Promising rally comes up short for Coupeville | Legion

A budding rally in the seventh inning fizzled and the Coupeville Legion A baseball team lost 5-3 at Bellingham South Wednesday, June 20.

Coupeville’s (3-4, 5-8) game with Bellingham North scheduled for Friday will be rescheduled. The Merchants resume play Monday when Stanwood visits at 6 p.m.

Down 5-3 heading into the final inning against Bellingham South, Coupeville loaded the bases with no outs. Aaron Trumbull led with a walk and Cole Payne reached on an error to put runners at the corners. Josh Bayne followed with a sacrifice bunt that was perfect and resulted in a hit to fill the bases. That brought up the top of the order, but a pair of strikeouts and a pop up ended the threat.

Coach Willie Smith called it a “very anti-climatic end to an otherwise exciting inning.”

The Merchants, playing from behind the entire game, scored two runs in the fifth after trailing 5-1. Wade Schaef singled and Jake Tumblin was hit by a pitch, then they scored on clutch singles by Aaron Curtin and Morgan Payne. Coupeville almost scored another, but Curtin was cut down at the plate on a strong throw by Bellingham’s left fielder.

The Merchants received a strong relief effort from eighth-grader Cole Payne who pitched two scoreless innings with the help of an unassisted double play by his brother Morgan. Morgan Payne, playing shortstop, snared a line drive up the middle and stepped on second to double-off the runner.

Tumblin went 2-for-3 while Curtin and Morgan Payne had run-scoring singles.

Contact Whidbey News Times Sports editor Jim Waller at jwaller@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5060.

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