The Archbishop Murphy baseball team cashed in on its opportunities and Coupeville didn’t in the Wildcats’ 5-1 win Monday, March 31, in Everett.

The win gave Murphy a 1-0 lead in this week’s three-game series between two of the Cascade Conference’s best teams.

The clubs meet in Coupeville at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 2, and return to Everett Friday, April 4.

“We didn’t put the bat on the ball and capitalize on opportunities when we needed to and they did, and that was the difference in the game,” coach Willie Smith said. “For us, it’s about being able to capitalize on opportunities and putting more pressure on them then they can on us.”

The Wildcats (5-0, 5-2) also had two judgment calls go their way that that figured in the scoring. Smith said those calls “cost us,” adding “we should have never been up by just one at that point in the game, so I don’t use those calls as an excuse.”

Coupeville (2-2, 3-2) led 1-0 going into the bottom of the fifth and could have been ahead by more. The Wolves placed a runner at second in each of the first four innings but scored only once.

Coupeville pitcher Ben Etzell posted eight strikeouts and surrendered only two hits going into the bottom of the fifth when Archbishop Murphy scored five times. An error, double and bloop single tied the game.

On the next play, a runner was called safe at second when the Wolves thought he should have been called out. A walk put another on.

A double down the line on a ball Coupeville believed was foul scored two more runs and the damage was done.

The Wolves put two runners on in the first and second innings and Etzell doubled in the third but Coupeville couldn’t score.

Wade Schaef drew a two-out walk in the fourth and scored Josh Bayne’s double for the Wolves’ only run.

Bayne finished 2-for-3; Korbin Korzan added a single.

Etzell pitched a five-hitter, striking out nine.