Tiffany Briscoe collected her first RBI Thursday and came extremely close to busting the game open in the seventh with a smash to second. (John Fisken photo)
So, so close.
Stranding 10 runners on base and unable to get that one elusive big hit to bust things wide open Thursday, the Coupeville High School softball squad narrowly missed out on a chance to nab a season sweep over arch-rival South Whidbey.
Suffering a 5-4 loss that ended when Tiffany Briscoe’s hard smash was knocked down at second for a game-ending out with the bases juiced, the Wolves fell to 4-8 overall, 3-8 in Cascade Conference play.
They still hold a one-game lead over the Falcons (3-10 in league play) in the race for the #1 playoff seed among 1A schools from the 1A/2A conference.
If the teams tie, Coupeville will own the tiebreaker, having taken two of three from their Langley foes this season.
The Wolves looked like they might run away with the game right out of the gate, but then things stalled.
Madeline Roberts walked to lead off the game, took second on a wild pitch and craftily stole third to rattle the Falcon hurler.
Breeanna Messner took advantage, lashing an RBI double to left center, her first of a game-high three hits and the CHS fan section was jumpin.’
Unfortunately, that was where the offense came to a skidding halt, as a ground out and two strikeouts halted the brief rally. After that, Coupeville wouldn’t score again until the fifth.
South Whidbey pieced together a couple of nice hits and took advantage of CHS errors, both physical and mental, and built a 5-1 lead.
It could have been worse, but Wolf hurler McKayla Bailey found her groove and Coupeville pulled off a couple of defensive gems.
Madeline Strasburg gunned down a runner at the plate, with Wolf catcher Messner smartly moving up the third base line to snag the throw from center and slap down the tag.
Bailey and Messner later triggered a wham-bam double play to get out of a bases-loaded jam. Bailey snagged a come-backer, fired to Messner for the force at home, then watched as her battery mate nailed the batter headed to first to end the inning.
The Wolves also got nice plays from Roberts, who sprinted over from shortstop to snag a fly ball down the line in left, and second baseman Emily Coulter, who pulled off a snazzy backhand dig on a ball hit up at the middle.
Coupeville cut away at the lead with Briscoe’s first RBI of the season, then launched what looked like it might be a game-winning rally in the seventh.
Singles by Messner, Hammer and Bailey loaded the bags, before Strasburg plated a run with a perfectly-placed blooper between the Falcon pitcher and first baseman.
Down by one, Briscoe, a freshman who has begun to swing a dangerous bat, smacked a liner to the right side of second base.
An inch either way and CHS runners would have been dancing around the bags, but a Falcon fielder got her glove on it at the last second and knocked it down, setting up a game-ending force play.
Messner (3) and Strasburg (2) led the hit parade for the Wolves, while Roberts, Hammer, Bailey, Briscoe and Coulter all rapped out one apiece.
With his first two hitters getting hot, CHS coach David King is anxious to see his entire lineup swing the bat consistently.
“Players are working hard every day, know what needs to be fixed, but when we get into games we revert back to being too anxious and not showing discipline at the plate and not staying back on the ball,” he said.
“Bree has been our most consistent hitter up to this point and Madi Roberts is putting pressure on the defense with walking or getting her hits,” King added. “If we can get others to join in, we will be a team that will turn these one-run losses into wins.”
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