Chris Zenz rapped an RBI single Monday afternoon. (Jackie Saia photo)
They were a hit or two away.
The Coupeville High School baseball squad put 14 runners aboard Monday in Port Townsend but couldn’t get enough of them home in what became a 7-5 loss to East Jefferson.
The non-conference defeat, which kicks off a week in which the Wolves are slated to play four games in six days, drops CHS to 3-2 on the season.
Coupeville gets right back at it Tuesday with a trip to Darrington for a Northwest 2B/1B League clash, before hosting Darrington Thursday and East Jefferson Saturday in a rematch which will feature a cancer fundraiser.
Monday’s tilt started in favor of the hosts, who are a mash-up of Chimacum and Port Townsend, before the Wolves made things interesting in the middle of the game.
East Jefferson pushed two runners across in the bottom of the first, then tacked on another tally in the second, while Coupeville struggled to get its offense going.
The Wolves wiped away a somewhat sluggish start by showcasing a solid knowledge of the strike zone in the top of the third. And a willingness to embrace the pain.
Three consecutive walks, with Leo Rodriguez and Chase Anderson getting plunked, loaded the bases, with Camden Glover lofting an RBI sac fly to left to get his team on the board.
While East Jefferson escaped after that, the Wolves put together their best offensive surge in the fourth, plating three runners to retake the lead at 4-3.
Walks were again key, but a Chris Zenz RBI single — Coupeville’s first hit on the afternoon — was big.
In a recurring theme, though, the Wolves left runners on base, as they frequently came close to breaking things wide open, only to come up just short.
East Jefferson, which outhit CHS 10-3, put together its own three-run rally in the bottom of the fourth, reclaiming the advantage at 6-4.
This time, the Rivals didn’t give the lead back.
The teams traded runs to make it 7-5, with Coupeville scoring in the bottom of the sixth thanks to doubles from Anderson and Glover, but the Wolves were unable to get all the way back a second time.
CHS coach Steve Hilborn used three pitchers in the game, with Coop Cooper, Carson Grove, and Trent Thule combining to record nine strikeouts across six innings.
Thule, who also picked up four walks as a hitter, came on to throw the final two frames, topping the Wolf hurlers with four K’s.
Coupeville’s defense played strongly behind the mound trio, as well, playing error-free ball.
Monday stats:
Chase Anderson — One double, one walk
Coop Cooper — One walk
Camden Glover — One double
Carson Grove — One walk
Aiden O’Neill — Two walks
Leo Rodriguez — One walk
Trent Thule — Four walks
Chris Zenz — One single
Coupeville Sports 