A three-run home run by Sultan’s Rachel Kirkpatrick trumped Madeline Strasburg’s solo shot as the Turks eked out a 3-2 win in Coupeville Monday, May 6.

Though Coupeville lost, it put together a much better performance than when the two teams met a week ago in Sultan, where the Turks swept a double header 14-4, 9-0.

Coaches David and Amy King were pleased with the effort, particularly on defense.

Sultan (9-3, 10-3), the second-place team in the Cascade Conference, put base runners on in every inning and left eight stranded, thanks to clutch defensive plays and pitcher McKayla Bailey.

Five times the Wolves cut down lead runners with heads-up defense, and four times Bailey recorded a strike out immediately after a Turk reached base.

Bailey also ended two innings with strike outs with runners perched at third.

In the second inning, Strasburg crushed a home run over the center field fence.

Bailey’s only hiccup came in the fifth. With one out, a walk and infield hit that trickled just beyond home plate put two on. After a fielder’s choice, Kirkpatrick launched a three-run homer to left.

Coupeville got one run back in the fifth against reliever Shelby Jeffries.

Jae LeVine was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a walk to Bree Messner and scored on Hailey Hammer’s two-out single.

The Wolves put two runners on in the sixth and one in the seventh but couldn’t knot the score.

Strasburg added a single to her home run; and Hammer, Madi Roberts, Haley Sherman and Emily Coulter added singles.

Bailey ended with five strikeouts and a seven-hitter.

Coupeville (3-12, 4-12) closes out the regular season with three road games, beginning at 4 p.m. at Cedarcrest (5-9, 6-9) Wednesday, May 7. Friday, May 9, the Wolves go to Lakewood (6-7, 8-7), and then they finish at first-place Granite Falls (14-0, 15-1) Tuesday, May 13.