Freshman Mia Farris smacked four hits Wednesday as Coupeville beat Friday Harbor to clinch a league title. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
They’re still the gold standard.
It was a little closer than expected, but the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad kept its record perfect in Northwest 2B/1B League games, knocking off visiting Friday Harbor 6-3 Wednesday afternoon.
The victory, coming against a foe it socked 30-0 the first time around, lifts the Wolves to 6-0 in conference action, 13-2 overall.
It also clinches back-to-back league titles for Coupeville and moves Kevin McGranahan’s squad one win away from qualifying for the state tournament.
The Wolves wrap up the regular season with a home doubleheader Friday against Orcas Island on Senior Night, then a road trip May 3 to Darrington.
After that, there’s gonna be a wait.
Current plans call for Coupeville to travel to Fort Borst Park in Centralia May 21, where it will play the #5 team from District 4 in a winner-to-state, loser-out game.
The delay is because District 4, which has 20 schools playing 2B softball, will host a complete district tourney.
District 1, which Coupeville rules, will not, as the Wolves are one of just three 2B schools on the diamond.
Having thunked Friday Harbor and La Conner in regular season play, Coupeville is da champs.
The 2B state tourney, set for May 27-28 in Yakima, will be a 12-team rumble.
That’s right, it won’t be a 16-team bout as usual, because 2B softball, with 49 teams, misses the 50-team cutoff for a 16-team bracket by a single school.
That also means District 1 won’t automatically send a team to state — which it would if there were 50 schools — “requiring” the crossover with District 4.
There will be a test on all of this later…
Wolves (l to r) Teagan Calkins, Sofia Peters, Taylor Brotemarkle, and Madison McMillan are one win away from the state tourney.
Coupeville, then a 1A program, went to the big dance in 2019, the last time Washington held any state championships for spring sports.
The pandemic erased softball, baseball, track, soccer, and tennis in spring 2020, then restricted 2021 action to just league contests.
Now, Wolf seniors Izzy Wells and Audrianna Shaw, who are the only remaining active players from the 2019 squad, will try and guide their team back to state.
The duo was front and center Wednesday, as usual, with the Izzinator whipping strikes to her lil’ sis, Savina, who, clad in catcher’s gear, accepted nine strikeouts.
Shaw banged out a pair of hits and patrolled center field, meanwhile, in a game which stayed close a lot longer than McGranahan might have liked.
“We came out flat, but did enough to get the win,” he said.
“Another Coupeville fastpitch league championship. However, the work is not done, only just beginning.”
The Wolves struck first Wednesday, pushing a run across in the bottom of the first to take the early lead.
Shaw led off with a walk, with Mia Farris and Izzy Wells following with base-knocks, and the scoreboard lit up.
But then it dimmed a bit, as Friday Harbor fought back to take the lead with a three-run top of the third.
Trailing a league opponent for the first time this season, Coupeville rebounded with two runs in the bottom half of the third to knot things up, and two more in the fourth to take the lead for good.
Both of those mini surges featured Shaw, Farris, and fellow freshman Taylor Brotemarkle reach base twice apiece, while 9th grader Madison McMillan bopped a double to put the game on ice in the sixth.
Wednesday stats:
Taylor Brotemarkle — 2 walks
Mia Farris — 4 singles
Gwen Gustafson— 2 singles
Allie Lucero — 2 singles
Madison McMillan — 1 double
Audrianna Shaw — 2 singles, 1 walk
Izzy Wells — 1 single, 2 walks
Gwen Gustafson slaps another hit.
Coupeville Sports 