their strike zone, then closed the game with a bang.

First she got a key ground-out to Jae LeVine, then reared back and whiffed the game’s final hitter, catching them looking at strike three.

Crownover (two doubles), McGranahan, Wright and Briscoe had two hits apiece, while Cedillo, Rose, Elfrank and Lodell all chipped in with singles, as eight of nine starters collected hits on the afternoon.

Posted in Softball | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

“Big Game James” erupts!!

April 21, 2017 by David Svien

   James Vidoni had three hits and three RBI Friday, propelling Coupeville to a 12-8 win. (Melissa Losey photos)

Beautiful day, beautiful win for the Wolf JV.

The prairie was hot, but James Vidoni was hotter.

The Coupeville High School slugger crunched three hits Friday, including a game-breaking two-run single, to spark the Wolf JV baseball team to a 12-8 win over visiting Klahowya.

Coming on the rarest of days, when fans shed nearly every last layer of clothing and openly scorched their milky-white skin under a rare object in the sky we were told is called “the sun,” Coupeville erupted for nine runs during a 15-batter third inning.

The win, coming a day after a narrow loss at South Whidbey, lifts the Wolf JV to 2-5 on the season.

Facing off with an Olympic League rival for the first time this year — neither Chimacum or Port Townsend have JV squads — Coupeville rapped out nine hits.

Starting pitcher Elliott Johnson punched out four singles on mom Mimi’s birthday to pace the attack, while Jake Pease and Gavin Knoblich added singles.

But it was Vidoni who lit the fuse.

“That was great to see James hit like that,” said CHS coach Mike Etzell. “Really got everyone on the team going.”

Vidoni started by launching an RBI double over the head of the Klahowya left fielder in the bottom of the second, plating Knoblich to knot things up at 1-1.

Jump to the bottom of the third and the Wolves were trailing 2-1.

Johnson had whiffed four Eagles, but a seeing-eye single into the gap snuck through, allowing the visitors to (briefly) recapture the lead.

Then the game took a hard turn, and a positive one for Coupeville.

After juicing the bags with no outs on a Johnson single and walks to Pease and Kyle Rockwell, the Wolves started dropping runs at a rapid pace.

Johnny Carlson and Knoblich eked out bases-loaded walks to make it 3-2, before Vidoni cranked a single.

Rockwell scored easily, while Carlson, practically running out of his shoes, pulled off a nifty hop-skip-and-jump ballet move at the plate to avoid a possible tag.

As he dodged the catcher’s mitt, the decently-sized and rabidly pro-Wolf crowd sucked in its collective breath, then exploded in delirium, shock mixing with respect for Carlson’s surprisingly nimble toes.

Two more bases-loaded walks, earned by Cameron Dahl and Shane Losey, stretched the lead to 7-2, before Johnson collected an RBI single, his second base-knock in the inning.

Not to be outdone, Pease lobbed his own two-run single into center to cap the nine-run explosion, effectively sealing the deal for the Wolves.

Klahowya scraped together four runs in the fourth to tighten the game a bit, but Johnson and Pease, who came on in relief, combined to blunt the Eagle attack the rest of the way.

Johnson and Knoblich added RBI singles for Coupeville’s final two runs, while the Wolves played often-inspired defense behind their tag-team pitching staff.

Rockwell pulled off a pair of sweet defensive gems at first base, throwing out a runner headed into second off of a grounder into the hole and later snagging a ball down the line for an unassisted put-out.

Losey erased another Eagle by remaining alert at all times.

A Klahowya runner successfully stole second in the sixth inning, but came off the bag without calling time and Losey, who had taken the throw from Dahl, sprinted up from behind, tagging him out before he realized his mistake.

Coupeville got something from all 11 players on the day’s roster, with Jacob Zettle, Seth Weatherford and Gavin Straub chipping in to the effort.

“Just a good team win for these guys,” said an elated Etzell as he congratulated his players afterwards.

Posted in Baseball | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

We’re here for all your PRs!!

April 20, 2017 by David Svien

   Lauren Bayne offers Danny Conlisk some advice before he wins the 400. (Dawnelle Conlisk photo)

They persevered and triumphed.

Battling bus fatigue, the elements and big schools, the Coupeville High School track squads acquitted themselves well at a four-team meet Thursday in Port Angeles.

Facing off with a pair of 2A teams (Sequim and their hosts), as well as 1A Olympic League rival Port Townsend, the Wolves collected five wins and 33 PRs.

In the team races, the CHS boys finished second to Sequim, while the Wolf girls finished fourth, but just a few points off of second-place.

Port Angeles cruised to the girls title.

Coupeville took dual wins in the 100, with freshman Maya Toomey-Stout and junior Jacob Smith the fastest in all the land (or at least at that particular stadium).

Joining them in bringing home individual titles were Chris Battaglia (shot put), Mitchell Carroll (triple jump) and Danny Conlisk (400).

The Wolves got PRs from 21 different athletes, with Aurora Zanardi and Gabe Carlson leading the way with three career-bests apiece.

Complete CHS results: 

Girls:

100 — Maya Toomey-Stout (1st) 13.39 *PR*; Ashlie Shank (11th) 14.67; Aurora Zanardi (12th) 14.73 *PR*; Madison Rixe (14th) 15.28; Kiara Burdge (15th) 15.66 *PR*

200 — M. Toomey-Stout (2nd) 27.92 *PR*; Lindsey Roberts (3rd) 28.56; Rixe (10th) 33.95

800 — Lauren Bayne (5th) 2:55.27; Lucy Sandahl (6th) 2:55.51 *PR*; Abby Parker (8th) 3:05.86

1600 — Sandahl (5th) 6:13.35 *PR*; Raven Vick (9th) 7:07.26

100 Hurdles — Roberts (2nd) 16.50

300 Hurdles — Mckenzie Meyer (2nd) 56.73

4 x 400 Relay — Bayne, Meyer, Natalie Hollrigel, Shank (4th) 5:04.05

Shot put — Skyler Lawrence (3rd) 27-02; Charlotte Langille (6th) 24-08.75; Emma Smith (8th) 24-08; Alexxis Otto (11th) 23-08; Ema Smith (13th) 20-11

Discus — Langille (5th) 77-01 *PR*; Otto (6th) 74-06; Emma Smith (8th) 72-01; Allison Wenzel (11th) 69-01; Lawrence (13th) 68-02

Javelin — Naika Hallam (2nd) 82-10; Wenzel (3rd) 80-05; Parker (5th) 73-06; Vick (7th) 68-05; Jasmine Nastali (11th) 58-10; Burdge (13th) 56-00

High Jump — Bayne (2nd) 4-06

Pole Vault — Meyer (2nd) 6-06 *PR*

Long Jump — Zanardi (2nd) 14-02 *PR*; Roberts (3rd) 14-01; Shank (7th) 12-07.50 *PR*; Ema Smith (8th) 12-04.50 *PR*

Triple Jump — Zanardi (5th) 29-00 *PR*

Boys:

100 — Jacob Smith (1st) 11.50, Jacob Martin (3rd) 12.13 *PR*; Jean Lund-Olsen (4th) 12.37 *PR*; Greg Villareal (10th) 13.46 *PR*; Kyle Burnett (12th) 13.50; Gabe Carlson (14th) 13.90 *PR*; Andrew Martin (15th) 14.02 *PR*; Ryan Labrador (18th) 15.20 *PR*

200 — J. Martin (3rd) 24.56 *PR*; Lund-Olsen (5th) 25.13 *PR*; Burnett (12th) 27.29; Villareal (13th) 27.36 *PR*; Thane Peterson (14th) 28.60 *PR*

400 — Danny Conlisk (1st) 52.58 *PR*; J. Smith (2nd) 52.99 *PR*; Henry Wynn (5th) 59.29 *PR*; Chris Battaglia (7th) 1:00.92 *PR*

800 — Carlson (4th) 2:28.06 *PR*

1600 — Wynn (4th) 5:31.83; Jakobi Baumann (6th) 5:45.86; Carlson (7th) 5:47.29

3200 — Baumann (8th) 13:10.42

Shot Put — Battaglia (1st) 36-08.50 *PR*; Labrador (5th) 33-00; Keahi Sorrows (6th) 31-03; Grey Rische (9th) 29-08

Discus — Battaglia (2nd) 98-09; Rische (4th) 97-06 *PR*; Peterson (7th) 78-01; Ariah Bepler (8th) 77-11 *PR*; Labrador (9th) 72-01; Sorrows (12th) 71-03

Javelin — J. Martin (2nd) 121-08; Battaglia (3rd) 116-08; Rische (7th) 102-08; Carlson (8th) 96-07 *PR*; Bepler (10th) 87-08; A. Martin (11th) 86-06 *PR*; Peterson (14th) 67-07

High Jump — Bepler (4th) 5-04 *PR*

Pole Vault — Carlson (7th) 6-06

Long Jump — J. Martin (2nd) 18-09.50; Mitchell Carroll (3rd) 18-04; Bepler (4th) 17-00.25; Cameron Toomey-Stout (9th) 15-09; Baumann (12th) 14-02

Triple Jump — Carroll (1st) 40-03

Posted in Track | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »