They call Hope Lodell “The Surgeon” because she carves up opposing pitchers. (John Fisken photo)
Domination, mixed with compassion.
That was the tricky balancing act Coupeville High School softball coach Kevin McGranahan had to navigate Thursday.
With the Wolves runnin’ and gunnin’ to their best start in more than a decade, and visiting Port Townsend coming in carrying a 25-game losing streak, the chances of the game being a rout ran high.
And, to little surprise, Coupeville beat the snot out of the ball en route to a 19-4 win in their 1A Olympic League opener.
But the Wolves improved to 6-1 overall while shaking up their lineup, putting the spotlight on some of their role players and finding creative ways to use their stars.
Coupeville opened the game with a different look in the outfield, going so far as to give freshman Hannah Benway not only her varsity debut but a chance to start in right field.
The most upbeat, happy-to-be-here player on a Wolf roster full of players who fit that description, the whirlwind frosh made solid contact her first time at the plate, earned a walk by getting drilled with a pitch the next time up, and was a constant source of delight to her teammates and coaches.
After starting pitcher Katrina McGranahan whiffed the first three Port Townsend hitters with a mere flick of her wrist, her dad decided to further mix things up by moving freshman catcher Sarah Wright into the pitcher’s circle.
Once there, she ended up working three innings in two stints (McGranahan pitched a one-two-three third inning before Wright returned and finished the game, which was called after five innings).
At the plate, everyone hit for the Wolves, and they carved up RedHawk pitching with ease.
Coupeville plated five in the first, with the big hits coming from Wright (a two-run triple that was cranked) and Jae LeVine (a two-run double that took off like a rocket).
After Port Townsend crawled back into the game for a moment with three runs in the second as Wright adjusted to her new role, the Wolves put the game on cruise control with a 14-batter, 10-run bottom of the third.
Making the inning even more special? All 10 runs came in after CHS had two outs.
Mikayla Elfrank scampered home on a passed ball, Benway came around on a throwing error, and then Kailey Kellner uncorked a liner to deep center field.
By the time it finished bouncing around, two runners had crossed the plate. Kellner trucked all the way around as well, when the throw back in sailed into the deep brush behind the first-base dugout.
Not content with a 10-3 lead, Coupeville pushed five more across before the inning ended, with Elfrank and LeVine smacking back-to-back RBI triples to account for three of the runs.
LeVine made it to third despite being plunked in the head on a throw from a frazzled Port Townsend outfielder.
Bouncing right back up, double-pumping her fists in celebration and flashing a huge grin, “Flash” seemed none the worse for wear.
And yet, after all that, the biggest hit of the game was still on the horizon, and came from a player who spent a chunk of the afternoon chilling on the bench.
Normally her team’s starting center fielder, sophomore Hope Lodell sat to allow Kevin McGranahan to work in players lower on the roster.
Having returned to the lineup in the fourth, she came to the plate for the first time with Coupeville up 17-3 and Wright camped on first with one out.
Normally a superb slap hitter, “The Surgeon” suddenly hefted her expensive bat and crushed a ball down the left field line.
As the ball sliced through the air, caught fair territory and kicked to the side, Lodell, after a momentary pause, took off like a Greyhound coming down the stretch run.
Almost passing Wright on the base-paths once her jets kicked in, she pulled off a stand-up, inside-the-park two-run home run that caused dad Mike — the craftsman groundskeeper who keeps the CHS field looking flawless — to come unglued.
The chances he’s still screaming, and will be for the next two weeks (the Wolf softball sluggers are off until Apr. 12, when they travel to Lynden Christian)?
Pretty close to 100%.
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