With a three-run lead and two innings to go, the Wolverines looked as if they had the game under control.

But a patient Meridian team had something else in mind.

And when a flurry of poor throws and mental mistakes opened the door, the Trojans pounced. They scored three runs in the fifth to tie the game and one more in their final at bat to deal the Wolverines a heart-breaking 6-5 loss Saturday at home.

“The lug nuts came off the wheels, the wheels came off the wagon and the bus rolled off the road,” Friday Harbor Head Coach Kevin Carlton said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of my teams fall apart like that.”

The Wolverines fell to 3-1 with the loss.

The loss overshadowed another powerful performance at the plate by sophomore Maggie Anderson. With two outs and two runners on, she unleashed a towering shot to right-center field that drove in two runs before being thrown out at third while trying to stretch it into a triple.

Earlier in the inning, senior Kelsie Carlton knotted the score at 2-2 with an RBI double of her own and then scored as a Meridian infielder booted a grounder off the bat of junior Kerri Goff.

The Wolverines led 5-2 at the end of three, but the Trojans, led by Brittany Schindler at the plate, kept the pressure on. They rallied to take the lead and shutdown Friday Harbor in their final at-bat to seal the victory.

Next: The Wolverines are on the road Wednesday to face 2A South Whidbey, a non-league opponent, and travel Saturday for a regional 1A showdown against Lynden Christian.

Contact Journal of the San Juans Editor Scott Rasmussen at srasmussen@sanjuanjournal.com or 1-360-378-5696.

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