Sarah Wright, seen with uncle Rob Smith, had four hits in Coupeville’s season-ending 10-inning loss Saturday afternoon. (Photo courtesy Wright)
With two wins at districts, the Wolves finished 19-5, second-best record in program history. (Sean Davis photo)
They did not disappoint. Ever.
In the moment, there will be sadness, of what could have been if they had found that elusive final out.
Of a trip to state, a chance to keep this miracle season alive for another week, to keep on chasing dreams across the softball diamond.
But just because it ended Saturday, after a brutal stretch of four games, two of which went to extra innings, in 26 hours — 33 innings of sun-baked softball in the wilds of Tacoma, with every last pitch flung by one amazing young woman known as Katrina “Killer Kat” McGranahan — doesn’t mean all they accomplished will fade anytime soon.
Yes, the Coupeville High School softball squad saw its season ended by a 7-6 loss in 10 innings to Bellevue Christian (which allowed the Vikings to join Chimacum in claiming a ticket to state).
But even falling an out short — the Wolves had led 5-4 with two outs and no one on in the seventh, only to give up a game-tying home run — this CHS squad, which can return seven of nine starters, will stand tall in any history written about Wolf Nation.
This team, with 14 players who went every step of the way, from the first day of rain-spattered practice, when no one was watching, to the last day under a white-hot spotlight (or was that just the blazing sun?) in front of an overflow crowd, was always something special.
And, win or lose, that does not change.
Coupeville split two games Saturday at the West Central District 3 tourney, eliminating Seattle Christian 8-3 in the morning before engaging a 16-2 Vikings squad in a memorable death match.
In a tourney where none of the other five teams played more than three games or 22 innings, these Wolves fought through four games (playing two back-to-back Friday with no break AFTER a 90-mile bus trip).
They went to nine innings to eliminate Vashon in the opener, 10 innings against BC in the finale, 33 innings total, in which they wrote a remarkable tale of perseverance, of never backing down, never taking the easy way out.
Finishing 19-5 (having only lost to Chimacum and BC), the 2017 Wolves had the second-best record in program history, trailing only the 2002 squad, which went 24-3 en route to claiming 3rd place at state.
“I am super proud of these young women and the heart they have shown these past few days,” said CHS coach Kevin McGranahan, words echoed by all Wolf fans.
“In the end, we fell a run short of a trip to state, but the team left everything on the field and has absolutely nothing to hang their head about. We played our best and the district knows that Coupeville is here and ready to assume the throne.”
Coupeville loses three seniors to graduation, two of whom, second-baseman Jae LeVine and left fielder Tiffany Briscoe, bowed out at Sprinker Fields.
Right fielder Robin Cedillo, who made key contributions to the squad’s run, including a huge RBI single to spark a late-season win over 2A Sequim, also departs.
But, while three-time Olympic League champ Chimacum gets absolutely gutted by graduation this year, the Wolves can return everyone but their #2 and #8 hitters, with plenty on the bench (led by fab frosh Scout Smith, who sparkled at districts).
There is also plenty in the pipeline, with every Central Whidbey Little League softball team currently romping through win-heavy seasons behind talented players like Izzy Wells, Coral Caveness and Mollie Bailey.
Not to mention the expected return to the softball diamond of Chelsea Prescott, currently playing Babe Ruth baseball as an eighth-grader.
Like Michael Jordan, who had to endure knockdowns at the hands of the grizzled Detroit Pistons known as the Bad Boys before rising up to win six championships, these Wolves are primed for true greatness.
If they do, when they do, we will look back at the 2017 squad, and see where it began.
And what we will see, either today in the immediate aftermath, or down the road, is a team that never, ever stopped fighting — a group that had stars, but played always as a team, each young woman giving all she had, then finding something more.
The tale of their final day on the diamond this season is full of huge highs, and one or two lows.
Game 1:
Having split two games Friday, knocking off Vashon before immediately re-taking the field in Tacoma to face a well-rested BC squad, the Wolves had their backs to the wall.
After a brief burp at the start, they responded with a vengeance.
Trailing Seattle Christian 3-0 headed into the top of the third Saturday, Coupeville blew the game wide open with a five-run assault on the Warrior pitching staff.
It started thanks to solid work by the unsung Briscoe, who has been a rock for the Wolves during her four-year run in the red and black.
Wearing a pitch after being plunked for the 437th time this season (give or take one or two), she lit a fire, and her teammates responded.
Tamika Nastali, Lauren Rose and Smith (subbing for a briefly-injured LeVine) stroked back-to-back-to-back singles and the runs were flying home.
The Wolves tacked on another run in the sixth, as Hope Lodell reached on an error and came around to score on another base-knock off of the bat of Rose, then closed the game with a bang.
Or, make that two bangs, as Katrina McGranahan and Mikayla Elfrank slammed seventh-inning home runs over the outfield fence, taking the final bit of air out of Seattle Christian.
Game 2:
Unlike Friday, there was a two-hour gap between games Saturday, and the Wolves had a chance to eat before facing BC for a second time.
The game started with competing blasts, as Viking slugger Genna Walker bashed a two-run home run in the top of the first, before Wolf catcher Sarah Wright responded with her own two-run moon shot in the bottom half of the inning.
Coupeville then made a bid to seize control of the game, getting to BC hurler Katie Pippel for three runs in the bottom of the second to open a 5-2 lead.
A walk to Veronica Crownover, bunt singles from Lodell and Nastali and a key Vikings error helped keep the Wolf rally alive.
Pippel settled back down after that though, and faced just two batters over the minimum from the third through ninth innings.
Coupeville’s best shot at adding a run came in the fifth, when Wright drilled a shot that sent McGranahan scampering for home.
It wasn’t to be, however, as a superb throw nailed the Wolf pitcher at the plate in a bang-bang play.
Bellevue got a run back in the third and another in the sixth, but Coupeville’s defense denied them more, with Elfrank gunning down a runner at the plate and outfielders Briscoe, Lodell and Nastali running down several long bombs.
Clinging to a 5-4 lead entering the top of the seventh (and presumably final) inning, the Wolves looked to be in lock-down mode.
A pop-up to Lodell and a ground-out to Elfrank set the stage, and CHS was one slim out from the promised land.
Unfortunately, Bellevue’s final hope rested on the longball-lovin’ Walker, and she found a brief chink in the armor of a very-tired McGranahan, belting her second homer of the game.
Showing immense courage under fire, the Wolf hurler never blinked, immediately coming back to get the third out, then retiring BC in order in the eighth and ninth.
Under softball’s quirky answer to trying to end extra innings games, from the ninth inning on, both teams were given a runner at second to start things.
In the ninth, the Vikings bunted that runner to third, only to see Coupeville end the threat emphatically.
Nastali pulled in a fly for out number two, then fired a cannon shot to Wright, who dove and tagged the incoming runner to complete an inning-ending double play.
The Wolves suffered a reverse denial in their half of the inning, with the Vikings getting a double play of their own to strand the potential winning run at third.
BC finally broke through in the tenth, getting two runs on RBI hits from Walker (who else?) and Annie Whitton, forcing the Wolves into a must-win situation.
And they almost pulled it off.
McGranahan ripped an RBI single to plate Rose, cutting the lead to 7-6, before Wright followed her with a base-hit to put the tying and winning runs on base.
A passed ball moved the runners to second and third with one out, but Pippel, one of the best pitchers in 1A ball, rose to the moment, getting the final two outs on a strikeout and hard-hit chopper to second.
Coupeville finished its four-games-in-26-hours run — starting at 4 PM Friday and ending shortly before 6 PM Saturday — with 30 hits.
Rose, Wright and Lodell paced the Wolves with six base-knocks apiece, while Nastali and McGranahan both had four.
The onslaught was rounded out with a hit each from Elfrank, Smith, Crownover and Briscoe.
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