The Coupeville High School baseball team overcame an early bump in the road to steamroll visiting Port Townsend 15-4 in five innings Thursday, April 21.
The Wolves remained perfect in Olympic League play, upping their record to 4-0, and evened their season mark at 7-7.
The Redhawks remained winless, 0-3 and 0-10.
Coupeville built a 5-0 lead after two innings, then Port Townsend took advantage of four Coupeville errors to score four runs in the top of the third to trim the gap to 5-4.
“We kept our heads up (after the bad inning), coach Marc Aparicio said, “and we came right back.”
Come right back, they did, scoring eight runs in the bottom of the third to reclaim the momentum.
Coupeville scored three runs in the first inning. Hunter Smith singled, CJ Smith walked and Cole Payne put down a bunt. Payne beat out the bunt for a hit, but the throw flew down the right-field line, allowing the Smith brothers to score and Payne to take third. Payne scored on Julian Welling’s ground out.
Clay Reilly and Gabe Wynn started the second inning with base hits. Reilly eventually scored on a passed ball and Wynn on a single by Hunter Smith.
After the sloppy top of the third, the Wolves put up eight in the bottom half, getting plenty of help from two Redhawk pitchers who walked five batters and hit another.
CJ Smith and Kory Score each had a two-run single in the inning, and Payne ripped an RBI double.
Consecutive singles by Joey Lippo and the Smiths and an error led to two runs in the fourth.
Hunter Smith pitched a five-inning four-hitter, striking out nine and allowing no earned runs.
The Wolves stroked 13 hits, three by Hunter Smith. CJ Smith, Payne and Reilly each had two hits; and Score, Ethan Marx, Wynn and Lippo the others.
Aparicio said he had a “good mix of players” in the game, using 13, and all contributed.
“It was next man up.”
Coupeville plays Meridian (6-9) in a non-league home game at noon on Saturday, April 23.
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Clay Reilly beats out this bunt for a base hit. Photo by Jim Waller.
