Aaron Curtin brings the heat. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
Wolf seniors (l to r) Kyle Bodamer, Aaron Trumbull, Aaron Curtin, Josh Bayne and Carson Risner. (Jimmy Myers photo)
In it to win it.
Using a mix of stellar pitching and quality “small ball” offense — two things it will need to have success in the playoffs — the Coupeville High School baseball squad ran away with an 8-1 win Tuesday over visiting Chimacum.
The Senior Night triumph, featuring another first-rate pitching performance from Aaron Curtin, clinched second place in the 1A Olympic League and guaranteed a home playoff game this Saturday for the Wolves.
Now 9-8 overall, 5-3 in league play, Coupeville will try and ruin undefeated Klahowya’s Senior Night Thursday, then welcome Cascade Christian to town for a 1 PM loser-out district playoff game.
Win that game and they advance to the double-elimination portion of districts, from which three of four teams will qualify for state.
Looking for a bit of revenge against a Chimacum squad they had stumbled against a week ago, the Wolves chipped away, notching a run in the second and another in the third.
Both runs came the same way — a single, a steal of second and then an RBI single.
Small ball at its best.
In the second, it was Hunter Smith setting the table and Aaron Trumbull bringing him home, while Josh Bayne and Carson Risner filled those roles in the second.
With Curtin dang near unhittable — he gave up just one fluky hit through the first six innings — the Wolves put the game away with a burst in the fifth.
The Wolves juiced the bags on a single from CJ Smith, a walk from Cole Payne and a bunt single from Bayne.
The senior speedster was so quick to the bag Chimacum’s pitcher could only shake his head in disbelief after fielding the ball, with a throw being pointless.
Coupeville then started rolling in the runs, without doing anything dramatic, scoring on a wild pitch, an error on a ball hit into the hole at short by Risner and a missed third strike.
“Not a “I need to talk to the hitting coach about how hard they hit it” inning, but some small ball and putting pressure on their defense,” said CHS hardball guru Willie Smith.
The Wolves tacked on three more in the sixth the same way, with Clay Reilly, CJ Smith and Payne scoring on an error, a sac fly and a passed ball.
While Chimacum shot itself repeatedly in the foot, Coupeville took advantage and did collect nine hits.
Bayne and CJ Smith led the way with two base knocks apiece.
Curtin never gave the Cowboys a chance to mount a comeback, whiffing the side twice while racking up nine K’s in a complete game win.
His defense had a hiccup in the seventh, booting a pair of balls to account for Chimacum’s lone run.
Never missing a beat, however, Curtin calmly closed the game out with a final punch-out on a ball so nasty all the Cowboy hitter could do was stand and watch it blow by him for strike three.
To see the playoff brackets, jump over to http://www.olympicleague.com/tournament.php?tournament_id=1542&sport=6
Coupeville Sports 