Mikayla Elfrank was one of three Wolves, along with Tiffany Briscoe and Robin Cedillo, to pull off web gems Monday in a rough loss. (John Fisken photo)
Some days you need to embrace the small moments.
In terms of the large picture, Monday was the roughest afternoon the Coupeville High School softball squad has had this season.
Absorbing a 19-4 beating at the hands of visiting Chimacum, the Wolves slid to their fifth loss in their last six games and dropped into third place in the 1A Olympic League.
Now 2-3 in league play, 7-6 overall, Coupeville trails Chimacum (4-0, 8-4) and Klahowya (2-1, 7-5).
The Wolves remain in prime position to earn the league’s third and final playoff berth, however, with Port Townsend (0-4, 0-9) firmly mired in the cellar.
Win on Wednesday, when CHS travels to Klahowya, and they’re right back in a tie for second-place.
Chimacum, the defending league champs, teed off on the Wolves, launching laser shots in all directions, using a nine-run explosion in the top of the third to firmly put the game away.
Up until then, it was a nail-biter, thanks to some of those small moments.
In the first inning, both of Coupeville’s corner outfielders came up huge with web gems, helping Wolf hurler Katrina McGranahan toss a flawless inning.
On the first batter of the game, left fielder Tiffany Briscoe made a snag over her head while backpedaling, robbing a Cowboy slugger of a blast which seemed to have extra-base hit written all over it.
Not to be outdone, right fielder Robin Cedillo then went her one better, ending the inning by sprinting to her left and snaring a long smash down the line.
Coupeville made it three dynamite plays in four hitters when shortstop Mikayla Elfrank flat-out robbed Chimacum to start the second inning.
The Cowboys cleanup hitter smashed a sharply-hit shot into the gap between short and third, but Elfrank’s glove was too quick, as the slick-fielding sophomore speared the ball an inch above the ground, smothering it for an out.
While Chimacum then started putting the ball where the Wolves weren’t, McGranahan limited the assault to a mere two runs.
Kailey Kellner led off the bottom of the second with a high, arcing double to center and eventually came around to score on a sac fly by Briscoe, setting up what seemed like it would be a back-and-forth affair.
It wasn’t to be, though, as the Cowboys rattled off seven hits in the third, all hit with force and flair.
If nothing else, Coupeville can hang its hat on the fact it didn’t lose the game, Chimacum very clearly stepped up and won it.
An RBI ground-out by Wolf catcher Sarah Wright got one run back, and then the freshman moved out from behind the plate to pitch the game’s final two innings.
Coupeville loaded the bags in the fourth, but stranded all three runners, before netting two final runs in the fifth on a sweet two-run single by freshman Veronica Crownover.
Kellner paced the Wolves with two hits, while Crownover and Lauren Rose each delivered one.
While the loss stings, CHS coach Kevin McGranahan was pleased to see his players hold their heads high and keep fighting until the final out.
“They didn’t fall apart out there, which is nice to see,” he said. “That’s what we ask of them, to play 110% in every game, regardless of the score, and they did today.”
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