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Mighty mashers maul Mukilteo

Posted in Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , on July 12, 2021| 1 Comment »

Softball sluggers Savina Wells (left) and Madison McMillan combined for seven hits Monday at the state tournament. (Katy Wells photo)

On to day four!

Winning an elimination game for the second day in a row, the Whidbey Island All-Star juniors softball team thumped Mukilteo 16-5 Monday at the state tournament in Vancouver.

A royal rumble which began with eight teams now has just four left, and another will fall Tuesday.

That will come when Whidbey faces North Kitsap at 8 PM in a battle of squads which are 2-1 at the big dance.

Earlier in the evening Tuesday, Camas (2-0) and Kirkland (2-0) will play, with the victor advancing to the championship round, which goes down Thursday.

The Whidbey/North Kitsap winner goes toe-to-toe Wednesday with the Camas/Kirkland loser, with the winner of that one needing to win twice Thursday to claim a state title.

Monday’s showdown was expected to be a barn burner, with Mukilteo among the favorites entering the tourney.

Instead, Whidbey, even playing without injured slugger Loto Tupu, came out firing and never gave their foes a chance.

The Inferno exploded for five quick runs in the top of the first, added another score in the second, then broke things open.

A six-run fourth inning included a massive three-run home run from Coupeville’s Katie Marti, while four more runs in the fifth sealed the deal.

Well, almost, as Mukilteo made Whidbey work for it, pushing five runs across in the bottom of the fifth before falling a run shy of preventing the 10-run mercy rule from being enacted.

The game ended on a foul ball which soared behind the plate, then nestled soft and safe into the waiting mitt of Whidbey catcher Teagan Calkins.

The Inferno offense came alive under the lights, with Haylee Burleigh lighting the fuse all night.

Haylee Burleigh was dynamic, collecting four hits and playing inspired defense at shortstop. (Jackie Saia photo)

The Oak Harbor slugger got the first hit in all four innings in which Whidbey scored, spraying three singles to go with a resounding triple to right field in the top of the second.

In the first, Whidbey made sure Mukilteo knew what was up, with its first five hitters delivering base-knocks to rattle the rival hurler.

Burleigh slapped a single to right, followed by singles from Lilly Norman and Calkins, then the big guns started firing.

A day after crushing an out-of-the-park home run, mighty masher Madison McMillan cranked a triple to left field, with Savina Wells following her blast with a double to deep center.

A few batters down the lineup, Taylor Brotemarkle smoked an RBI single of her own, and the rout was on.

Up 6-0 heading into the fourth, the Inferno bunched together another batch of hits, with everyone in the lineup getting in on the fun.

Burleigh (yep, her again) singled, Jada Heaton walloped a double, Calkins and McMillan poked singles, and then it was time for Marti to get medieval on the softball.

Katie Marti can kill you with her bat or her glove. (Jackie Saia photo)

Flexing like grandpa Paul Messner used to do right before he ran wild on the football field in the ’60s (or so I’ve been told), the prairie powerhouse jumped on a ball, sending a screaming liner to far-away right field.

Churning her legs as fast as they would go, Marti never broke stride, barreling around the bags as two teammates tapped home ahead of her, applying the punctuation mark to the Inferno assault.

Still flushed with pride, Breeanna Messner’s cousin was honored after the game for hitting the first “legit inside the park home run” of the tourney.

And that could have been it, but these bats don’t take many breaks.

Whidbey added another four runs from there, with Burleigh (she’s back, baby!), Calkins, Adyson Morales, and Payton Ludemann all crunching key base-knocks.

With a generous scorebook keeper, the Inferno racked up an eye-popping 24 hits, with Wells and Burleigh leading the way with four apiece.

Calkins (3), McMillan (3), Marti (2), Layla Suto (2), Morales (2), Norman (1), Ludemann (1), Heaton (1), and Brotemarkle (1) all joined the hit parade, while Mia Farris provided the intangibles for a Whidbey squad which continues to fly high.

Wells was “lights out” in the pitcher’s circle, while her backing crew was primed for success.

“Defense was awesome,” said Inferno coach Fred Farris. “Haylee (Burleigh) is the real deal at shortstop!!”

Ludemann made “a great catch in right field,” while Calkins “played perfect in center then (at) catcher.”

Every girl on the roster had an impact, even those who are battling injuries.

“Lilly was a warrior again with the sore ankle,” Fred Farris said. “And Loto was in the dugout in her walking boot keeping them fired up!”

Coach Kimberly Brotemarkle and Teagan Calkins celebrate good times. (Jackie Saia photo)

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“This team just won’t quit!”

Posted in Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , on July 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville’s Chelsi Stevens steps into the batter’s box at the state tourney. (Kristi Stevens photos)

The pride of Whidbey.

They fought until the final batter.

When the season started, the Central Whidbey Little League minors softball squad had just four girls with prior experience.

Jump ahead to this past weekend, and the core of that squad, joined by three players from Oak Harbor and one from Anacortes, stood tall at the state tourney in Auburn.

Now known as the Whidbey Island All-Stars, they faced off with two teams which drew players from big cities, and fell 19-4 Saturday and 34-24 Sunday (not a misprint – a real score).

The opening game pitted Whidbey against Lake City, which pulls players from 13 leagues including Everett and Marysville.

The Islanders hung tough through the first two innings, trailing just 5-2, but the big city brawlers broke the game open after that, taking advantage of walks.

While Whidbey lost, acting coach Mike Peters came away happy with how his players hustled while in the field.

“The highlights for our squad were defensive plays in this game,” he said. “The team did the little things we talk about.

“Throw to correct bases, hit the cut-offs with solid throws, and not make ‘little league errors’.”

Game two, against Glenwood Little League from Vancouver, was an offensive extravaganza which lasted four-plus hours.

Down 15-2, Whidbey roared back by dropping 12 runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second.

Running wild on the base-paths, the Islanders flustered their opponents, cutting the deficit all the way back to 15-14.

Glenwood recovered its composure, however, pushing the lead out to 34-14 — but that just lit a spark in Whidbey’s players.

“(Coach) Lark (Gustafson) and I challenged the team — they would need to get 11 runs at least to keep playing,” Peters said. “Well, the team rallied to make a run at the needed runs.”

Five straight walks got things going, before Ava Carpenter ripped a two-run single.

Following hot on her heels, Ava Lucero laid down “a perfect suicide down the first-base line to drive in another run,” before Haylee Armstrong flexed her biceps, and her wheels.

Hitting with the bases juiced, Armstrong crashed a line drive to center for a bases-clearing grand slam home run, easily the biggest blow of the day.

“Didn’t clear the fences, but with her speed she was rounding second before the other team even got to the ball,” Peters said.

Staying hot, Whidbey used a mix of walks and base-knocks from Sydney Van Dyke, Gracie Wallin, Adeline Maynes, and Carpenter to trim the final margin in half.

“You could actually see the belief in all the girls we could do this,” Peters said. “Heard a positive remark from the Glenwood manager — “Man, this team just won’t quit”.”

That’s a trait the Whidbey coaching staff, led by Aaron Lucero, preached all season.

While papa Lucero had a prior commitment which kept him from traveling with the team to Auburn, the squad was in good hands with Mike Peters, Gustafson, and Sofia Peters calling the shots.

“This is a great group of ladies who really dedicated their time to be better athletes,” Aaron Lucero said. “The parents have been fantastic and supportive of the team and program we would like to see develop.

“Our overarching theme this year has been “do the little things.” We built on that and added “win the pitch” to postseason preparation,” he added. “The team really took that to heart and pushed themselves.”

Making the jump from inexperience — not a single player had pitched prior to this season — to the big dance is a huge step on the path to continued success.

“There is no substitute for experience, and I’m proud the team developed to the point that they could represent Whidbey with pride,” Aaron Lucero said. “This is a young team and we will be back to state.

“The most important part to me as a coach and father is that all of these players have voiced their love for the sport, a desire to succeed, and are willing to put the work in to excel.

“I want this attitude to be contagious among their peers and younger players, and grow the program through action, attitudes, and of course, success.”

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Prairie powerhouse, eternal legend

Posted in Basketball, Girls Soccer, Softball, tagged , , , , , on July 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Mollie Bailey, prairie legend. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mollie Bailey didn’t really need me.

Rising up from the prairie dirt as a fully-formed rural myth, capable of entertaining herself and others while achieving great feats, she was fully capable of building her own legend without an unpaid PR man to hype her.

But she let me hang around, and write about her for many years, so she’s got that going for her, which is nice.

Along the way, she morphed from a little girl with braids, chucking the ball at the hoop alongside Logan Martin during countless basketball halftimes, into a strong, confident young woman who soared in the classroom and on the softball diamond.

She was a terror swinging a bat, yet equally brilliant with a stack of books in front of her.

Mollie followed in the large footsteps of older sisters McKayla and McKenzie, warrior queens in their own right, but the youngest child always (I said always!) carved her own path.

Staring down the world from behind shades, she bopped along to a drummer’s beat, which is appropriate, as that’s the instrument she plays.

“Let’s get this party started!”

It’s easy, too easy sometimes, to compare people to Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey, the master of laid-back cool, but with Mollie it really feels right.

On the soccer pitch, on the basketball court, and, especially, on the softball diamond, she never betrayed any nervousness, never looked flustered or lost.

So maybe she was more like Jeff Bridges as The Dude in The Big Lebowski — always abiding.

Others walk, or run, but Mollie?

She cruised along, slow-nodding to her hyperventilating fan section when she felt like it, delivering one-liners out of the side of her mouth while crafting memorable moments.

As a sophomore, she was a key contributor to a Coupeville High School softball squad which went to state, then made considerable noise while at the big dance.

The pandemic ripped her junior diamond season from her grasp, but Mollie was back as a senior, Covid mask in place, going absolutely bonkers at the plate.

Hitting in the cleanup spot, the Wolf catcher put together an often-astounding final campaign, bashing the snot out of the ball.

She hit at well over a .500 clip, raining down double after booming double with a gentle flick of her powerful wrists, kick-starting a CHS offense which outscored foes 154-41 during a 12-0 season.

Smashing the crud out of the softball — it’s kind of her thing.

As hot at the plate as she was — and there were times when the bat threatened to melt as Mollie merrily mashed — she was also a calming influence while clad in her catcher’s gear.

Wolf hurler Izzy Wells was rarely in trouble this spring, but the few times other teams threatened to make a run, it was Mollie, laconic and rarely-ruffled, who promptly settled her team down.

Her athletic success carried over to other sports, as well, as she patrolled goal for the CHS soccer squad, and popped her share of shots from outside during her time on the basketball hardwood.

Through it all, she kept her family’s tradition alive, always (I said always!) knowing where the camera was.

But Mollie, like McKayla and McKenzie before her, is much more than just an athlete.

She claimed valedictorian honors, earned a staggering number of scholarships, and is headed to the University of Washington, where she’s been directly admitted to the College of Engineering. 

Brilliance — a family trademark.

Mollie is the product of a union between two long-time prairie families — Bailey and Engle — and is likely related to 74.3% of people in Coupeville, many of whom have been great athletes and/or students.

Hanging out with a small portion of her large fan club.

It would have been easy for her to coast along, go under the radar.

Instead, she’s boldly carved out her own path to success, and will remain as one of the enduring legends from my time writing about life on the prairie.

Today, Mollie joins her sisters in receiving an honor which is both fake and real, all at the same time — induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.

After this, you can find her hanging out up at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

Being the coolest cat in the club, and doing it her way.

Always.

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Shoot to thrill

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on July 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

“Slap it on there, son! I got dingers to go hit, and games to win.” (Jackie Saia photos)

The hits keep coming, and so do the photos.

The Whidbey Island All-Star juniors softball squad returns to action Monday night at the state tourney in Vancouver, playing their third game in as many days.

Along for the ride is Inferno mom Jackie Saia, who provides us with the pics seen above and below.

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Inferno plan for a comeback tour

Posted in Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , on July 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

After a tough loss, the Whidbey Island All-Star juniors softball squad is ready to sprint back into action at the state tourney. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

They can still win a title.

Saturday’s opener at the state tourney in Vancouver didn’t end the way the Whidbey Island All-Star juniors softball squad wanted, as it lost a late lead and fell 12-11 to Camas.

But the big dance is a double-elimination tourney, and with short memories and blazing bats, the Inferno can fight their way back.

The road to redemption begins Sunday afternoon, when Whidbey plays a loser-out game against South Hill Little League of Puyallup.

Win there, and the Inferno return to action Monday.

Keep coming out on top and they could play all the way through July 15.

It won’t be an easy path at this point, with Whidbey needing six straight wins across five days to claim a state title.

But, if the Inferno come out like they did for the first four-and-a-half innings Saturday, it’s not an impossible dream.

Facing the tourney hosts, Whidbey jumped on Camas early, building a 4-0 lead after an inning and a half, eventually stretching the lead all the way out to 10-4 headed into the bottom of the fifth.

Haylee Burleigh got things started early, whacking a triple to right in the top of the first, before scooting home on an RBI single off the bat of Savina Wells.

Madison McMillan followed Wells to the plate, bopping a run-scoring double to center, and the Inferno were heating up.

A double from Loto Tupu and a single to short from Adyson Morales set the table in the second, with Payton Ludemann bringing both of her teammates around to score on a shot to right.

Up 4-0 and cruising, Whidbey hit a brief bump in the bottom of the second, however, allowing Camas to crawl back in the game and tie things up.

But, as quickly as the hosts showed a bit of life, the Inferno returned to issuing a beat-down.

Three runs in the third, and another three-spot in the fourth, while Wells was firing BB’s from the pitcher’s circle, put Whidbey in a pleasant position.

The Inferno were getting contributions from everyone on the roster — 11 of 13 players collected a hit in the opener — and many of the base-knocks were of the extra-base variety.

Coupeville’s Katie Marti crunched an RBI double in the third, while Oak Harbor’s Layla Suto and Tupu crashed back-to-back one-out three-baggers in the fourth.

And there could have been more.

Up 10-4, the Inferno stranded Tupu at third, starting their only dry stretch of the afternoon — a run of nine straight batters who went down from the end of the fourth inning through the start of the seventh.

Given a reprieve, Camas dug deep and scratched out five runs in the bottom of the fifth to get all the way back to 10-9.

The fatal blow was a bases-loaded triple from Papermaker slugger Kallie True, but the Inferno  promptly picked her off third to end the inning and strand the tying run.

Camas had found its groove, unfortunately, and pushed two more runs across in the bottom of the sixth to claim the lead for the first time all day.

Though trailing 11-10, Whidbey came up huge on defense for a second-straight inning, with McMillan pulling off an unassisted double play on a liner to third to end the bleeding.

Down to their final two outs, the Inferno proved plucky and then some.

Bringing an end to her team’s run of nine straight outs, Tupu whacked a one-out single, with Taylor Brotemarkle following with a hit of her own.

Getting crafty, Whidbey used a bunt to bring the tying run home, with Morales artfully using her bat to drop the ball with perfection.

A Ludemann single loaded the bags, but this time it was Camas which escaped, as it pulled off its own double play on a liner, with the ball flying to first base this time around.

The Inferno came a single out from sending the game to extra innings, only to see the Papermakers drop in the game-breaking hit in the bottom of the seventh.

True singled, stole second, went to third on a fielder’s choice, then came home with the winning run on a walk-off RBI single from Ainsley Schweitzer.

Whidbey’s hit parade was led by Tupu, who collected three base-knocks, including a double and triple.

Burleigh, Wells, McMillan, and Brotemarkle each had two hits, while Teagan Calkins, Suto, Morales, Marti, Ludemann, and Lilly Norman netted one apiece.

Jada Heaton and Mia Farris rounded out the active roster, with Heaton collecting Whidbey’s lone walk on the afternoon – courtesy of getting hit by a pitch.

Wells went the distance for the Inferno, whiffing five, with 80 of her 127 pitches being strikes.

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