Softball | Coupeville Sports

Posts Tagged ‘Softball’

Diamond dandies delight!!

Posted in Baseball, Softball, Wolves in college, tagged baseball, Ben Etzell, CHS Wolves, Monica Vidoni, Softball, Stats on May 3, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Hailey Hammer hauls in a throw at first. (John Fisken photo)

Monica Vidoni (back row, second from left) and her teammates celebrate after winning four of six games this past weekend. (Photo courtesy Vidoni)

The games are getting bigger and bigger.

As college baseball and softball teams work their way towards the postseason, four Coupeville High School grads are in the thick of things.

A quick look at the stats for the former Wolves (in alphabetic order):

Ben Etzell — Sophomore at Saint John’s University (Minnesota)

The Johnnies are 25-10 with one regular-season doubleheader left before starting postseason tourney play.

On the mound, Etzell is 2-1 with 32 strikeouts in 35.1 innings, while at the plate he’s racked up six hits (including two doubles), seven runs and four RBI.

Hailey Hammer — Freshman at Everett Community College

The Trojans are 14-14 with eight regular season games left to play.

Hammer has 13 hits (including a double and a home run), seven runs and six RBI.

Madeline Roberts — Sophomore at Shoreline Community College

The Dolphins are 10-12, with 10 more games on the regular season schedule.

Roberts has slapped seven hits (including a double), scored four times, stolen four bags and knocked in a run.

Monica Vidoni — Freshman at Rainy River Community College (Minnesota)

The Voyageurs are 26-11, and, having finished as runner-ups in the Northern Division tourney over the weekend, are now off to the Region 13B tourney starting Friday.

Vidoni is hitting .310 with 18 hits, 16 runs, seven walks and 11 RBI.

She’s also shown a knack for picking up extra bases, with three home runs and a pair of doubles in her first season of college ball.

Read Full Post »

“They are playing their hearts out!!”

Posted in Softball, tagged 1A Olympic League, Chimacum, CHS Wolves, fan appreciation day, Softball on May 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Hope Lodell lashed a pair of hits Monday in Chimacum. (John Fisken photo)

There’s two ways to look at Monday.

The first take is the easy one, which is the Coupeville High School softball squad fell 14-4 at Chimacum, allowing the Cowboys to clinch back-to-back league titles.

The loss dropped the Wolves to 3-5 in the 1A Olympic League — guaranteeing they will finish third behind Chimacum (7-0, 11-4) and Klahowya (4-2, 9-6) but ahead of Port Townsend (0-7, 0-12) — and 8-8 overall.

But even at what could seem like a down moment, the positives continue to outweigh the negatives for an extremely young Coupeville squad.

Despite having no seniors and featuring five starters who are freshmen or sophomores, the Wolves have racked up their most wins in a season in some time.

And, even in losses like the one on Monday, they continue to fight until the final out.

“We lost today, but the score is definitely not a good representation of how we played,” said Wolf coach Kevin McGranahan. “We had them on the ropes, as their coaches were talking about changing pitchers, but she always wiggled out of it.”

Coupeville got on the board first and trailed just 6-4 heading into the bottom of the fifth, but that was when the floor fell out from beneath it.

“We were playing them tight and then a few little errors happened and caused a big inning,” McGranahan said.

The Wolves mounted a decent offensive attack, with Hope Lodell, Katrina McGranahan and Sarah Wright each bashing out a pair of hits, while Veronica Crownover added a single and Lauren Rose walked four times.

Coupeville had the bags juiced in both the first and second, but came away with just a single run each time.

“We just couldn’t get the hit or tough out we needed to put the game away,” Kevin McGranahan said.

Even in a loss, though, the diamond guru hasn’t lost faith in his team, which continues to show growth each time out.

“Just keep believing in these girls,” he said. “They are playing their hearts out and will only get better.”

The Wolves have three regular season games left, a home league game Wednesday (3:30) against Klahowya, then road games at Bellevue Christian and La Conner before heading off to the playoffs.

Since the team has no seniors to honor on what would normally be Senior Night, the players are planning to have a fan appreciation day Wednesday.

“They want it to be a thank you to the fans and community for the support throughout the season,” Kevin McGranahan said. “This is a testament to the character this group of young ladies (this TEAM) has.

“I really don’t know what they have planned, but, whatever it is, it is from their heart.”

Read Full Post »

Sluggers swing into spring!!

Posted in Softball, tagged CHS Wolves, Hannah Benway, John Fisken photos, Nicole Lester, Softball on May 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

“Listen, and understand! That Terminator is out there! It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are struck out.” (John Fisken photos)

Veronica Crownover dares the pitcher to try and slip one past her.

Is this new, or has it always been there and I’m just legally blind?

Hannah Benway prepares to go from zero to 160 MPH at the mere crack of the bat.

Nicole Lester is taking this one downtown.

The later in the season, the better the weather gets.

That’s true every spring, and this year is no different.

Taking advantage of the suddenly-abundant sunshine, the Coupeville High School softball squad drilled visiting Port Townsend Friday, while the rays also helped wanderin’ photo man John Fisken focus his camera.

The pics above are courtesy him.

To see more, and possibly purchase some, thereby helping fund college scholarships for CHS student/athletes. pop over to:

http://www.olympicleague.com/index.php?act=view_gallery&gallery=11402&league=21&page=1&page_name=photo_store&school=24&sport=0

Read Full Post »

Back in the groove!!

Posted in Softball, tagged CHS Wolves, Kailey Kellner, rout, Sarah Wright, Softball, two years on April 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Wolf sophomore Mikayla Elfrank had two hits and four stolen bases Friday in a 16-3 win. (John Fisken photos)

Hannah Benway comes out firing.

It was made to order.

The Coupeville High School softball squad has been going through a rough patch of late, so the arrival of Port Townsend in town Friday was the perfect cure for all that ails the Wolves.

Facing a team which hasn’t won since April 28, 2014, Coupeville did its best to win decisively while not making things worse than they had to be, strolling to a 16-3 victory.

The victory lifts CHS to 3-4 in the 1A Olympic League, 8-7 overall.

It also pulls the Wolves back within a game of Klahowya (3-2, 8-6) in the battle for second-place, while clinching a playoff berth.

Defending league champ Chimacum (6-0, 10-4), which nipped Klahowya 6-4 Friday, is sitting pretty right now, needing just one more win, or an Eagles loss, to clinch another title.

While Coupeville can’t win the title this year, a very young squad that is comprised almost entirely of freshmen and sophomores, with just a sprinkling of juniors and not a single senior, has the program’s best record in years.

Facing a RedHawks team that entered play Friday with a 32-game losing streak, the Wolves put the gas pedal down early, then tried to hit the brakes as much as possible and coast home.

While the Wolves stole 14 bases, they piled those up early while building their lead, then switched over to a far more conservative style of play.

Their bats were smoking all game long, though, as they pounded out 10 hits to go with the 12 walks they earned.

Sarah Wright led the way with a three-hit day, while Mikayla Elfrank notched a pair of base knocks.

Lauren Rose, Tamika Nastali, Hope Lodell, Jae LeVine and Kailey Kellner each collected a hit, while Katrina McGranahan turned all three of her walks into runs.

The knockout punches came courtesy of Wright and Kellner, who both thumped triples.

When she wasn’t going ballistic at the plate, Wright, normally Coupeville’s catcher, stepped into the pitcher’s circle and gave McGranahan a day off.

Going the distance, the freshman whiffed 11 RedHawks and scattered the three runs evenly, only surrendering one per inning, with a scoreless second and fifth.

After dropping a quick five-spot in the first inning, Coupeville broke things open for good with seven in the second before tacking on a final four in the fourth.

While he’s always happy to get a win, especially one which moves his squad back over .500, CHS coach Kevin McGranahan primarily looked at Friday’s game as a teaching tool and confidence builder.

“As usual, it was a fight to keep the game reasonable, but we somehow managed to get some new players some valuable experience and also rest Katrina for the stretch run,” he said. “Nicole (Lester) and Hannah (Benway) both started and played valuable live game innings and at-bats.

“The experience will pay off in the future as they are both very excited about their future as Lady Wolves.”

Coupeville closes the regular season with two more league games (May 2 at Chimacum and May 4 at home against Klahowya), then non-conference tilts at Bellevue Christian May 10 and La Conner May 16.

Read Full Post »

We Otto say happy birthday!!

Posted in Happy birthday, Softball, tagged April, CHS Wolves, Happy birthday, Melissa Otto, Softball on April 29, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Melissa Otto will celebrate her birthday playing ball on the prairie today. (John Fisken photos)

Otto takes a cut during practice.

Melissa Otto is a star.

Now, she hasn’t hit a game-winning home run or pitched a shutout on the softball diamond (yet), so how I can say that?

It’s because Otto, who celebrates her birthday today on the same day her Wolf squad hosts Port Townsend (4 PM), is one of those young women who impress you every day.

She’s fairly new to the game, and playing for a team chock-full of players who are life-long softball vets, which has limited her playing time so far, but Melissa does everything the right way.

Otto is always right in the thick of things on the bench, a loyal, vocal supporter of her teammates.

When her coaches talk to the team, you see her eyes locked on them.

She’s listening, learning, and approaches the game with an eagerness that is nice to see.

I have no doubt she will seize any opportunity given her, and when she does, Otto will more than deserve it.

So, as she celebrates her cake day today, I just want to say two things.

One, happy birthday, Melissa (and PS, your day falls between my mom’s on Apr. 28 and mine on Apr. 30, so you picked your arrival day well).

And two, I hope you know that people on the outside notice how you handle yourself, and that you make fans of your team proud.

I look forward to watching you continue your journey, as an athlete and as a vital part of Wolf Nation.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »