South Kitsap had a chance to get out of this jam early.

With Central Kitsap’s softball team leading off in the first inning of Friday’s Narrows League Tournament third/fourth-place game, the Cougars were threatening, getting runners on with a couple key hits.

With a chance to end the bleeding before much damage was done, the Wolves committed one of just two errors they’d make in the game.

It was a big one, however, opening the door to a four-run first inning for CK (13-3) en route to a 14-0 blowout in five innings against South Kitsap (8-8) at the South End Recreation Area.

“I think momentum was down in the very beginning, when we could have been out of it,” South Kitsap coach Kathy Ballew said of the early defensive gaffe. “We kind of got down and stayed down.”

It didn’t help that CK batters hit nearly everything thrown at them, with each starter getting at least one hit and the Cougars’ racking up 16 in the game.

“Well, give credit to CK,” Ballew said. “They did hit the ball. It’s the same story. Good teams are gonna hit it.”

The Cougars scored all their runs in the first three innings, with the initial four followed by five apiece in the second and third innings.

The loss means SK will enter the West Central District III softball tournament this weekend as the Narrows League’s No. 4 seed. CK earned the No. 3 seed with the win.

While the loss hurts in and of itself — “Getting beat like that is no fun,” Ballew said — the SK coach added that there’s a big difference between playing well and losing and getting blown out.

South Kitsap begins WCD tourney play Friday at noon against SPSL No. 5 Kentlake (18-3), which lost two games Saturday at the SPSL tourney after entering at 18-1 with high hopes of a tourney crown.

That contest will take place at Sprinker Recreation Center in Tacoma.