The Mount Si Wildcat varsity softball team split their games last

week, losing a squeaker to Sammamish, 2-1, and then thumping Newport, 10-5.

Pitching duties for the Wildcats were handled by freshman

Alison Moorehead who struck out her first batter, then gave up a walk,

followed by a pop fly that allowed the Wildcat defense to make the double play.

First up for Mount Si was Nicole Deason who singled to short left

field. The next two Wildcat batters, Genevieve Weber and Dana

Luizzo, both struck out while teammate Erica Tawney grounded a hit to the

pitcher and was thrown out at first to retire the side. It appeared from the

beginning that the game would become a defensive battle.

In the second inning, Moorehead walked the first batter. Next up

for Sammamish was Lindsay Anderson who laid down a great squeeze

bunt to advance the runner. But Moorehead recovered after the initial walk,

striking out Kari Lappin then forcing a fielders-choice throw to first for

the third and final out.

In the bottom of the second it appeared the Wildcats might get

some runners on base. Therese Duvall was initially thrown out at first but

then Heather Lewis smacked a nice single to right field. Laura Mijal

followed striking out then Becky Hart took a pitch in the side to get on base.

The last out to retire the side was a strikeout by

Lydia Anderson.

In the third, Moorhead gave up a single, followed by a walk. It

looked as though the Totems would string together a couple of base runners to

score. Next up for the Totems was Claire Parsons who poked a single

into right field, bases loaded. But Moorehead again recovered,

forcing the Totems' Amy Hemington into a fielders choice, forcing the out

at home. She repeated the effort on Sammamish's Jamie Lewis,

popping her up to right field where Therese Duvall was waiting but missed

the catch. Luckily, Duvall has a heck of an arm and she picked off the

runner from third at home plate for out number two. On the next play Duvall

got to avenge her miss on the earlier play and caught a pop fly from the

Totem's Katie Jacobsen.

Starting from the top of the order, Deason smacked a nice double to

right center field and Genevieve Weber followed with a nice single to right

that scored Deason for the Wildcats' only run of the game. But

Moorehead pitched a brilliant game with six strikeouts and several pop flies.

In their second game of the week, things fell in place for Mount Si

early. Most of the damage came in the second inning when the `Cats

pounded the Knights for six runs on five hits led by Dana Luizzo who smashed

a center left field double, recording an RBI. The Totems in turn could

only muster one run in the first and one in the third before the Wildcats

again launched an offensive in the third and fourth, recording four more runs.

In the middle of all the scoring was Lewis with a double that scored two

RBIs. The Totems would score three more runs before it was over, but it

wasn't enough as the Wildcats posted their first league win of the season.

The Mount Si defense was rock solid behind the performances

of Lewis, Weber, Deason and Luizzo.

The Wildcats host Mercer Island Wednesday then travel to

Cedarcrest on Friday.

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