A slow start proved costly as the Coupeville High School softball team lost 7-4 at Chimacum Thursday, April 14.

“We never got off the bus,” coach Kevin McGranahan said in regard to the sluggish start. “The girls were not their usual selves all game.”

Coupeville trailed 6-0 before getting on the board with two runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings, leaving the bases loaded each time.

“The umpires didn’t help much with a very inconsistent strike zone,” McGranahan said. “The girls were disciplined and not swinging at obvious balls being called strikes.  We tried to adjust, but too little too late.”

The Cowboys built their lead with a mixture of hits, errors and lackluster play on the part of the Wolves, according to McGranahan.

Coupeville had the bases loaded in the second inning, but two strikeouts ended the threat. The Wolves also had a runner at third with one out in the fourth inning but couldn’t score.

In the sixth, a single by Sarah Wright and four walks helped Coupeville score two runs.

In the seventh, Lauren Rose doubled off the fence and scored on Katrina McGranahan’s double. An error and a walk led to another run.

Katrina McGranahan finished with two hits, two runs and an RBI. She also had seven strikeouts from the circle.

Hope Lodell doubled, and Wright, Mikayla Elfrank and Tamika Nastali added singles for the Wolves.

“We will regroup and tweak some things and have a few hard practices and play Klahowya at home on Tuesday,” coach McGranahan said.

Coupeville (1-1, 6-3) will host the Eagles (0-1, 5-4) at 4 p.m.