Chase Anderson flies around the bases. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
First it was a home game. Then it was off the schedule. And, finally, it became a road trip.
By the time the dust settled, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball squad found itself in Sultan Wednesday, where it absorbed a rare loss.
Despite having runners on base in every inning, the Wolves had trouble getting them all the way around the bags, falling 8-2 to the Turks.
The non-conference loss, only Coupeville’s second defeat in its last 12 games, drops it to 14-5 heading into the regular season finale Thursday afternoon.
That game is also on the road, with the Wolves traveling to Friday Harbor for a Northwest 2B/1B League showdown.
Win or lose against the Wolverines, CHS is the #1 seed for the 2B District 1/2 playoffs, which go down Saturday, May 13 at Lakewood High School in Arlington.
Northwest Christian (Lacey) and Friday Harbor face off in a loser-out game at noon that day, with the victor squaring off with Coupeville at 2:00 (or thereabouts) in a loser-out, winner-to-state clash.
The bout with Sultan was originally intended to be played Monday on Whidbey Island but was bounced from the schedule as the Turks scrambled to complete their league schedule.
With a little tinkering from the AD’s, however, the game was revived, with the Wolf hardball heroes sharing a bus with Coupeville’s track and field team, which was also listening to the wheels go round and round Wednesday afternoon.
Once in Sultan, CHS baseball jumped on Sultan, with leadoff hitter Scott Hilborn thumping a double.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, that was where they started to spin their wheels, following the two-bagger with three consecutive strikeouts to end the top of the first without a run.
That was a trend which stung Coupeville all game, as the Turks continually dodged dangerous situations to emerge mostly unscathed.
CHS batters hit into three double plays, with two of those coming after the Wolves started the inning with two runners aboard and no outs on the scoreboard.
Coupeville did push a runner across in the top of the third to knot things up at 1-1, thanks to Hilborn and his speed demon feet.
The spry senior lashed a two-out single, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, then zipped home on a passed ball.
Sultan responded quickly, however, and fairly brutally, ringing up seven unanswered runs to blow the game wide open.
A couple of hits, and several Wolf errors, allowed the Turks to plate four runs in the bottom of the third, while five straight Sultan base knocks in the fourth tacked on three more tallies.
Trailing 8-1, Coupeville scratched out a run in the fifth, with Peyton Caveness walking and coming around to score on an error, but that was it for the Wolves.
Jonathan Valenzuela led off the sixth with a single, followed by Camden Glover wearing a pitch, but a double play sucked the life out of the rally.
An inning later, down to their final at-bats, the Wolves put two more aboard, with Caveness walking and Hilborn singling, but a pop up ended the game.
On the mound, Hilborn struck out five through 5+ innings of work, while Valenzuela came on late to retire both of the hitters he faced.
Three of Coupeville’s five losses have come to bigger schools, with the Wolves bowing to 1A rivals Meridian, South Whidbey, and Sultan, in addition to defeats to 2B Forks and 1B Mount Vernon Christian.
The six-run loss to the Turks is the most lopsided defeat of an otherwise stellar season for the Wolves.
Wednesday stats:
Peyton Caveness — Two walks
Camden Glover — One single, one walk
Scott Hilborn — Two singles, one double
Jack Porter — One single
Jonathan Valenzuela — Two singles
Coupeville’s baseball players had to get a second ride home after their bus tore up its serpentine belt. (Jon Roberts photo)
Coupeville Sports 