Coupeville Sports

   Hailey Hammer, seen here on a sunnier day, collected Coupeville’s lone hit Thursday. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

One lone Sultan softball fan made the trip to rain-spattered Whidbey Island Thursday, but he went home happy.

For the much larger cheering section on the Coupeville High School side, the afternoon was far less of a thrill, as the Wolves struck out 12 times, didn’t get a runner on until the fifth and were one-hit en route to a soggy 10-0 loss.

The polar opposite of the first time these squads faced, when Coupeville rapped out hit after hit and won 9-5, their bats were as cold as the afternoon.

Helped along a wee bit by an umpire who was ankling to get out of the drizzle and gave her a lenient strike zone, Turk freshman Shelby Jeffries was overpowering, mixing up speeds and putting the Wolves on their heels. She retired the first 12 hitters and didn’t hit her first road bump until the fifth.

Even then it was a small one.

Hailey Hammer eked out a lead-off walk, then two batters later Madeline Strasburg reached on an error. But their first mini-rally was crushed as quickly as it began, with the next two hitters going down on strikes.

The Wolves didn’t get their first — and only — hit until the bottom of the seventh, when Hammer ripped a one-out single down the third-base line. A solid, legitimate base knock, it gave the shivering fans a brief moment of joy.

Sultan, by contrast, put good “wood” on the ball, twice putting together four-run innings.

Despite playing in a near-constant drizzle that thought about turning into a downpour, but never quite could, both teams surprised by playing excellent defense, with few wet balls slipping out of hands.

For Jeffries, it was her second straight near-miss with a no-hitter. Two days ago she struck out 13 and also gave up a lone seventh-inning hit against Lakewood.

Wolf hurlers Maria Rockwell and McKayla Bailey had their inspired moments, as well, teaming up to whiff 10 Turks.

Now 4-6 overall, 3-6 in Cascade Conference play, the Wolves host Lakewood Tuesday, April 23, then hit the road the next day for attempt #5 at playing at Cedarcrest. If they succeed, they’ll play a doubleheader.