Wolves recover from tough loss to beat South Whidbey / Baseball

Published 1:30 am Monday, March 19, 2018

After a wild loss in extra innings at Sequim Friday, March 16, the Coupeville High School baseball team bounced back to squash rival South Whidbey 10-0 Saturday in Langley.

Hunter Smith fired a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts and the Wolves pounded out 12 hits in the win over South Whidbey.

Sequim rallied twice to beat Coupeville 10-9 in 10 innings.

Coupeville (2-1) heads to Bremerton (1-2) for a 4 p.m. game Monday, March 19.

Coupeville 10, South Whidbey 0

An infield single by Alex Black in the sixth inning was the only hit the Falcons registered against Smith. Only two other South Whidbey batters reached base, both on errors as Smith walked none in his 85-pitch complete game.

Smith never reached a three-ball count against any batter and did not throw a called ball to 13 of the 24 hitters he faced.

“I liked Hunter’s performance on the mound,” coach Chris Smith, Hunter’s father, said. “He pitched ahead, mixed his pitches and threw strikes.”

Hunter Smith also received plenty of help from his offense. Dane Lucero rapped three hits, including a double, and drove in three runs. Matt Hilborn recorded three hits, three runs, two stolen bases and an RBI.

Smith added two hits, two runs, two RBI and two stolen bases.

Joey Lippo, Kyle Rockwell, Gaven Knoblich and Nick Etzell collected the other Coupeville hits.

The Wolves scored two runs in the first inning and played add-on throughout the game, scoring in all but the third inning.

Sequim 10, Coupeville 9

Coupeville fell behind 3-0 and then erupted for six runs in the sixth inning.

Sequim scored three times in its half of the sixth to tie the game and answered Coupeville’s three-run eighth before winning in the 10th.

While Coupeville slugged 15 hits in the game, it could manage runs in only two innings.

Down 3-0, Coupeville scored six times in the sixth inning, all with two outs. A bases loaded walk to Etzell forced in one run, then Hilborn cleared the bases with a three-run double. Hilborn eventually scored on a balk, then Smith singled in Lippo, who walked.

Coupeville appeared to put the game away with a three-run eighth. Lippo singled and scored on Smith’s triple. Lucero singled in Smith and scored on Jake Hoagland’s base hit.

A two-run, two-out double highlighted Sequim’s eighth inning, then the home team won the game with three walks and passed ball in the 10th.

Smith went 5-for-6 with a run and two RBI. Hilborn, Lippo and Etzell each had two hits; Hilborn added three RBI.

Lucero, Hoagland, Rockwell and Jake Pease all singled.

Coupeville used four pitchers in the game. Starter Hilborn had six strike outs in five innings, and Lucero had four Ks in three and two-third innings.

Lippo took the loss.