Coupeville Sports

   Emma Mathusek lashed four hits Tuesday to spark her little league softball squad. (John Fisken photo)

The mood on the bench stayed upbeat, as usual. (Beth Stout photo)

Closer and closer.

The only stumbling block to the Central Whidbey Little League Juniors softball squad this season has been Anacortes.

The Venom are 5-3 and have outscored their foes 115-54 so far, but have yet to get past their big-city rivals.

But they’ve cut their deficit from five to two to one, with Tuesday’s 10-9 loss on the road the closest Central has come yet.

They’ll get three more chances this season, with the first coming Thursday (6 PM) on Whidbey in a game played at Coupeville High School’s field.

Battle #3 was a donnybrook, with Venom hurler Chelsea Prescott gunning down eight and not walking a single hitter.

Three unearned runs in the fifth, coming off of “a few mental errors,” tipped the balance in the favor of Anacortes.

Still, Venom assistant coach Connie Lippo was happy with much of what she saw while running the team with head coach Charlotte Young out of town.

“I am very proud of the girls,” Lippo said. “They are going up looking for a hit.

“Running the bases aggressive continues to be a strength and I am seeing them stealing with more confidence.”

Emma Mathusek rapped out four hits to pace the Venom attack, catcher Mollie Bailey “continues to be the rock behind the plate, selling Prescott’s pitches” and two Central players hooked up for the defensive gem of the night.

An Anacortes player blasted a shot to the wall in center, but Marenna Rebischke-Smith came up with the ball smartly and fired it to Maya Toomey-Stout, who promptly wheeled and lasered it to Bailey at the plate to deny a home run.

“Maya continues to play fiercely,” Lippo said. “It was epic!”