Adeline Maynes, strikeout queen. (Photo courtesy Aaron Lucero)
“Eat the meatballs!”
During her pregame pep talk Thursday, Coupeville High School senior softball sensation Taylor Brotemarkle let her teammates know — she wanted them to whack the stuffing out of any tasty pitches.
Mission accomplished.
Assaulting the bright yellow orb on a frequent basis, the Wolves overcame gusty prairie wind, a few sprinkles, and any rust from spring break, with ease, battering visiting Darrington in a doubleheader sweep.
Romping to 14-0 and 24-2 wins, both in games mercy-ruled after five innings, Coupeville gets to 4-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-1 overall.
How the day played out:
Game #1:
Tuesday’s trip to Darrington was rained out, and Thursday’s fracas, rescheduled as a twin bill in Cow Town, looked like it might be taken down by Mother Nature as well.
But apparently the old lady was so impressed with the Wolves she decided to forego the really nasty weather and even mix in some bursts of sunshine between the cold breeze buffeting the field.
The gusts didn’t seem to bother Coupeville pitcher Adeline Maynes, as she whiffed 11 hitters and was never in danger.
She got a bit of help from third-baseman Madison McMillan — who made a sprawling dive to rob a Darrington slugger who popped a ball up into the twisting wind — while otherwise sailing through the lineup with ease.
Meanwhile, Coupeville’s offense was locked into seek ‘n destroy mode, punching across four runs in the first, another four in the second, and a game-clinching six in the third frame.
Brotemarkle scored the only run the Wolves actually needed, ripping a shot off the rival shortstop’s glove for a base hit, before coming around to score when Mia Farris crunched an RBI double to left field.
Teagan Calkins and McMillan followed with vicious lasers which left scorch marks on their bats, but it was Jada Heaton who delivered the showstopper.
The senior outfielder, painting a masterpiece with her bat, laid down a sacrifice bunt that was a true work of art.
Placed with precision down the third-base line, and spun with the greatest care, Heaton’s testament to the power of putting team above self might have been a quiet moment among the big extra-base hits, but it deserves to be framed and hung up where every young Wolf can learn from it.
Like Farris alertly scrambling to first on a dropped third strike an inning later, sending another runner home, or Chloe Marzocca beating a throw home by sliding in head-first, the Wolf veterans were on point all day.
Game #2:
After a short break for hot dogs and assorted snack bar goodies, the Wolves got right back to bashin’ the crud out of the ball, while mixing up the lineup and getting action for all 17 players in uniform.
Capri Anter took the ball from Maynes for the night cap, stalking the pitcher’s circle and making several strong defensive plays on balls hit right back at her.
Coupeville also threw out a runner trying to stretch a single into a double — the ball arriving three or four steps ahead of the incoming Logger — and got lock-down defense from infielders Sydney Van Dyke, Brotemarkle, and McMillan.
Playing as the road team, the Wolves made the scoreboard jump early, plating four in the first and another nine in the second.
A brief scoreless pause in the third was flicked away with another 11 runs across the fourth and fifth, with the Wolf bench accounting for much of the late action.
McMillan and Heaton smoked RBI doubles to the deepest parts of the field, while Calkins kept her younger teammates busy by lofting a series of long fly balls way off into the brush far down the left field foul line.
The wind pushed the potential home runs just wide, but Calkins many moonshots did give 8th graders KeeArya Brown and Allie Powers plenty of time to perfect their ball-retrieving skills.
Keeping the ball in the field of play, Farris earned full “Mia the Magnificent” status, capping a seven-hit day with a pair of triples that cleared the basepaths.
Jada Heaton, an artist at work. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
And Heaton? The master of precision bunting, who was also plunked by a pitch and had a second gorgeous sac bunt later in the day?
The ever-exuberant one got the biggest cheers of the day when she suddenly switched things up, lacing a two-run single while wielding her weapon like a mix between a golf club and a cricket bat.
Is that the way the coaches teach them to swing? No, not exactly, but the result got a grin from her mentors, who had to appreciate an artist doing things her way.
Am I saying Jada Heaton is Coupeville’s answer to Frank Sinatra? Possibly.
Thursday stats:
Capri Anter — Two singles
Haylee Armstrong — One walk
Taylor Brotemarkle — Four singles, one walk
Teagan Calkins — Three singles, one walk
Emma Cushman — One single
Mia Farris — Five singles, two triples
Jada Heaton — Two singles, one double, one walk
Emma Leavitt — One walk
Olivia Martin — One walk
Chloe Marzocca — One walk
Adeline Maynes — One single, two walks
Madison McMillan — Two singles, two doubles, three walks
Allie Powers — One walk
Chelsi Stevens — One single
Danica Strong — Two singles
Sydney Van Dyke — Three singles, one walk
Mary Western — One single, one walk
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