Fastpitch: Falcon rally dooms Wolves

Blowing a five-run lead, the Coupeville High School fastpitch team lost an 8-7 heartbreaker at South Whidbey Wednesday, March 31.

The win enabled the Falcons to move within a half-game of Granite Falls (4-0, 5-0) and the top of the Cascade Conference with a 3-0 (3-1) record. The Wolves fell to 0-3 (1-4). Coupeville goes to Sultan (0-5, 0-6) Friday, April 2, to make up Monday's rainout. The next home game is Wednesday, April 7, at 4 p.m. against Lakewood.

In the loss to South Whidbey, the Wolves scored three in the first, one in the fourth and three more in the fifth to build a comfortable 7-2 lead heading into the final two innings.

In the first Katie Smith tripled to start the rally. Megan Smith and Lexis Trumbull each were hit by a pitch to load the bases. A walk to Taya Boonstra forced in one run, the other two scored on an error.

A single by Roxy Piechowski scored Megan Smith in the third.

In the fifth Megan Smith singled, Bessie Walstad doubled in Smith, Trumbull singled in Walstad and Trumbull scored on Boonstra's groundout.

The Falcons responded by pushing home two unearned runs in the sixth and four big ones in the seventh to snare the come-from-behind win.

Coach Denny Zylstra said Maria Rockwell threw well until she tired in the fifth and was replaced by Megan Smith. Smith was the victim of the four-run seventh when the Falcons combined several hits, a walk and an error to complete its rally.

Contact Whidbey News Times Sports editor Jim Waller at jwaller@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5060.

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