There is never a good time to play poorly, but there are worse times.

The Oak Harbor baseball team, in an uncharacteristically unsteady performance, lost to Mountlake Terrace 9-3 in Oak Harbor Thursday, May 12, and was eliminated from the district tournament.

Both of Oak Harbor’s losses in the tournament came to teams it had beaten twice during the regular season. (The Wildcats lost in round one to Glacier Peak.)

Against Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor committed six errors and allowed six unearned runs. The Wildcats also committed two base running blunders that thwarted budding rallies, and made a poor defensive decision that opened up a big inning for the Hawks.

Mixed into the mess was just plain bad luck. The Hawks had only one hard-hit ball out of its seven hits. Two of the safeties were bad-hop singles and another was a blooper that escaped the grasp of three Wildcat defenders. Conversely, a sharply hit ball by Oak Harbor resulted in a double play with the bases loaded.

Mountlake Terrace also turned in three stellar defensive plays to help keep Oak Harbor off the board.

After a scoreless first inning, Terrace scored five runs (three unearned) in the second. A single and walk put two on. The next hitter bunted and Oak Harbor attempted to force-out the lead runner and failed, loading the bases. An infield error produced the first run. A single scored another, and on the play the ball was mishandled by the Wildcat outfielder and a second runner scored.

Back-to-back walks scored a run, and Oak Harbor starting pitcher Josh Evans was replaced by Jay Stout. A bloop single produced the fifth run.

Oak Harbor had a chance to get right back into the game, but a base running gaffe spoiled the opportunity. Evans and Ryan Byrne singled to put runners at the corners. A wild pitch scored Evans and a second moved Byrne to third. After a strike out, a Wildcat walked. He, however, was picked off first and caught in a run down. Byrne broke for home and was thrown out, then the trail runner was nailed trying to reach second.

In the third, two walks and an error loaded the bases for Mountlake Terrace. All three scored when an Oak Harbor outfielder dropped a fly ball that would have been the third out. That made it 8-1.

Oak Harbor loaded the bases in the fifth with no outs. After a pop out, a sacrifice fly to center by Yale Rosen scored one run. With cleanup hitter Evans at the plate, the Oak Harbor runner at second was picked off to stop the threat.

Oak Harbor scored again in the sixth. After an out, Byrne singled and Sam Glavick and pinch hitter Jack Richter walked. Another walk to Peter Franssen forced in a run. The next hitter ripped a grounder down the left-field line; the shot was snagged by the Hawk third baseman and turned it into an inning-ending double play.

Terrace tacked on the final run in the seventh.

Stout and Byrne went 2-for-3; Glavick had the only other Oak Harbor hit.

The Wildcats finished the year 14-7-1 and qualified for the district tournament for the first time since 1994.