Lauren Rose was electric Friday, knocking in four runs to spark the Wolves to their first win of the season. (John Fisken photo)
The victory was the first as a high school coach for Deanna Rafferty (right), seen here with Robin Cedillo. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Someone flipped a switch.
A Coupeville High School softball squad that had scored just one run in its first two losses exploded with sustained fury Friday, bashing host Port Townsend to a merry 19-11 tune.
The victory, the first for new coach Deanna Rafferty, puts the Wolves atop the Olympic League standings at a pristine 1-0.
CHS is 1-2 overall and will have five non-conference games before its next league game.
Coupeville came out on fire, took a hit on defense for a bit, then really brought out the big guns against the Redhawks.
The Wolves built a 6-0 lead headed to the bottom of the third, fell behind 9-7 after five, then closed with consecutive six-run innings.
Swinging the bat with conviction, nearly everyone in the lineup was a beast at the plate.
Freshman Lauren Rose led the way, reaching base five times and knocking in four runs, while McKayla Bailey and Hope Lodell chipped in with three RBIs apiece.
Bailey hit a shot to the farthest reaches of the outfield, and might have had an inside the park home run if the ball hadn’t found a hole in the fence. Instead, she accepted a ground rule double.
“We had an overall great offensive game,” Rafferty said.
Katrina McGranahan got the start on the mound and contributed an “award-winning diving catch” before being relieved by the flame-throwing Bailey in the fifth.
The senior hurler promptly struck out a pair of Port Townsend hitters in the inning and got the win when the Wolves rebounded at the plate.
About the only negative for Coupeville was the loss of senior third baseman Hailey Hammer, who took a softball to the head and left the game early.
She’s expected to be back when the Wolves travel to Bellevue Christian Monday.
In her place, freshman Heather Nastali made her varsity debut and “had a couple rough plays but held her own.”
Rafferty came away pleased not only with the result, but the timing of the victory.
“We are incredibly happy with our first win and for it to also be a league game,” she said.
