Ben Etzell (3) gets mobbed at home after scoring the game-winning run. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Senior Night was a beauty.
Playing in front of the home fans for the final time Thursday, Ben Etzell and Co. went out winners, as the seniors carried Coupeville High School to a thrilling 5-4 run-off win over visiting Granite Falls.
The third straight win for the Wolf baseball squad, it lifted CHS to 9-8 overall, 8-8 in Cascade Conference play.
Coupeville travels to Sultan Friday and Lakewood Saturday before kicking off the playoffs Tuesday, May 6.
The victory gave the Wolves at least one win over five of their six league opponents this season (only being swept by ATM), as they make their final journey through the 1A/2A conference.
CHS joins the 1A Olympic League next fall.
Having lost their first two games against Granite, Coupeville decided to make a final stand, and it had everything.
“It had it all: good pitching, bad at-bats, good at-bats, good defense, questionable defense, walk-off win in bottom of the seventh!,” said a jubilant Coupeville coach Willie Smith.
The Wolves, despite strong pitching from Etzell and junior Aaron Trumbull, trailed by a run heading into the bottom of the seventh. That’s when things got dramatic.
Senior catcher Jake Tumblin got the joint jumping when he led off the inning by crushing the cover off the ball, depositing it over the fence in left for a game-tying home run.
Not content to merely settle for the tie and extra innings on a sunny day on the prairie, Coupeville loaded the bags on a single from Etzell and walks to Trumbull and Josh Bayne.
A rattled Granite pitcher then airmailed a pitch past his hapless catcher, allowing Etzell to gallop home and set off the mob scene at home.
“It was a great win, a lot of guys stepped up and played well at big times and of course, it was an enormous moment for our seniors,” Smith said. “I’ve had a lot of senior games in my career but I’m not sure I’ve ever had a more exciting or fitting end to a senior game.
“These seniors have had an amazing ride and I am excited to see what they can continue to do the remainder of the season and in the playoffs!”
Etzell, Tumblin, Kurtis Smith, Wade Schaef and the injured Morgan Payne — all veterans of Central Whidbey’s state champion little league team back in the day — were honored before the game.
Coupeville fell behind early, as several errors contributed to a 4-0 deficit.
Unable to get much offense going, it was a defensive gem that seemed to spark Coupeville’s late rally.
Trumbull struck out a batter in the top of the sixth and Tumblin came up firing from behind home, doubling off the base runner to pull off the inning-ending double play.
With the fire lit, the Wolves jumped on Granite for three in the bottom half of the sixth.
“Up until the sixth, we did not look great at the plate: unbalanced, swinging at bad pitches,” Smith said. “You know, all the things I teach our hitters to do…”
That changed, as Etzell walked, Trumbull whacked a single and Bayne (“who has been doing this all year”) zipped an RBI single up the gut to get Coupeville on the board.
The Wolves then ran Granite into a sticky spot, with Trumbull and Bayne grabbing an extra base before both coming home to score on the rare two-run sac fly from sophomore Cole Payne.
Payne, putting together a “great at-bat,” stayed alive, fought the count to 3-2, then lofted a majestic towering shot to right.
Trumbull scored easily and Bayne, also tagging up, sprinted home after the ball skipped away from the third baseman.
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