Coupeville sophomore hurler Landon Roberts, seen with dad/coach Jon and big sis Lindsey, piled up six strikeouts on the mound Tuesday. (Photo courtesy Jon Roberts)
Darkness makes soccer players of us all.
The Coupeville High School JV baseball team rallied late to force a tie with visiting Darrington Tuesday, but then the light fled from the prairie.
Deciding not to play by candlelight, the Wolves and Loggers made peace with a 7-7 stalemate and went their separate ways, knowing they’re scheduled to meet again later this season.
After a pair of rough losses to 3A Oak Harbor, getting the chance to go toe-to-toe, and pitch for pitch, with a school whose student body is much closer to its own, was a bonus for Coupeville.
“A good outing, even if it was a tie!” said Wolf JV coach Jon Roberts. “I was impressed by the young Wolves to play through the adversity of facing five pitchers by Darrington.
“We are learning the game play by play in preparation of fielding new players at the varsity level next year.”
Coupeville countered Darrington’s parade of pitchers with a four-pack of their own hurlers.
Landon Roberts whiffed six of the eight hitters he faced, while Aiden O’Neill, Myca Clarkson (first appearance on the bump), and Johnny Porter combined to pile up another eight strikeouts.
The Wolves built a 2-0 lead, pushed it out to 4-1 through three innings of work, then faced a bit of a Logger comeback.
Darrington pushed three runs across in both the fourth and fifth innings to snatch the advantage at 7-5, before the CHS young guns countered.
Coupeville plated a runner in the bottom of the fifth to slice the deficit back to one, then (barely) beat the darkness to push across the tying run in the sixth.
Slamming the door on the Loggers, Porter retired the final five Darrington hitters in the game, four on strikeouts.
Coupeville’s offense was a mix of patience — 13 walks — and big hits, with Porter, Roberts, Marcelo Gebhard, Aidyn McDermott, and 8th grader Jack Farrell delivering base knocks for the Wolves.
Coupeville Sports 