Carson Grove reached base three times in Wednesday’s win. (Julie Wheat photos)
The big dog is back and barking.
Making his first start on the mound since his sophomore season, Coupeville High School senior Chase Anderson tossed a 16-strikeout no-hitter Wednesday to lead the Wolves to a 4-0 win over visiting Friday Harbor in the conference opener for both teams.
The victory lifts the Wolves to 1-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 2-1 overall, with a rematch of the squads set for Thursday on Friday Harbor.
For Anderson, it was a return to form.
A top pitcher as a freshman and sophomore on CHS teams which went to the state tourney, he was limited by injuries as a junior and switched to track and field for a season.
Now he’s back on the diamond and already dialed in.
After a brief one-inning relief appearance in his team’s prior game, Anderson got the call Wednesday from coach Steve Hilborn and responded with a classic performance.
He limited Friday Harbor to just a pair of walks, retired the final 12 hitters he faced, and was never in danger.
Anderson recorded strikeouts in every inning, whiffing the side in both the second and fifth innings, while letting his defense step up to record the game’s other five outs.
At the plate, Coupeville got the only run it would need in the bottom of the second, thanks to some nimble base-running from Carson Grove.
The sophomore sensation walked to lead off the frame, stole second, then came whipping around to score on an error by the visiting catcher.
CHS tacked on two more tallies in the third, and a final insurance run in the fourth, before coasting in for the victory.
In the third, senior Aiden O’Neill — making his season debut — reached on an error, followed by a single from Camden Glover and a walk to Coop Cooper.
With the bags juiced, Coupeville brought two runners in thanks to an RBI single off the bat of Grove and a bases loaded walk to Riley Lawless, who wore a pitch to get aboard.
Coupeville’s finally run came courtesy a pair of doubles, with O’Neill raking one to left, then coming around to tap home after a shot to center from Cooper.
While Anderson shut Friday Harbor’s bats down all day, the Wolves tallied eight hits and seven walks, with Glover leading the hit machine with a pair of singles.
That gives the CHS senior shortstop nine base knocks across the first three games of the season.
Wednesday stats:
Chase Anderson — One single
Coop Cooper — One double, two walks
Camden Glover — Two singles, one walk
Carson Grove — One single, two walks
Riley Lawless — One walk
Aiden O’Neill — One double
Leo Rodriguez — One walk
Killian Shaw — One single
Trent Thule — One single
“We win, son, we win.”
