Clay Reilly, strikeout king and photo bomber. (John Fisken photo)
They finally got back on the field, plus got fed.
So, even if the Coupeville High School JV baseball squad ultimately lost its season finale Friday, falling 12-7 at Sultan, it was a feel-good loss.
“Great game for our boys,” said Wolf coach Willie Smith. “Ended up losing, but oh, what a game!”
The mere fact they were playing was a bonus, as injuries to a thin CHS varsity roster forced the last two JV games to be cancelled. With several JV players being called on for varsity time, there simply wasn’t enough bodies to field a full nine.
But this day they saw the field and put on a show, earning a bevy of nicknames from the ol’ ball coach.
On the mound, Johnny “Just give me the ball, coach” Thurston started and threw three solid innings, with a mix of “fastballs, curveballs, and menacing smiles.”
Jimmy “Mix and match” Myers, making his pitching debut, and Clay “Rack ’em up and mow ’em down” Reilly came on in relief, with Reilly throwing straight heat in his first mound duty in seven years.
At the plate, Myers kicked things off, smoking an RBI double that plated Thurston.
The Wolves then got run-happy in the sixth, scoring six more.
Tim “The Terminator” Goss walked and scored on an RBI single from Gabe Wynn.
Jake Davis crunched a two-run single and Goss, in a return to the plate, stroked an RBI single of his own.
With the JV game being played after the two school’s met in a varsity game, it was a long afternoon in the Sultan sun. Afterwards, the locals stepped up and fed everyone, which impressed Smith.
“Great day, two great games, then the Turks fed the boys with a barbecue in a show of class and sportsmanship and sent us on our way.”
