When the 2008 high school baseball season started, Coupeville coach Willie Smith knew he had a good core group of seniors with a truckload of experience on the team.

Playing in the always tough Class 2A/1A Cascade Conference, the Wolves held their own against the competition and won eight league games before splitting a pair of non-league matchups prior to the opening round of the district playoffs.

The red, black and white diamond crew peaked at the right time of the season and won their first two games to capture the district championship.

Then the Wolves came back with a 4-2 victory Wednesday afternoon against Vashon Island to reach the regional tournament as one of the top 16 Class 1A teams in the state.

“We’re off to Castle Rock on Saturday, May 17,” Smith said. “We need to win two games down there to reach our goal, and that’s playing in the final four for the state championship.”

The largest home crowd of the season was in attendance for the game against the Pirates and things started out a bit rough.

Fielding and mental errors had starting pitcher Jason Bagby in trouble early in the game, but double plays in the first and third innings got the sophomore right-hander off the hook.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Pirates took advantage of a fielding error, a mental mistake and a line-drive single that handcuffed shortstop James Smith to push across a pair of runs and take the lead.

Vashon Island pitcher Micah Diebel was cruising along striking out two of three in the middle of the Wolves’ batting order in the bottom of the fourth inning and the crowd was beginning to get tense with just nine Coupeville outs remaining.

Coach Smith got his players fired up between innings and the Wolves came back with a vengeance.

Back-to-back walks to Ian Smith and Jared Murdy, followed by an infield single by designated hitter Jake Hill loaded the bases.

Smith was forced at the plate on Kramer O’Keefe’s fielders choice and J.D. Wilcox struck out for the second out of the fifth inning.

Working the count to 2-1, James Smith ripped a single through the hole at shortstop scoring Murdy and Hill with the tying runs.

Kyle Wilcox was hit with a pitch to load the bases once again and Alex Evans collected the third single of the inning to plate O’Keefe with the go-ahead run.

Alex Evans followed with yet another single to drive in Smith with an insurance run.

By the time the dust had settled, Coupeville had sent 10 batters to the plate scoring four times for a 4-2 lead.

“We just scrapped some things together,” coach Smith said. “James got that big hit and then Alex. The bottom of the order got the bases loaded and then the big guys came up and did what they’re supposed to do. It was real nice.”

Bagby gave up singles to Tom Schumaker and Justin Calhoun to open the sixth inning and coach Smith lifted his starting pitcher and brought in Evans, the Wolves’ ace reliever.

Evans walked Diebel to load the bases with no outs, but then struck out the next three Pirate batters in order to end the threat.

“I knew I couldn’t give up any more walks leading by two runs and I had to come in and make them put it in play,” Evans said. “I just reached back and fired, I guess. It’s great to make it to the state tournament, I’m pretty stoked.”

In the top of the seventh, Evans struck out leadoff batter Chris Piterich and then got Matt Amick to bounce weakly back to the mound for the second out.

Smelling victory, Evans threw three pitches past Chris Ailman to end the game on a called third strike.

“Jason started and he gave up those two runs, but they didn’t hit him hard,” Smith said. “They had a couple of infield dingers and then we had that mental let down. He did a great job and got us into the sixth inning, and then Alex came in and shut them down.”

Coupeville plays at 10 a.m. May 17 in Castle Rock.