Freshman Sarah Wright crunched two hits and was a rock on defense Friday in a district playoff loss. (John Fisken photos)
Everyone in this photo could return next year, as the Wolves have no seniors.
The third time was not a charm.
Unable to hold on to an early lead, the Coupeville High School softball squad left a ton of runners on base Friday night and watched its playoff dreams fade away with them, falling 8-3 to Bellevue Christian.
The loss, coming in Spanaway, dropped the Wolves final record to 9-11.
The Vikings, who won two of three against Coupeville this season, went on to clobber Olympic League champ Chimacum 18-6 in the nightcap Friday and will play for a district crown Saturday.
Their opponent will be Seattle Christian, which drilled Klahowya 10-4.
Coupeville’s league rivals face off early Saturday in a loser-out game, with the winner advancing to state.
Whether it’s the Cowboys or Eagles surviving, they will play a seeding game in the afternoon against the loser of the championship game, with three teams advancing from District 3 to the big dance.
After recovering from a four-hour bus trip through non-stop traffic (at 100.7 miles, Coupeville had the farthest trip to districts of any of the six teams involved, by far), the Wolves came out on fire.
After a Kailey Kellner first-inning single failed to find any back-up, CHS exploded for all three of its runs in the top of the second.
Mikayla Elfrank smacked a double to light the spark, then Tiffany Briscoe plunked a single, one of her two hits on the afternoon.
Taking advantage of the situation, the Wolves plated three runs on back-to-back singles, with Lauren Rose blasting a two-run triple, followed by an RBI double off of Kellner’s bat.
But, as quickly as they snatched a 3-2 lead, the Wolves gave it back, surrendering three runs to the bottom of the order in the back half of the inning.
The game then turned into a pitcher’s duel for several innings, stuck on 5-3 until Bellevue chipped away for a single run in the fifth and two more in the sixth.
Coupeville had its chances, but stranded two runners in each of the fourth, fifth and sixth.
Overall, the Wolves left nine runners aboard, stranding potential runs in every inning except the third.
The most painful might have been the sixth, when Briscoe led off with a single, followed by Rose eking out a walk.
With two on, no one out, and the deficit just three runs, the rally caps were just starting to come out when the Vikings shut down the next three Wolf sluggers in order.
Even in a loss, Coupeville put up strong stats on both sides of the ball.
Sophomore hurler Katrina McGranahan whiffed six, while the Wolves rang up nine hits, spread out among six hitters.
Sarah Wright, Kellner and Briscoe had two base knocks apiece, with Wright bashing a double, while Rose, McGranahan and Elfrank each chipped in with a hit.
First-year CHS head coach Kevin McGranahan fielded a squad with no seniors (and just a handful of juniors) this season, and sees a bright future ahead for the Wolves.
“The girls played a great game and kept their heads in it throughout,” he said. “Wish we could have won and moved on but even though it has come to an end this has been a great first season for me and I could not be more proud of these young ladies and all they have accomplished together.
“Next year we will return every one of them and even get stronger with new freshmen additions.”
Coupeville Sports 