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Posts Tagged ‘Northwest League’

Wolf sluggers crunch Vikings

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Maya Lucero was a hit machine Tuesday as Coupeville High School softball rolled to its fifth-straight win. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The hits (and the wins) keep raining down.

Pounding out 17 base-knocks Tuesday, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad squashed host Orcas Island 15-0.

The game, which was mercy-ruled after five innings, sends the Wolves into the remainder of spring break carrying a five-game winning streak.

Now 4-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 6-1 overall, Coupeville is off until Apr. 11, when it travels to Sultan for a non-conference clash with the 1A Turks.

Tuesday’s tilt was one-sided all the way, with Coupeville softball running its NWL mark to 16-0 since returning to the league before the 2020-2021 school year.

“Another long trip to the islands, but very successful,” said CHS coach Kevin McGranahan.

“Izzy (Wells) was dominant in the circle and we hit well again.”

Coupeville’s senior hurler did all of the work on the defensive side of the ball, whiffing 14 Orcas hitters, only letting one Viking slip away for a very brief moment.

That Orcas batter grounded out on a comebacker to the circle, with Izzy Wells flipping the ball to Melanie Navarro at first.

Izzy Wells gets nasty.

At the plate Coupeville gave its hosts a flicker of a hope, not scoring until the top of the second.

Izzy Wells reached on an error, before Allie Lucero, Maya Lucero, and Sofia Peters whacked back-to-back-to-back singles to plate a pair of runners.

The Wolves blew things open with five runs in the third, thanks to seven straight hits.

The big blows came from Taylor Brotemarkle, Savina Wells, and Izzy Wells, who crunched doubles one after another.

Three more tallies in the fourth, and a final five-spot in the top of the fifth inning set the final margin in a game where Coupeville could have been much more savage if it wanted.

The Wolves have won their four league games this season by a combined score of 83-0, balancing the need to keep improving with not wanting to overly embarrass their overmatched NWL rivals.

 

Tuesday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 2 doubles
Mia Farris — 1 walk
Lily Leedy — 2 singles
Allie Lucero — 2 singles
Maya Lucero — 3 singles, 1 double
Madison McMillan — 1 single
Sofia Peters — 1 single, 1 walk
Audrianna Shaw — 1 single, 1 walk
Izzy Wells — 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk
Savina Wells — 2 doubles

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Standings? We’re talking about standings?

Posted in standings, tagged , , , , on April 3, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Helen Strelow and Coupeville tennis are serving up nothing but winners. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Cody Roberts beats the throw to first during a win over Darrington.

Hit the pause button.

Just as outdoor sports get really rolling, spring break arrives and radically reduces the number of games being played.

The week ahead features just one game apiece for Coupeville High School baseball and softball, with both varsity teams traveling Tuesday to Orcas Island.

Meanwhile, Wolf girls tennis and track and field have nothing to look forward to except practice.

While we wait for things to kick back into high gear — it’ll happen the next week — take a gander at season-to-date Northwest 2B/1B League standings for three spring sports which keep track of win/loss records.

Where things sit through Apr. 3:

 

Northwest League baseball:

School League Overall
Friday Harbor 3-0 6-1
Coupeville 3-1 4-4
Orcas Island 2-1 2-3
MV Christian 2-2 4-2
La Conner 1-3 1-3
Darrington 1-4 1-4
Concrete 0-1 0-1

 

Northwest League girls tennis:

School League Overall
Coupeville 1-0 2-0
Friday Harbor 0-1 0-1

 

Northwest League softball:

School League Overall
Coupeville 3-0 5-1
Friday Harbor 2-1 3-3
Orcas Island 1-1 1-2
Darrington 2-3 3-4
La Conner 0-3 0-4

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Late walks kill Wolf win hopes

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on April 2, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Jonathan Valenzuela and Co. came within an out of upending the defending league champs. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Friday Harbor walked away with one.

One out away from losing a game, and its grip on first place in the Northwest 2B/1B League baseball standings, the Wolverines eked out five straight free passes to end the game Friday, nipping visiting Coupeville 3-2.

The loss drops the Wolves to 3-1 in league action, 4-4 overall, and knocks them a half-game back of Friday Harbor (3-0, 5-1) in the early season standings.

The first-place battle, which started late after a ferry delay, was supposed to be a doubleheader, but instead turned into one tense thriller.

“It was an amazing game,” said Coupeville coach Will Thayer. “Heartbreaking ending.”

Coupeville had rallied for a run in the top of the seventh to break a 1-1 stalemate, before Friday Harbor responded with two runs in the bottom of the final frame to deny the visitors, whose only losses since returning to the NWL before the 2020-2021 school year have come to the Wolverines.

Friday Harbor is scheduled to come to Whidbey Apr. 26, and it’s unknown at the moment whether Friday’s second game will make that meeting a doubleheader, or whether Coupeville will return to the outer kingdoms at some point to make up the contest.

The Wolves struck first Friday, pushing across a run in the top of the first inning with their own two-out rally.

Scott Hilborn blasted a double, then scrambled to third on a wild pitch.

After Peyton Caveness was plunked by a wayward pitch, Hilborn came home on a Xavier Murdy RBI single, staking CHS to a 1-0 lead.

The early advantage didn’t last long, however, as Friday Harbor plated its own run in the bottom of the frame.

From there, the game became a pitcher’s duel, with neither squad able to seize the lead.

Coupeville’s best chance to score came in the fifth inning, after Jack Porter walked and Hawthorne Wolfe doubled.

It wasn’t to be, though, as Wolf runners died at second and third when Friday Harbor closed the inning with a strikeout.

Hilborn was matching Friday Harbor’s hurler, striking out the side in the second, and limiting the Wolverines ability to get on base all afternoon.

Scott Hilborn, diving for home in an earlier game, had a strong performance at Friday Harbor.

With everyone’s butts on the edge of their seat, Coupeville made its move in the seventh.

Sage Sharp singled and advanced to second when the ball was misplayed, before a wild pitch got him over to third base, a perfect set-up for Alex Murdy to loft a go-ahead RBI sac fly to right field.

With the lead in hand, Coupeville opened the bottom of the seventh by offering up back-to-back punch-outs, the #8 and #9 Friday Harbor sluggers going down on strikes.

But then the top of the lineup rolled around, the strike zone got dicey, and Friday Harbor found a bit of magic, putting together a string of walks to pull the victory from the jaws of defeat.

The tying run headed home thanks to a batter wearing a pitch, while the winning run was forced in on a conventional walk.

Coupeville out-hit Friday Harbor 4-3, with Wolfe and Hilborn smacking doubles, while Xavier Murdy and Sharp collected singles.

But it was walks that hurt the Wolves, as they garnered just two — thanks to Caveness and Porter — while Friday netted nine, including the final five.

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Sure, we’ll thrash you

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on April 1, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Freshman phenom Madison McMillan and the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad won 30-0 Friday. That is not a misprint. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Nobody has touched them yet.

The Coupeville High School varsity softball team strolled to its third Northwest 2B/1B League win of the season Friday, and its 15th without a loss since returning to the conference in time for the 2020-2021 school year.

Spurred on by a Friday Harbor coach who openly requested the Wolves keep playing hard so his team could learn under fire, CHS racked up 13 hits and 25 walks in a 30-0 win mercy-ruled after five innings.

While Coupeville coach Kevin McGranahan has been a stickler for not unnecessarily embarrassing overmatched foes, he adapted to the situation and made sure all 13 Wolf girls who were in uniform played and reached base.

The Wolves, who sit at 5-1 overall, with their only loss to 1A powerhouse Lynden Christian, struck early, raining down 10 runs in the first inning.

Toss on another three in the second, and a game-busting 15-spot in the third, and Coupeville, which went 12-0 in a pared-down, conference-only pandemic season last year, is clicking.

“We all did well,” McGranahan said. “The girls were very disciplined at the plate and made the plays (pitcher) Izzy (Wells) let them make (in the field).”

Izzy Wells held Friday Harbor without a hit, whiffing eight, which left her defenders with plenty of time to stand around and admire her pitches popping into the mitt of catcher (and lil’ sis) Savina Wells.

The one glitch was the teams were supposed to play a doubleheader but had to cut things to just one game after a ferry delay pushed back the start time by a solid 45 minutes.

Coupeville returns to action Tuesday, Apr. 5, when it makes another island-hopping trip, this time to play Orcas Island with a chance to get to 4-0 in NWL action.

After that the Wolves have a break from league play, with non-conference tilts against always-tough 1A schools Sultan and Cedar Park Christian-Lynnwood.

 

Friday stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 2 singles, 1 double, 2 walks
Mia Farris — 3 walks
Gwen Gustafson — 1 walk
Violette Huegerich — 1 double, 1 walk
Lily Leedy — 1 walk
Allie Lucero — 2 walks
Maya Lucero — 1 single, 1 walk
Madison McMillan — 5 walks
Melanie Navarro — 1 single, 2 walks
Sofia Peters — 1 single
Audrianna Shaw — 1 triple, 4 walks
Izzy Wells — 2 singles, 2 doubles, 1 walk
Savina Wells — 1 single, 2 walks

Maya Lucero and Co. are a hit-happy offensive machine.

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“We were on a mission tonight”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , on March 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Taylor Brotemarkle cracked four hits Wednesday as Coupeville’s varsity softball squad went run-crazy. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

It was beautifully brutal.

Putting together a nearly flawless performance Wednesday, the Coupeville High School varsity softball squad put a hurtin’ on Darrington.

Rapping out 22 hits, while ace hurler Izzy Wells tossed a perfect game, the Wolves shredded the visiting Loggers 20-0 in a game mercy-ruled in the bottom of the third inning.

The victory lifts Coupeville to 2-0 in Northwest 2B/1B League action, 4-1 overall, with a doubleheader at Friday Harbor up next on the schedule.

With just a narrow loss to 1A power Lynden Christian preventing a perfect start to the season, the Wolves have been clicking on all cylinders.

Wednesday’s tilt showcased Coupeville in all its glory, with Izzy Wells carving up Darrington like Freddy Kreuger dispatching sleepy teens back in his prime cinematic slashing days.

Eight of the nine Loggers to walk to the plate went down on strikeouts, with one lone hitter meekly grounding out to Wolf third-baseman Madison McMillan.

At the plate, the Wolves sprayed hits in every direction, with 10 different players getting at least one base-knock.

Fab frosh Mia Farris had the biggest blow, crushing a hard liner into the gap in right field before careening around the basepaths for a home run.

That was one of eight extra-base hits for the Wolves, as Audrianna Shaw, Savina Wells, and Izzy Wells collected triples to go along with two-baggers by Taylor Brotemarkle, Allie Lucero, Shaw, and Maya Lucero.

“The girls came out swinging big bats from the first hitter to the last,” said CHS coach Kevin McGranahan. “We were on a mission tonight and they really showed what they can do if we all do our job.

“Hard to say who was someone to focus on, because they all were hitting tonight.”

 

Wednesday varsity stats:

Taylor Brotemarkle — 3 singles, 1 double
Mia Farris — 2 singles, 1 home run
Gwen Gustafson — 2 singles
Allie Lucero — 1 single, 1 double
Maya Lucero — 1 single, 1 double, 1 walk
Madison McMillan — 2 singles, 1 walk
Sofia Peters — 1 single
Audrianna Shaw — 1 double, 1 triple, 1 walk
Izzy Wells — 1 triple, 1 walk
Savina Wells — 2 singles, 1 triple

 

Chloe Marzocca and the Wolf JV cruised to a win.

Unexpected JV win:

No one knew Darrington had a JV team, so Coupeville was caught off guard when one unexpectedly appeared.

Which didn’t stop the Wolves.

Plucked straight from the practice field, Coupeville’s second squad — not in full uniform — jumped on the field and rolled to a 10-2 win in a two-inning scrimmage game.

No book was kept, but McGranahan praised the pitching performance of freshman Chloe Marzocca and the booming bat of 8th grader Teagan Calkins, who hit a walk-off inside-the-park home run.

Most importantly, the unofficial bout gave both schools a chance to get more playing time for young players, which bodes well for the continued growth of softball in the NWL.

“Darrington is a young JV team with mostly 8th graders,” McGranahan said. “So, it’s great they want to play and develop, so the program can grow.”

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