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Posts Tagged ‘doubleheader sweep’

Hot bats, sweet wins

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on April 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Capri Anter (left) and Haylee Armstrong hit back-to-back home runs Tuesday as Coupeville scored 47 runs in a doubleheader sweep. (Michelle Armstrong photo)

Pay the woman.

Coupeville High School sophomore softball slugger Capri Anter was promised $100 (and new cleats!) by family members if she hit an out-of-the-park home run.

Boom.

Delivering on her pledge, Anter sent a ball into the upper stratosphere Tuesday, letting it crash down well beyond the fence in left and launching her teammates into a torrid celebration.

Then, before the rival Concrete pitcher could even catch her breath, Anter’s cousin, fellow sophomore sensation Haylee Armstrong, took the very next pitch, smacked it deep, and used her wheels to turn the blast into an inside-the-park home run.

Coming on the heels of earlier taters for Mia Farris (inside the park) and Madison McMillan (way, way outside the park), everything was flying off of Wolf bats.

I said everything.

It was that kind of day for the big, bad Wolves, who got to 8-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 11-1 overall after thrashing the visiting Lions 22-2 and 25-4 in a doubleheader sweep.

How things played out:

 

Game 1:

When did you know in your heart of hearts that this was going to be one long rout?

Probably from the first pitch by Wolf pitcher Adeline Maynes, a fastball which cracked into Teagan Calkins glove while Concrete’s leadoff hitter swung way too late.

The fab frosh whiffed all three hitters she faced in the top of the first, before allowing her defense to help out a bit and settling for nine K’s across five innings.

Coupeville’s offense was ferociously effective, scoring nine runs in the bottom of the opening frame, while giving away two of three outs by having runners leave early.

It was a steady rain of hits and walks — on a perfectly sunny day — punctuated by Farris crashing a three-run tater to deep right-center.

The Wolves tacked on five more runs in the second, before closing with four-run pops in the third and fourth.

Highlights included Chelsi Stevens getting an RBI the hardest way — being plunked by a wayward pitch with the bases loaded — and triples from Taylor Brotemarkle, McMillan, and Sydney Van Dyke.

Actually, in Brotemarkle’s case, it was multiple triples, as the fleet-footed shortstop swung a sizzlin’ bat and tore around the basepaths like a woman unleashed.

Taylor Brotemarkle prepares to destroy pitchers, one swing at a time. (Bailey Thule photo)

 

Game 2:

The lineups were juggled, some between-games snacks were nibbled, and then, déjà vu, the Wolves feasted on Lions pitching.

Playing as the road team in the finale, CHS got triples from Armstrong, Danica Strong, and Farris en route to opening up a quick 8-0 lead, and the rout was on.

With Maynes sitting out game #2, Armstrong got the call in the pitcher’s circle, and threw raw heat, picking up 12 strikeouts in her five innings of work.

Concrete did put together a pair of mini rallies, plating two runners each in the third and fourth, but Coupeville’s bats knew no mercy.

The Wolves were up 17-0 before the Lions got on the board, and an eight-run top of the fifth was the cherry on top.

Madison McMillan goes deep. Again. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

McMillan’s monster mash, a mammoth shot which soared over the fence in left, set the stage, while Strong, Stevens, and Brotemarkle went off for back-to-back-to-back RBI extra-base hits at one point.

And Anter, after walloping her roundtripper?

She actually came back around to hit again in the same inning, as the Wolves worked their way relentlessly through the lineup.

When she did, Anter capped things with a perfectly placed RBI single right back up the middle, pushing Coupeville’s 47th, and final, run of the day across the plate.

 

What’s up next:

The Wolves, whose only loss was a one-run affair with 3A Oak Harbor, get a big test at home Saturday against a traditional powerhouse in their own 2B classification.

Forks enters at just 5-6, riding a four-game losing streak, but the Spartans have plenty of state tourney glory in their recent past (and Ron Bagby’s niece on the roster).

Game times for the non-conference doubleheader are 2:00 and 4:00 PM.

 

Tuesday stats:

Capri Anter — Three singles, one home run
Haylee Armstrong — One triple, one home run, three walks
Taylor Brotemarkle — Two singles, two triples, three walks
Teagan Calkins — One single, one double, one triple, one walk
Emma Cushman — One walk
Mia Farris — Three singles, one triple, one home run
Jada Heaton — Two singles, two walks
Ava Lucero — Two singles, three walks
Olivia Martin — One walk
Adeline Maynes — Two walks
Madison McMillan — Three singles, two triples, one home run, one walk
Allie Powers — One walk
Chelsi Stevens — One single, one double
Danica Strong — One single, two doubles, one triple
Sydney Van Dyke — Two doubles, one triple, two walks

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Hardball heroes riding a hot streak

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on April 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Leo Rodriguez hauls in a pop fly. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s been like two seasons in one.

A rebuilding Coupeville High School baseball squad struggled in the early going but has found its groove of late.

Sweeping a home doubleheader against Concrete Tuesday, winning 12-1 and 9-1 over the visiting Lions, the Wolves have now won five of their last six.

CHS sits at 5-3 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 5-7 overall, with another home twin bill on the schedule for Saturday afternoon.

That tilt will be against non-conference foe Forks, with games set for 2:00 and 4:00 PM.

Steve Hilborn’s hardball squad had trouble finding a consistent offensive spark while losing its first six games.

Now, the Wolves are living large on the basepaths, racking up 22 hits and 13 walks against Concrete.

How the day played out:

 

Game 1:

Freshman Carson Grove was dealing on the mound, whiffing eight and surrendering just two hits across five innings of work.

Looking to give their young gun some room to rumble, the Wolves pushed runs across in all four innings in which they hit, before the game was mercy-ruled after Concrete went down in the top of the fifth.

Coupeville netted three runs in the bottom half of the first, with Camden Glover launching what would be a blistering performance at the plate.

The junior slugger drilled a two-run single to center field to get things going, then came around to score on a passed ball.

From there, the Wolves added four tallies in the second, two in the third, and three more in the fourth.

Glover, Riley Lawless, and Trent Thule each delivered RBI singles, before CHS mixed things up by garnering three straight runs on RBI groundouts.

With its runners operating with precision, Coupeville forced Concrete to take the sure out at first each time, with Grove, Jesus Madrigal, and Landon Roberts bringing their teammates around to score.

While the offense was poppin’ and the pitching was on point, the defense was superb as well.

Wolf catcher Jayden Little nailed a runner trying to score, pegging the ball to Grove, who applied the tag to the umpire’s liking on one wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am play.

Riley Lawless awaits the throw.

 

Game 2:

While Coupeville steadily pulled away in the opener, the Wolves spent much of the nightcap with a lot less breathing room.

CHS did plate three runners in the top of the first — they were the “road” team for game #2 — with Glover picking up the fifth of his six RBIs on the day.

But from there, the teams played scoreless ball all the way until Concrete scraped out a run in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead to 3-1.

That would be as close as the Lions would get, however, as Wolf hurlers Coop Cooper and Glover combined to strike out 19 batters while throwing a no-hitter.

Coupeville tossed three runs on the board in the sixth to stretch the margin out to 6-1, before adding three more in the seventh to set the final score.

Little and Cooper delivered the big hits during the late run, both cracking run-scoring doubles, while Glover’s bat continued to blaze like it had been crafted by the devil himself.

 

Where the Wolves sit:

With the sweep, Coupeville (5-3) stays just two games back of first-place Mount Vernon (7-1) in the NWL standings, with four conference games left.

The Wolves close the season May 6 and 8 with games against those Hurricanes.

Camden Glover delivered an explosive performance Tuesday afternoon.

 

Tuesday stats:

Coop Cooper — Two singles, two doubles, one walk
Camden Glover — Six singles, one walk
Carson Grove — One single, two walks
Riley Lawless — Two singles, three walks
Jayden Little — One single, one double, two walks
Jesus Madrigal — One walk
Landon Roberts — Four singles, one triple
Trent Thule — One single, three walks
Chris Zenz — One single

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Wolves feast on Logger pitching

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

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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Hardball heroes notch first wins

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , on April 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Diamond men Coop Cooper (16) and Carson Grove congratulate each other. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

What a difference a change in the calendar makes.

Back from spring break, the Coupeville High School baseball squad hit the diamond Thursday and delivered its best performances of the season.

Snapping a season-opening six-game losing streak in which they were outscored 63-3, the Wolves found their offensive groove while sweeping a doubleheader against visiting Darrington.

Winning 4-1 behind a masterful pitching performance from Coop Cooper, then running up the score in a 14-5 romp in game #2, CHS gets to 2-2 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 2-6 overall.

How the day played out:

 

Game #1:

Cooper was on fire while prowling a windy prairie, holding Darrington to just a single hit while whiffing a season-high 16 batters.

Darrington actually scratched out the game’s first run in the top of the first, thanks to an error, a steal, and a passed ball, but that was it for the Loggers.

The Wolves knotted things up at 1-1 in their half of the first, thanks to Landon Roberts mashing a triple and getting his jersey dirty with a sprawl in the dirt.

The senior slugger scampered home a batter later, scoring off of an RBI groundout by freshman Carson Grove, and the game stayed tied until the third.

From there, Coupeville pushed across a run in three consecutive innings to give Cooper a fighting chance.

Camden Glover plated runners in the third and fourth with RBI base hits, before Phin Rhodes capped the scoring with a run-scoring base knock of his own in the bottom of the fifth.

Trailing 4-1, Darrington had a shot to get back in the game, loading the bases with no outs in the top of the sixth.

To which Cooper and his companions said, no sir, not today.

The Wolf hurler induced a groundout to Grove at shortstop, and the fab frosh whipped a note-perfect throw to Roberts for the force-out at home.

A pop up and strikeout later and the first win of the season was all but sealed, with Cooper slamming the door in the seventh with three straight K’s.

 

Game #2:

If the opener was about pitching, so was the nightcap, just in a different way.

While Cooper was going all Nolan Ryan on the Loggers, Darrington’s pitching staff couldn’t find the plate in the second contest.

Coupeville picked up 17 walks, including having batters get plunked five times, with a number of those free passes coming with the bases loaded.

While the doubleheader was in Cow Town, game #2 was a makeup of a road game from Tuesday which was rained out, so the Wolves played as the visitors.

That enabled Steve Hilborn’s squad to get a jump on Darrington, pushing four runners across in the top of the first.

Three of those tallies came on bases-loaded walks, including Lawless — who was hit by wayward pitches four(!) times Thursday — being plunked with the bags full.

From there, the Wolves steadily pushed the lead out, tacking on two runs in the second frame and a game-busting seven scores in the fourth.

When Darrington’s hurlers weren’t amassing great gobs of walks, they were also being called for frequent balks, with Chris Zenz and Jayden Little both being sent home to score by the umps.

 

Thursday stats:

Coop Cooper — Three singles, two walks
Camden Glover — One single, one double, four walks
Carson Grove — Two singles, three walks
Riley Lawless — Four walks
Jayden Little — One double, two walks
Jesus Madrigal — One single, two walks
Phin Rhodes — One single
Landon Roberts — One single, one triple, one walk
Leo Rodriguez — One single, one walk
Trent Thule — Four walks

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Sublime Senior Night for sluggers

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Ja’Kenya Hoskins (left) pops over from track practice to get a photo with Wolf softball sensation Izzy Wells. (Katy Wells photo)

The breeze was cold, and the bats were hot.

Fueled up on hot dogs and cupcakes, the Coupeville High School varsity softball team ignored relentless prairie wind Friday, bashing 34 hits on Senior Night during a doubleheader sweep of visiting Orcas Island.

In control from first pitch to last, the Wolves strolled to 17-1 and 19-2 wins in games mercy-ruled after the top of the fourth inning.

With the twin thumpings, Coupeville gets to 7-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 15-2 overall.

The Wolves close the regular season with a trip to Darrington next Tuesday, May 3, then turn their gaze to the playoffs.

But first they honored seniors Mckenna Somes, Violette Huegerich, Audrianna Shaw, and Izzy Wells with a pair of romps.

How the day played out:

 

Game 1:

Playing a 12:30 matinee on a weekday to kick things off meant an early exit from school, and limited fans for the first pitch.

It also meant a bit of a slow start for the Wolves, who scraped out two runs in the first, tacked on six more in the second, then hit their stride with a nine-run burst in the third.

The ball jumped off Coupeville bats, with five different hitters collecting an extra-base hit during an all-out assault on Orcas pitching.

Izzy Wells pounded three doubles, and Shaw smacked a pair of two-baggers, but it was freshman Savina Wells who rifled an inside-the-park home run to drive a huge stake through the visiting Vikings.

The fab frosh zipped a frozen rope to deep center, then churned her way around the basepaths without breaking stride, her long legs crossing home way before the ball arrived back in the infield.

Orcas couldn’t get much going against Wolf hurler Allie Lucero, who whiffed four and kept her foes on their heels with well-placed pitches.

One of the few times the Vikings looked like they might be up to something, Coupeville ended the mini rally by picking a runner off third base, Lucero winging the ball to Madison McMillan for the wham-bam tag.

Mckenna Somes reached base four times Friday. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

Game 2:

With Orcas in town for most of the day, having taken a 6:45 AM ferry as it Island-hopped, Coupeville hosted a between-games barbeque for softball and baseball players, as well as assorted freeloader writer types.

Then, after a tribute to the 12th graders, the Wolf sluggers went right back to work.

This time, Coupeville dumped eight runs on the board in the first, settled for four more in the second, then capped the day with a seven-spot in the third.

Walks were the currency of choice in the nightcap, with the Wolves drawing 15 free passes, led by McMillan and Huegerich netting three apiece.

The latter was twice bonked by wayward pitches, with the second one nailing her in the batting helmet.

“Not again!” said her mom, as the tough-as-nails Huegerich ambled down to first, shaking her head back and forth as she did.

The Wolves still had their bats going when the ball was near the strike zone, rapping out 12 more base knocks, with Somes, Shaw, and Mia Farris collecting doubles.

Shaw, enjoying herself immensely in the final home game of her stellar prep career, alternated between hitting righty and lefty.

Despite not normally being a switch hitter, the senior centerfielder held up rather well, slapping a pair of hits while trying out the less-comfortable left side of the plate.

McMillan also stole home twice in the game, the second time bouncing off both the catcher and umpire as she successfully bowled over anyone and everyone in her pursuit of tapping home plate.

“Next time … next time I want you to slide,” said Wolf coach Kevin McGranahan, with a small smile.

The Orcas catcher, freshman Molina Stone, recovered to make the defensive play of the game, crashing into the fence behind home as she snagged a fast-falling foul ball over her head.

And then, at 5:21 PST an era ended on the windswept prairie, as McGranahan went out to lift Izzy Wells after she recorded the first out in the final half-inning.

The calm leader of the Wolves, the Izzinator is a rare young woman.

She pitched CHS to state as a freshman, saw a pandemic erase her sophomore season and slash her junior campaign in half, and now is writing a mega-successful final chapter in her high school career.

Coupeville is 42-12 since Izzy stepped onto the diamond, and she’s not done yet.

But, for a moment, as her teammates hugged her, as a now-overflowing fan section hollered for her, and as her faithful pooch gazed at her adoringly from the sideline, the elder Miss Wells got a moment well-deserved, and very much earned.

 

Friday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 2 singles, 2 walks
Teagan Calkins — 1 double
Mia Farris — 2 singles, 1 double
Gwen Gustafson — 1 walk
Violette Huegerich — 4 walks
Allie Lucero — 1 single, 1 double, 2 walks
Madison McMillan — 3 singles, 1 double, 3 walks
Melanie Navarro — 2 singles, 2 walks
Sofia Peters — 1 single, 1 walk
Audrianna Shaw — 3 singles, 3 doubles
Mckenna Somes — 2 singles, 1 double, 1 walk
Izzy Wells — 2 singles, 3 doubles, 1 walk
Savina Wells — 4 singles, 1 home run, 1 walk

Melanie Navarro sends the softball flying far away. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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