Eight of the nine batters in the Coupeville softball lineup ripped base hits as the Wolves used two big innings to dump visiting Sultan 9-5 Friday, March 29.
The Turks scored first in the opening inning on a single and two errors.
Coupeville countered with four runs in the bottom half.
McKayla Bailey doubled to get things going. Maria Rockwell singled to put runners at first and third. Hailey Hammer singled to score Bailey, Bessie Walstad singled to load the bases and Madeline Strasburg singled to plate Rockwell. Bree Messner capped the rally with a two-run single.
Like the first, the Turks scored a run in the third on a single and two errors. The Wolves limited the damage by throwing a runner out at third for the final out just before another runner touched home.
Pitcher Bailey threw well going into the fifth, yielding only the two unearned runs.
Co-coach David King said, “McKayla…had her off speed pitches working well. She moved the ball around and kept the hitters off balance through four innings.”
That changed suddenly in the fifth. The Turks chased her when they opened the inning with back-to-back home runs and a double. Rockwell took over and got out of the jam with a come-backer and two strikeouts.
After the big first inning, the Wolves went down in order over the next three. Now with the score tied at 4, Coupeville reignited its offense.
With one out Rockwell and Hammer singled, then Walstad singled in Rockwell. Strasburg also singled, then after an out, Chevy Reyes drove in two with a base hit, and Strasburg scored from first when the Turk outfielder mishandled the ball. That made it 8-4.
Sultan (2-3, 3-4) got one run back in the top of the sixth, then Coupeville matched it in its half. Madi Roberts singled, Bailey sacrificed her to second and Hammer drilled an RBI double to left, just missing a home run.
King said, “We played smarter and eliminated the mental errors. Yes, we had some fielding errors, but the team rallied around those and didn’t allow Sultan to turn them into big innings.”
Hammer finished 3-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in; Reyes was 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Rockwell, Walstad and Strasburg each collected two hits. Rockwell upped her pitching record to 3-1.
Coupeville (2-2, 3-2) goes to Lakewood (4-1, 5-2) at 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, for a double header.
