Senior Audrianna Shaw slammed a home run Thursday, part of a 27-hit, 22-run performance for Coupeville. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Another day, another win over a bigger school.
Bringing out the extra-hot bats Thursday, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad crushed host Sultan 22-0 in a game mercy-ruled after five innings.
The non-conference win lifts the Wolves to 8-1 on the season, and they’ll carry a seven-game winning streak to La Conner Friday afternoon.
Intent on returning to the state tourney after Covid erased two years of potential postseason play, Coupeville has filled its non-league schedule with schools from higher classifications.
And it’s paid off, as the 2B Wolves are 4-1 against 1A schools this season, with just a narrow loss to traditional power Lynden Christian.
Still ahead are non-conference tilts with 3A Oak Harbor, 2A Lakewood, and 1A Meridian.
Thursday’s rumble with Sultan, pushed back a few days by bad weather, was bombs away for the Wolves.
Coupeville crunched a season-high 27 hits, with 12 of those base-knocks going for more than one base.
And to be truthful, there could have been more extra-base hits, had Kevin McGranahan’s squad not pulled back in the later going, trying to soften the defeat.
Sultan, a plucky team, did scratch out two hits and a walk off of Wolf ace Izzy Wells, but otherwise she was pouring straight heat on a cold day, whiffing 10 and keeping the Turks at bay.
Wells got some help as well, with her fielders playing error-free ball behind her.
Maya Lucero doin’ what she does — destroying pitcher’s dreams with each swing.
Coupeville put the game away early, erupting for eight runs in the top of the first, all with two outs.
With runners at the corners, Sultan had a chance to escape, only to see the Wolves smash six consecutive hits.
It started with Madison McMillan bashing a two-run single to left, before Sofia Peters zipped a hit off of the pitcher’s ankle.
That brought the Lucero twins to the plate, with both Maya and Allie launching run-scoring doubles, before things got really intense.
Melanie Navarro crushed the life out of the softball for an RBI triple, which made Audrianna Shaw nod and whisper, “I got this” before socking a two-run inside-the-park home run.
Sultan was set back on its heels, and never recovered, as Coupeville continued to pepper the ball, adding another four runs in the second and five in the third.
From there the Wolves pushed across four in the fourth and a solitary run in the top of the fifth, while doing their best to ease the Turk pain.
In the late going, Coupeville worked on its bunting, tried to go just station-to-station, and even had a couple players who don’t normally hit left-handed do just that.
Nine of 10 Wolves to see action collected at least one base-knock, with second-baseman Sofia Peters leading the way with a varsity career-best five-hit performance.
Now it’s off to La Conner Friday, where the Northwest 2B/1B League rivals are scheduled to play a doubleheader.
In a twist, while both games count in the overall standings, only the first game counts as a league game.
While some NWL teams are playing each other twice this season, others are clashing three times, with only the first two meetings recognized as league contests.
Coupeville already beat La Conner 18-0 in game #1 of their season series.
Thursday stats:
Violette Huegerich — 1 single, 1 walk
Allie Lucero — 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk
Maya Lucero — 2 singles, 2 doubles
Madison McMillan — 3 singles, 1 double, 1 walk
Melanie Navarro — 1 double, 1 triple
Sofia Peters — 3 singles, 2 doubles
Audrianna Shaw — 1 single, 1 double, 1 home run, 1 walk
Izzy Wells — 1 single, 2 doubles
Savina Wells — 2 singles, 1 triple
“So many runs. So many hits. My fingers are cramping … and I like it!!”
