Hawthorne Wolfe and fellow Coupeville seniors won their final home game. (Morgan White photo)
“A great send off for our seniors!”
Coupeville High School varsity baseball coach Will Thayer was in a good mood Friday as afternoon faded into evening.
And why not?
His squad had bounced back from a non-conference loss a day before, pounding visiting Orcas Island 12-5 Friday on Senior Night.
The victory lifts the Wolves to 10-1 in Northwest 2B/1B League play, 12-6 overall, with a road game at Darrington next Tuesday, May 3 the regular-season finale.
Coupeville remains a half-game up on Friday Harbor (9-1, 12-2) in the chase for the league crown.
While the Wolves finish at Darrington, the defending NWL champs host La Conner May 3, then travel to Orcas May 5.
If Coupeville and Friday Harbor — which split their two-game season series — finish in a tie, they will play May 12 on a neutral field in La Conner.
That game would be a winner-to-state, loser-out game.
But that’s down the road, and Friday was all about staying in the here and now and taking care of business.
Consider it mission accomplished for Coupeville.
On a day when CHS honored seniors Sage Sharp, Cody Roberts, Xavier Murdy, Cole Hutchinson, and Hawthorne Wolfe, the sun was out, the wind was sharp, and the Wolves were sharper.
Roberts was dealing on the mound, finishing with eight strikeouts while scattering just four hits.
Cody Roberts is in the mood to generate strikeouts. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Meanwhile, with Roberts reaching base four times, he and his teammates scorched Orcas pitching for 12 base-knocks and six walks, building an 11-0 lead, then coasting home for the win.
Coupeville broke through early, plating three runners in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to a string of walks and a couple of key hits.
Peyton Caveness and Wolfe laced singles to knock the visiting Vikings back on their heels, and the rout was underway.
The third inning was Coupeville’s finest moment, as Jonathan Valenzuela crunched a triple as part of a game-busting five-hit, six-run explosion.
Up 9-0, the Wolves tacked on two more tallies in the fourth and a final run in the sixth, while Orcas scraped out four runs in the top of the fifth to keep from being mercy-ruled.
Friday stats:
Chase Anderson — 1 single
Peyton Caveness — 2 singles, 1 walk
Scott Hilborn — 1 single
Cole Hutchinson — 1 single, 1 walk
Xavier Murdy — 1 single, 1 walk
Cody Roberts — 2 singles, 2 walks
Sage Sharp — 1 walk
Jonathan Valenzuela — 1 single, 1 triple
Hawthorne Wolfe — 2 singles
Xavier Murdy and Co. are in first place in the Northwest 2B/1B League. (Morgan White photo)
