Coupeville Sports

   Aaron Trumbull had one of Coupeville’s four hits Wednesday. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

There wasn’t a big play or a defining moment.

For that matter, Archbishop Thomas Murphy, despite its reputation and unbeaten Cascade Conference record, didn’t look all that special.

But, the Wildcats played error-free ball, made the small moments count, and slipped past Coupeville 8-0 to take the middle game of a three-game baseball series on a sunny, wind-free Wednesday afternoon on the prairie.

The loss dropped the Wolves to 3-3 overall, 2-3 in league play, while ATM improved to 6-2, 6-0.

The teams will play again Friday in Everett, the final time the two schools will meet on a baseball diamond as league rivals, since CHS is leaving the 1A/2A Cascade Conference and moving to the 1A Olympic League in the fall.

Wednesday’s game was fairly close for the first four innings, with ATM holding a narrow 2-0 lead.

The Wildcats got a run in the top of the first when Coupeville blew a rundown.

With a runner trapped between second and third and two outs, the Wolves made two good throws, then had a third throw dropped, allowing the runner to get back to the bag while another ATM player strolled home.

The inning had started with a bang, when ATM’s lead-off hitter crushed the first pitch Wolf hurler Aaron Curtin threw his way, sending a rocket into right field.

Pushing his luck, the Wildcat hitter swung hard around first and went for a double, only to have Wolf outfielder Kurtis Smith come up firing and nail him at second with a sensational throw.

Unfortunately for Coupeville, they couldn’t mount a similar attack at the plate, scraping together just singles from Ben Etzell, Morgan Payne and Jake Tumblin through the first four innings.

ATM finally broke through in the fifth, putting together five hits, a walk and a bobbled ball in the outfield, driving Curtin from the mound.

Wade Schaef trotted in from center to toe the rubber and eventually closed things out, but not before the Wildcats amassed a six-run rally.

From there it was academic, as Coupeville could only get one hit — a single from Aaron Trumbull — over the final three innings.