Tasting a little bit of everything, the Coupeville High School softball team won one of three games at the state 1A tournament Friday, May 24, in Richland.
The Wolves suffered a one-sided loss, won big and then fell in a nail-biter.
The one win, 14-2 over Deer Park, was Coupeville’s first at state in 17 years.
The Wolves, playing in only their third state tournament in school history, lost to eventual champion Montesano 17-1 in the opener Friday. The Bulldogs were making their 22nd consecutive trip to state and finished the weekend with their eighth state title. All four of the semifinalists came from Montesano’s District 4, and three of the teams were from the Bulldogs’ Evergreen League, including fourth-place Forks, which went 2-8 in conference play.
Second-ranked Montesano (22-5) defeated Castle Rock 5-4 for the state title, avenging a 4-1 loss to the Rockets in the district championship game a week earlier.
The Bulldogs scored multiple runs in every inning to defeat Coupeville in four innings.
The Wolves’ lone run came in the fourth. Mollie Bailed reached on a fielder’s choice and scored on Chloe Wheeler’s base hit.
Sarah Wright singled in the first inning for Coupeville’s only other hit in the game.
In game two against Deer Park, it took Coupeville a few innings to shake off the first-round loss, but once the Wolves got rolling they never stopped.
The Stags, the District 6/7 champions, scored in the bottom of the second to go up 1-0, then it was all Coupeville. The Wolves scored five runs in the third inning and the romp was on. Coupeville tacked on two runs in each of the next three innings and polished off Deer Park with three more in the seventh.
Emma Mathusek started the big third with a double. After Chelsea Prescott was hit by a pitch, Wright laced a two-run, two-bagger to give the Wolves a lead they would never surrender. Three more runs touched home with the help of two bases-loaded walks and an error.
From that point Coupeville played add-on to pull away.
The offensive stats were plentiful — Wright: two singles, double, three RBI; Scout Smith : single, double, three runs, two RBI; Prescott: two singles, two RBI; Mathusek, two singles, double, two runs; Nicole Laxton: single, two RBI; Veronica Crownover: single, double; Wheeler: single; Izzy Wells: three walks.
Wells pitched a four-hitter with five strikeouts.
After a playing a pair of no-doubter games, Coupeville finished the tournament with a thriller against Cle Elum, losing 8-6.
The Wolves raced to a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a double by Mathusek and RBI from Prescott, Wright and Wheeler.
Coupeville, however, went scoreless over the next three innings while the Warriors scored five times, including two runs in the top of the fourth on a home run to go ahead 5-3.
The Wolves tallied twice in the top of the fifth to knot the score. Singles by Mathusek, Prescott and Bailey loaded the bases, then Crownover drove in two with a base hit.
Coupeville (15-10) regained the lead in the sixth on Wright’s RBI groundout.
The Warriors countered with three runs in their half of the inning and held on for the win.
Mathusek finished with three hits, Bailey and Smith two each, and Prescott, Wright, Crownover and Coral Caveness one apiece.
