Cousins Capri Anter (left) and Haylee Armstrong enjoy another victory. (Michelle Armstrong photo)
Neither wind nor rain splatters nor dank and dark prairie days stay these sluggers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
Delivering in a way the postal service only wishes it could, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad returned from vacation with a vengeance Monday afternoon.
With three 8th graders and two freshmen accounting for half the lineup, the Wolves swept Sultan away, winning 10-0 in a game called after five innings.
The non-conference victory lifts CHS to 6-1, with all of its wins ended early thanks to the mercy rule.
Now, it’s on Darrington Tuesday for a key Northwest 2B/1B League matchup, before a home tilt with La Conner Thursday and a titanic road rumble with powerhouse Forks Saturday.
Monday’s matchup, coming on the heels of a week-long shutdown for Spring Break, opened on a note of danger.
Sultan’s leadoff hitter lofted a ball into the wind on a typically blustery prairie afternoon, and the ball veered away from the incoming right fielder, landing with a splash for a double.
But that would be the one, and only hit the Turks would get, as Wolf hurler Adeline Maynes and her defense promptly went into lock-down mode.
Taylor Brotemarkle, the mistress of the mitt, made a superb snatch on a liner at shortstop, to settle things down.
After that, Sydney Van Dyke gobbled up a grounder at second, before Maynes induced a comebacker to the pitcher’s circle to end the brief hint of suspense.
From that point on, Sultan only got one batter aboard across the final four innings, and then only thanks to a slightly wayward pitch which plunked the Turk catcher.
Maynes, a precocious 8th grader, whiffed eight batters while her infield defense, which included Madison McMillan at third and Haylee Armstrong at first, handled every ball that came their way flawlessly.
Taylor Brotemarkle congratulates whiz kid Adeline Maynes during an earlier, sunnier game. (Ryan Blouin photo)
Meanwhile, the Wolves pecked away at the Turk pitching staff, scoring in every inning.
The only run which Coupeville needed came around early, thanks to the nimble toes of Mia Farris.
She walked, pilfered second, then skedaddled home on an RBI base knock from Brotemarkle, who quickly scored herself thanks to a passed ball.
The Wolves broke the game open in the second, with walks to Van Dyke and Ava Lucero setting the table, and Capri Anter and Armstrong crunching RBI hits which skidded past the Turk defenders and made a run for freedom.
Up 5-0 after two innings, CHS pushed three more runs across in the third, with Anter delivering yet another crucial hit, before tacking on one in the fourth and ending things early in the fifth.
Wolf catcher Teagan Calkins walloped an RBI double for the game’s loudest hit, before Anter (who else?) closed the day with a run-scoring groundout.
Coupeville, which has outscored its foes 108-24 this season, finished with five well-placed hits and seven walks.
Anter led the way with two base knocks, while Armstrong, Brotemarkle, and Calkins also collected hits.
Jada Heaton and Van Dyke both walked twice, with Lucero, Calkins, and Farris each eking out a free pass.
Coupeville Sports 