One was easy and the other not so much, but they were both wins — and the Coupeville High School softball team remained undefeated with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Blaine Monday, April 3.
The Wolves won 11-2 and 12-10.
Coupeville boosted its record to 6-0, but coach Kevin McGranahan cautioned that there is still much work to be done. He noted that the Wolves started 2016 6-1 and then dropped 10 of their next 13 games.
Coupeville 11, Blaine 2
The Wolves led 11-0 after four innings, getting eight runs in the third, to cruise to the first-game win.
Coupeville scored once in the first inning. Katrina McGranahan walked, stole second and third and scored on Sarah Wright’s base hit.
In the eight-run third, the first seven hitters all reached base and scored. The big blow was a home run by Mikayla Elfrank, who coach McGranahan praised after the games for her strong hitting throughout the doubleheader.
Jae LeVine started the big inning with a single and Lauren Rose walked. Katrina McGranahan stroked a triple, scoring both. Wright singled in McGranahan, then Elfrank followed with her four-bagger.
A single by Robin Cedillo, an error off the bat of Veronica Crownover and walks to Tiffany Briscoe, LeVine and Rose helped produce three more runs.
Coupeville finished its scoring with two runs in the fourth. Elfrank singled, stole second and scored on Hope Lodell’s base hit. After a walk to Cedillo, LeVine drove in Lodell.
All the starters except Rose (who walked four times) registered at least one base hit. LeVine had three, and McGranahan, Elfrank and Wright each rapped two. Crownover, Briscoe, Lodell and Cedillo all added singles.
McGranahan was the winning pitcher, taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning. She finished with a five-hitter and struck out six.
Coupeville 12, Blaine 10
The second game was tighter and the Wolves had to overcome deficits of 4-1 and 7-5 to win.
The Wolves scored first in the opening inning when Rose singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Blaine countered with four unearned runs, all with two outs, in the second inning off starting pitcher Wright.
Coupeville regained the lead with a four-run third. LeVine reached on an error and Rose walked in front of a double by McGranahan. Walks to Elfrank and Briscoe, a single by Lodell and a fielder’s choice resulted in two more runs.
Blaine scored three more times in the fourth to go back up, 7-5. Again, Coupeville was stung by mistakes. The Borderites scored the trio of runs, all unearned, off one walk and five errors.
Coupeville took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Rose got things started with an inside-the-park home run. McGranahan and Wright walked, and then Crownover singled. An error off the bat of Briscoe finished the scoring.
The Wolves made it 10-7 with a run in the fifth. Rose and Wright singled and Elfrank doubled.
After Blaine scored once in the sixth, Coupeville tacked on two runs in is half to push the score to 12-8. Crownover singled, Lodell walked and Tamika Nastali singled to highlight the inning.
Blaine made it interesting by scoring twice in the seventh and leaving two runners on.
Rose finished the game 3-for-3 with two walks and four runs. Crownover had a double and two singles. Lodell added a triple and McGranahan and Elfrank doubles.
Wright and Nastali slapped singles.
Coupeville (2-0, 6-0) plays a non-league game at Meridian (2-3) at 4 p.m. Friday, April 7.
Shortstop Mikayla Elfrank tosses to first for a force out. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)
Katrina McGranahan focuses in on a pitch. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)
Lauren Rose waits for a pitch from Blaine’s Alyssa Starcer. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)
Third baseman Lauren Rose makes a play while pitcher Katrina McGranahan ducks out of the way. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)
Sarah Wright fires a pitch in the second game. (Photo by Jim Waller/Whidbey News-Times)
