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Posts Tagged ‘home runs’

Booming bats, electric arms

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on April 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Carson Grove had four hits Tuesday, including a grand slam. (Presley Phillips photo)

What a difference a game makes.

Three days ago, the Coupeville High School baseball squad delivered its worst performance of the season. Jump forward to Tuesday and everything was back in order, however.

And far more than that, as three Wolf hurlers combined for a 13-strikeout no-hitter and the batters went bonkers in a 25-0 win on the road in Concrete.

The blowout five-inning victory snaps a brief two-game skid for CHS, lifting Steve Hilborn’s squad to 6-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 8-4 overall.

It also keeps them a game back of Mount Vernon Christian (7-0) in the race for a conference crown, with a rematch against Concrete set for Thursday in Cow Town.

Saturday the Wolves struggled in all aspects of the game while dropping a non-conference bout at Forks. Against the Lions, everything was clicking again.

Camden Glover, Coop Cooper, and Malachi Somes combined to shut Concrete’s offense down, giving up just four walks and not surrendering a single base knock to their hosts.

Glover and Cooper each picked up six strikeouts in two innings of work, while Somes, making his mound debut for the Wolves, added a 13th K, then ended the game by inducing a double play.

Malachi Somes gets his first mound action. (Shannon Hilborn photo)

At the plate everything went Coupeville’s way, as the visitors tore the hide off the ball en route to collecting a season-high 20 hits to go with 10 walks.

Four runs in the first got things started, another four in the second stretched the lead out, then CHS tacked on nine more tallies in the third and another eight in the fourth.

The Wolves came roaring out of the gate, with Leo Rodriguez lashing a leadoff single and Carson Grove walking.

That set up Chase Anderson, who delivered the first mammoth blow of the afternoon, smashing a three-run inside the park home run to left to set the tone.

Tack on an Aiden O’Neill triple, followed by Cooper bringing him around to score with a hot grounder, and it was 4-0 before Concrete’s fans could even get settled into their seats.

From there the Wolves continued to rain down unholy pain on the Lions, with Grove and Glover delivering RBI-rich hits in the second before coming back around to do the same in the third.

That frame featured not one, but two CHS players picking up RBIs in unique fashion, as both Anderson and Somes were drilled by wayward pitches with the bases loaded.

Up 17-0 heading into the fourth, there didn’t seem to be much more the Wolves could do that they hadn’t already done.

Not so fast, as Grove belted an inside the park grand slam to really make the scoreboard pop.

Overall, nine different Wolves collected a hit on the day, with 11 reaching base.

And the scorekeeper’s fingers? Probably buried deep in a bucket of ice right about now.

 

Tuesday stats:

Chase Anderson — One single, one home run, one walk
Coop Cooper — Three singles
Camden Glover — One single, one double, one walk
Carson Grove — Three singles, one home run, one walk
Riley Lawless — One walk
Aiden O’Neill — One single, one triple
Leo Rodriguez — One single, one walk
Killian Shaw — One single, one walk
Malachi Somes — Two singles, one walk
Trent Thule — Three singles, one walk
Aiden Tingley — Two walks

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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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Bash sisters love extra bases

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on March 25, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Jada Heaton just wins. Especially on her birthday. (Photo courtesy Jennifer Heaton)

Jada Heaton’s teammates lit off some fireworks for her 18th birthday.

Peppering visiting Friday Harbor with three home runs Tuesday, the Coupeville High School softball squad kept its hot start going, rolling to a 10-0 victory.

The win, which came in six innings thanks to the mercy rule, lifts the Wolves to 1-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 4-1 overall.

Now the teams will clash again, with Coupeville making the trek to Friday Harbor Thursday afternoon, as the NWL uses a new-look spring schedule which has conference foes facing off in back-to-back games.

Tuesday’s tilt was hard-fought, but largely one-sided.

Wolf fab frosh hurler Adeline Maynes, coming off a no-hitter, almost made it two in a row, giving up just a fourth-inning single as she whiffed seven.

Friday Harbor got one other runner aboard thanks to a Coupeville error, but neither base runner made it close to tapping home plate.

Not so for the bombers in red and white, who racked up 12 hits, with half of them being for extra bases.

Madison McMillan crunched a pair of home runs, including a game-ending solo shot in the sixth, while Teagan Calkins mashed both a tater and a triple.

Toss in a triple for fleet-footed Mia Farris and a resounding double for the woman who can’t be kept off base — Taylor Brotemarkle — and the Wolf lumber was smokin’ in the rare prairie sunshine.

Softballs fear the wrath of Teagan Calkins. (Michelle Armstrong photo)

“Bats came alive today. Lot of hard-hit balls,” said CHS coach Aaron Lucero.

“Some found gaps, some found gloves, and a few found the other side of the fence!”

Both the power, and the consistency, of Coupeville’s hitting attack was something which pleases the dugout sage.

“We’re making solid in-game adjustments at the plate and really doing a nice job keeping opposing defenses off balance,” Lucero said.

Coupeville chipped, chipped, chipped away all afternoon, pushing runners across in five of six innings.

Things got off to a dynamic start when Brotemarkle punched a first-inning single, followed by Calkins launching a longball to stake her squad to a 2-0 lead.

After a scoreless second frame, the Wolves tacked on three more runs in both the third and fourth to stretch the margin out to 8-0.

McMillan went airborne for the first time with a three-run blast in the third, while the fourth featured consecutive RBI hits from Calkins, McMillan, and Farris.

A run in the fifth, with Brotemarkle driving in Chelsi Stevens, pushed the game close to mercy-rule territory, but the Wolves waited for that until the first batter in the bottom of the sixth.

That was McMillan, and the senior slugger put the final bow on things with her second round-tripper.

Now, a day to rest, refine, and reload, then the rematch.

“Friday Harbor always comes to play and today was no different,” Lucero said.

“They tried to bunt, slap, and they did put the ball in play, so hats off to them.

“Michelle (their head coach) has them prepared to fight and I expect Thursday they will ramp it up even more. We look forward to the competition.”

 

Tuesday stats:

Haylee Armstrong — One walk
Taylor Brotemarkle — Two singles, one double, one walk
Teagan Calkins — One triple, one home run
Mia Farris — One single, one triple
Jada Heaton — One walk
Madison McMillan — One single, two home runs, one walk
Chelsi Stevens — One single
Sydney Van Dyke — One single

Madison McMillan gets medieval. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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Kat’s still master of the bat

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Katrina McGranahan, legend. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

This is a shout-out to one of the true giants.

During her time at Coupeville High School, Katrina McGranahan was a stellar athlete — a volleyball, softball, and (for a brief moment at least) basketball supernova.

Blessed with natural talent, and always willing to put in work, Killer Kat was tabbed as the CHS Female Athlete of the Year.

Following in the footsteps of big bro Wade Schaef, while carving out her own brilliant path, Miss McGranahan remains a one-of-a-kind wonder who also happens to be a pretty extraordinary human being.

These days, she’s a mom to a bright-eyed lil’ boy, and has returned to her alma mater to coach the Wolf JV softball program.

Coupeville’s young guns are 5-1 while playing for Katrina, and it’s a kick to see her passing on wisdom to a new generation.

She has also stepped up in her first season and proven to be the true heir to David and Amy King by being the best quote in the biz.

I’ve watched as a first year CHS softball coach once literally sprinted away across a field to keep from answering one question from Whidbey News-Times guru Jim Waller and myself after a game.

Katrina is the exact opposite, kicking me scorebook photos and introspective insight on her team in a super-timely fashion, just like her dad Kevin, the CHS varsity diamond coach, does.

You love to see it.

It’s always great when former Wolf athletes return to coach teams in Cow Town, either at the middle or high school level.

When they prove to be ideally suited for the job, like Miss McGranahan, it’s even better.

So, thank you once again, Katrina, for all the highlights from your playing career, and now for being part of a very-strong coaching crew guiding Wolf Nation forward.

Once a superstar, always a superstar!

“You’re playing in front of the fence. I said this one is going OVER the fence…”

“I have…”

“the…”

“POWER!!!!!”

“Dang straight she does, skippy!”

“They found it down by the Clinton ferry…”

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Sultan of swat, titan of terror

Posted in Hall o' Fame, Softball, tagged , , , , on July 8, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Veronica Crownover had a run on the softball diamond few other Wolves can match. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The welcome committee awaits the conquering hero after a mammoth home-run.

Along with being a terror on offense, she was a nimble, sure-handed defender at first-base.

She was feared, respected, and loved, which makes for a pretty potent mix.

Once she got out of middle school, leaving volleyball and basketball behind her, Veronica Crownover tackled softball with a laser focus, becoming one of the best to ever wear a Coupeville High School uniform.

During her four-year run on the prairie, which came to a close this spring, the first-baseman was an integral part in back-to-back league titles (the second and third in 41 years of Wolf softball) and the program’s first win at the state tourney since 2002.

Along the way, she became the first Coupeville softball player I’ve ever seen receive multiple intentional walks in one game.

South Whidbey coach Brad Jaeger looked across the field at Crownover bending her bat in half while waiting in the on-deck circle and said, “No, ma’am, no sir, no how, no way.”

And he was probably right, as Crownover had torched Falcon ace Chanel Sterba in a previous game, bashing a grand-slam which bounced up the street towards Prairie Center.

As impressive as that cannon shot was, it wasn’t even her biggest blow of the year.

Of the five over-the-fence home runs she unloaded as a senior, Crownover’s Pièce De Résistance came in the year’s most-satisfying win.

Given a chance to face next-door neighbor Oak Harbor for the first time in maybe forever, the lil’ 1A Wolves stunned the 3A Wildcats 8-4 on their own field.

The hottest hitter in that game was Crownover, who launched an epic RBI single, smashed a moon shot for a two-run double, was intentionally walked, and, oh yes, cleared the towering left field fence for a game-deciding three-run home run.

To appreciate the full fury of her day, and the joy it brought Wolf nation, pop over to https://coupevillesports.com/2019/03/16/big-hearts-big-win/ to once again marinate in the moment.

But, as awe-inspiring as her performance was that day, it was just one small slice from a career which can stand with any put together by a CHS softball player.

Crownover, hot off a little league run which also included a trip to state (and a brief trial-run as a pitcher), had an immediate impact as a Wolf freshman.

She was selected as a First-Team All-Conference player by Olympic League coaches after bashing the snot out of the ball.

In particular, she was the first Wolf to turn the tide against Klahowya’s Amber Bumbalough.

In the early-going of the league, the Eagle hurler dominated, but then Coupeville turned the tide on the eventual D-I pitcher, beating KSS six straight times.

Jae LeVine and Tiffany Briscoe came through with unexpected, big-time blows against Klahowya during that stretch, while Katrina McGranahan and Sarah Wright upheld their reputations as all-world offensive threats.

But it was Crownover — swinging a bat she should have called “Thunder,” because it made a ferocious rumble every time she connected with the ball — who proved the Wolves could terrorize high-level pitching.

And they did it against other teams, as well.

South Whidbey’s Mackenzee Collins is also now a D-I pitcher, but Crownover tore her pitches to pieces, and the Wolves never lost to the Falcons in the four years Veronica wore the uniform.

By the time she was finished, Coupeville’s titan of swat had been tabbed to three All-Conference teams (and robbed one other time) and piled up stats which compare to any Wolf.

Everyone’s enduring image of Crownover will be of her crushing home-runs, yanking doubles off the top of the wall, or slicing wicked liners that whizzed an inch past a startled pitcher’s face on their way to RBI nirvana.

But she was also a top-level defender, the glue which often held the Wolf infield together.

Crownover had a slick glove, was often surprisingly nimble around the bag, and was a cerebral player, making the smart play time and again.

Her combination of providing a superior target, always being ready, and being capable of pulling off quick tags allowed Wolf catcher Sarah Wright to frequently whizz pick-off throws at unexpected moments, and the duo erased a pleasing amount of runners.

Through it all, from the little league days to her final moments on the field at the state tourney in Richland, where she and her teammates upended highly-ranked Deer Park, Crownover was the same easy-going, fun-loving, deadly-efficient slugger.

Today we induct her into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, where she joins others diamond greats such as Sarah Mouw and Breeanna Messner, and it’s an honor she more than deserves.

After this, you’ll find Crownover at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

She’ll be easy to spot.

Just look for the player who has to pull a cart behind her, because she collected too many home-run balls to just carry them in her arms.

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