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Posts Tagged ‘La Conner’

It’s sudden death, delayed

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on May 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »

A couple more hours to fine-tune the swing. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

One more day to build the anticipation.

Thursday’s baseball battle royal between Coupeville and Friday Harbor — a one-game showdown in La Conner to decide which of the schools advance to the state tournament — has been bumped a day.

Mother Nature, as she has been all spring, is a pain in the tushie.

The game, now set for 3 PM Friday, still on that neutral field in La Conner, pits a 13-6 Wolf squad against a 14-2 Wolverine team.

Coupeville is the Northwest 2B/1B League champ, having finished 11-1 to Friday Harbor’s 10-1, but playoff seeding is determined only by the games between 2B schools.

Both teams swept two games from La Conner, while splitting their own season series.

Friday Harbor won 3-2 on its home field, while Coupeville returned the favor 11-8 on Whidbey.

The winner of the play-in game advances to the 16-team 2B state tourney, which kicks off May 21.

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They’re savages! Savages, I say!!

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Gwen Gustafson was one of 22 Wolves to reach base Friday, as Coupeville thrashed La Conner twice. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

They are vengeance unleashed.

Even when they try and pull back the reigns a bit and try not to unnecessarily embarrass opponents, it’s hard for the Coupeville High School softball team to be anything less than dominant.

Case in point, Friday’s doubleheader at La Conner, where the Wolves, playing everyone in a uniform — varsity and JV — still romped to 23-0 and 23-1 wins over the outmatched Braves.

The sweep gives Coupeville nine straight wins and lifts it to 5-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 10-1 overall.

As they roll towards a second consecutive undefeated NWL championship, the Wolves get a chance to punch upwards all of next week.

Coupeville faces 1A Meridian, 3A Oak Harbor, and 2A Lakewood in non-conference tilts, a challenge Kevin McGranahan’s squad craves.

Coupeville is 4-1 this season against schools from larger classifications, with its only loss coming to 1A royalty Lynden Christian.

 

Game #1:

Mixing varsity and JV players, Coupeville pounded out a season-high 29 hits a day after dinging Sultan for 27 base-knocks.

With senior pitching ace Izzy Wells surrendering just a pair of singles, and whiffing 12 Braves, the Wolves were just as brutally efficient on the other side of the ball.

The game might have seemed close for a hot moment, as Coupeville led just 1-0 exiting the first inning, but then its big-game sluggers unleashed their bats.

Six runs in the top of the second stretched the lead out, with four more coming in the third and another three in the fourth inning.

The Wolves wrapped things up by pushing nine more tallies across the plate in the fifth, then shuffled their roster dramatically for the nightcap.

Mckenna Somes had a five-hit performance in game one of a doubleheader.

 

Game #2:

This time out, twin hurlers Allie and Maya Lucero combined to chuck a four-inning no-hitter, with nine of 12 outs coming via punch-outs.

With many of their regular starters sitting the finale out, the Wolves still cracked 13 hits, giving them a 42-2 advantage on the afternoon.

Freshman Savina Wells, who rested in the opener, returned to the starting lineup and promptly walloped a home run, while CHS also piled up a staggering 18 walks.

Wolf 8th grader Teagan Calkins earned four of those free passes, with Alondra Cruz and Madison McMillan eking out three walks apiece.

Up 7-1 after one inning, Coupeville dropped nine runs on the board in the second, then coasted in with four and three-run rallies in the remaining frames.

 

Friday stats:

Edie Bittner — 2 walks
Taylor Brotemarkle — 1 single, 1 double, 2 walks
Teagan Calkins — 4 walks
Camryn Clark — 1 walk
Alondra Cruz — 3 walks
Mia Farris — 3 singles, 1 double, 1 triple
Gwen Gustafson — 1 single, 1 walk
Jada Heaton — 1 single
Violette Huegerich — 1 single
Lily Leedy — 1 single
Allie Lucero — 1 single, 1 walk
Maya Lucero — 3 singles, 1 walk
Katie Marti — 2 singles, 1 walk
Chloe Marzocca — 1 single, 2 walks
Madison McMillan — 1 double, 3 walks
Melanie Navarro — 2 singles, 1 double, 1 walk
Maya Nottingham — 2 singles, 1 double
Sofia Peters — 1 double
Audrianna Shaw — 1 single, 1 double, 2 triples
Mckenna Somes — 4 singles, 1 double
Izzy Wells — 4 singles, 1 triple, 1 walk
Savina Wells — 1 single, 1 home run

Wolf coach Aaron Lucero gazes in wonder as the Wolves decimate all challengers.

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Hardball aces earn sweet sweep

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , , on April 15, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Scott Hilborn fires a bullet Friday as Coupeville High School baseball sweeps a doubleheader from La Conner. (Morgan White photo)

It was a great birthday present.

Coupeville High School varsity baseball coach Will Thayer celebrated his cake day in grand style Friday, guiding his squad to a doubleheader sweep at La Conner.

The twin victories lift the Wolves to 5-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 7-5 overall.

That keeps Coupeville just a game back of defending league champ Friday Harbor (6-0) and a half-game up on Mount Vernon Christian (5-2) as the teams battle for conference supremacy in the seven-team NWL.

Friday’s doubleheader was a pretty solid beat-down too, as the Wolves soaked in the rare sun and ran away with 11-2 and 21-4 wins.

 

Game #1:

CHS pitchers Scott Hilborn and Hawthorne Wolfe combined to whiff 15 Braves in the victory, holding La Conner at bay until the Wolf sluggers got crackin’.

“Took a minute for our bats to warm up, but a good game,” Thayer said.

Coupeville opened the scoring by pushing two runs across in the top of the second, then tacked on another tally in the third.

The top of the fourth was where things busted wide open, however, as the Wolves rained down five runs in a rally keyed by base-knocks from Hilborn and Jonathan Valenzuela.

Hawthorne Wolfe and Co. kept their bats sizzlin’ in the road wins. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Coupeville, which added three runs in the fifth to round out its scoring, took advantage of whatever La Conner gave it.

The Wolves cracked eight hits, with Cole White, Sage Sharp, and Valenzuela recording two apiece, while also walking seven times.

Whatever hopes La Conner had of pulling off the upset faded every time a ball hit one of their fielder’s gloves, as the Braves committed a horrifying nine errors to make life tough for their pitchers.

 

Game #2:

Coupeville cut this one short, with a 12-run fourth inning helping the Wolves seal the deal in a game mercy-ruled after five frames.

“One of my favorite games I ever coached,” Thayer said. “Everyone played and we had fun.”

The Wolves sent 8th graders Chase Anderson and Coop Cooper to the mound in the nightcap, and the young guns sizzled, getting nine of 15 outs via the strikeout.

Chase Anderson brings the knee-buckling heat. (Morgan White photo)

The ball flew off of Coupeville’s bats as well, with six different players recording two hits as the Wolves rang up 15 base-knocks in the finale.

Wolfe cracked a triple to lead the way, while Hilborn, Peyton Caveness, Johnny Porter, and Anderson all bashed two-baggers in support.

 

Friday stats:

Chase Anderson — 1 single, 1 double, 2 walks
Peyton Caveness — 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk
Coop Cooper — 1 single
Scott Hilborn — 2 singles, 1 double, 1 walk
Cole Hutchinson — 1 walk
Xavier Murdy — 2 singles, 3 walks
Aiden O’Neill — 1 single
Jack Porter — 1 double
Johnny Porter — 1 double, 1 walk
Sage Sharp — 2 singles, 1 walk
Jonathan Valenzuela — 2 singles, 2 walks
Cole White — 4 singles
Hawthorne Wolfe — 1 single, 1 triple, 1 walk
Kai Wong — 1 walk

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Wolf hardball crew hammers La Conner

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Jonathan Valenzuela and friends racked up 19 runs, 13 hits, and 15 walks Tuesday afternoon in a big win. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Back on track.

After absorbing a couple of close non-conference losses, the Coupeville High School varsity baseball team bounced back with a vengeance Tuesday afternoon.

Raining down runs and getting a strong pitching performance from 8th grader Chase Anderson, the Wolves walloped visiting La Conner 19-9 in a game mercy-ruled after five innings.

The victory, coming in Coupeville’s conference opener, lifts it to 1-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 2-3 overall.

It’s also a nice kick-off to a stretch where the Wolves play seven straight games against league foes.

Coupeville dominated in the early going, ringing up seven runs in the bottom of the first, then tacking on another two in the second and four in the third.

That left CHS up 13-0 when Anderson departed the mound after three innings of work in his high school pitching debut.

After playing in the infield previously this season, the middle school ace was darn near impeccable on the mound Tuesday, retiring nine of the 11 Braves hitters he faced.

Anderson whiffed five while giving up just a single hit and a lone walk.

“Chase pitched awesome, especially for an 8th grader,” said Coupeville coach Will Thayer.

La Conner got to the Wolf bullpen a bit, pushing across six runs in the top of the fourth, and another three in the fifth, but the CHS hitters matched them step-for-step, ending the game early.

On the day, 15 Wolves saw action, with eight of them recording at least one base-knock.

Coupeville leadoff hitter Hawthorne Wolfe crunched a double and single to pace the hit attack, while Scott Hilborn, Cody Roberts, Jack Porter, and Anderson each delivered a pair of singles.

Sage Sharp, Xavier Murdy, and Jonathan Valenzuela also rapped out a hit apiece, as the Wolves piled up 13 base-knocks and 15 walks.

Three of those free bases carried a sting however, as La Conner pitchers plunked a trio of CHS sluggers with wayward pitches.

Thayer was able to keep most of his players busy, with Cole White, Alex Murdy, Aiden O’Neill, Zane Oldenstadt, Camden Glover, Johnny Porter, and Cole Hutchinson also seeing the field.

It was the high varsity debut for 8th graders Glover and O’Neill.

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Crush ’em, but with compassion

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on March 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Mckenna Somes whacked a pair of hits as Coupeville softball drilled visiting La Conner. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The weather was nice, the offense nicer.

Playing under actual sunshine Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad racked up 14 hits and 13 walks, rolling to a 17-0 win over visiting La Conner.

The victory, coming in the Northwest 2B/1B League opener for the Wolves, lifts them to 1-0 in conference play, 2-1 overall.

Tuesday was a March rarity on the prairie.

No rain. Mild temps. Not even a lil’ gust of wind.

A perfect setting for a full-on beatdown, as Coupeville decimated Brave pitching, ringing up those 17 runs while only coming to the plate four times.

And it could have been much, much worse, but the Wolves danced a fine line between being dominant and not wanting to unnecessarily embarrass their foes.

CHS gave away outs by having runners leave the base early, and shuffled its lineup around, giving all 14 varsity players a chance to shine.

Mission accomplished.

Coupeville pitchers Izzy Wells, Allie Lucero, and Maya Lucero combined to chuck a five-inning no-hitter, with La Conner’s lone runner getting aboard thanks to a two-out walk in the top of the first inning.

Wells struck out nine in three innings of work, with Allie (2) and Maya (1) also recording K’s in their inning of work.

At the plate, the Wolves mashed all day long, with 10 different hitters recording at least one base-knock.

Senior centerfielder Audrianna Shaw provided an early highlight when she led off the bottom of the first with a resounding triple to left field, and the rout was on.

Coupeville put up six runs in the opening frame, with the first half of the tally coming around on a pair of errors and a bases-loaded walk to Sofia Peters.

After that, RBI singles from Melanie Navarro, Violette Huegerich, and Shaw plated another three runs.

The Wolves settled for just a lone run in the second, with Izzy Wells golfing an RBI single to left field after Lily Leedy singled and Madison McMillan walked.

CHS closed things out by tacking on five more runs in both the third and fourth.

Mckenna Somes, who enjoyed a stellar day both hitting at the plate and working behind it as a catcher, delivered a two-run single in the third, while Peters crunched an RBI single to center.

Some of the day’s biggest blows were saved for Coupeville’s final at-bats, with McMillan and Allie Lucero popping triples to deep, dark corners of the playing field.

McMillan’s laser, which skidded off her bat and landed in left field, brought a runner around, while Lucero cleared the bases with a three-run three-bagger to right-center.

Coupeville returns to action this Saturday, Mar. 26, when it travels to South Whidbey for a non-conference bout.

After that, the Wolves play four straight against league foes.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 2 walks
Mia Farris — Walk
Gwen Gustafson — Single, walk, RBI
Violette Huegerich — Single, 2 walks, RBI
Lily Leedy — 2 singles
Allie Lucero — Triple, 3 RBI
Maya Lucero — Walk
Madison McMillan — Single, triple, walk, RBI
Melanie Navarro — Single, walk, RBI
Sofia Peters — Single, walk, 2 RBI
Audrianna Shaw — Single, triple, 2 walks, RBI
Mckenna Somes — 2 singles, 2 RBI
Izzy Wells — Single, walk, RBI

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