Softball team gets to .500 before Kingco opener

Published 8:14 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SNOQUALMIE – The Mount Si Wildcats and Skyline Spartans softball teams met on the diamond at Skyline High School in Sammamish last Thursday for the first time since the Wildcats come from behind 3-2 victory last season. That game set the pace for what would become a miracle run to second place at state in 2004. Had it not been for eventual champion Yelm, Mount Si would have faced the Spartans in the title game. Like last year’s contest, the Wildcats won, although there was a lot less suspense.

Behind excellent pitching by both Kandis Clesson and Katie Brett, Mount Si got the job done, 3-0, to move to 2-2 on the year. Clesson started the game, then was relieved by Brett for the fifth. A foot problem caused Brett to leave the game after the fifth, forcing the Wildcats to put Clesson back on the mound to close the door down the stretch. According to Mount Si coach Larry White, his team was forced, due to Brett’s injury, to use a unique substitution procedure in which the starting pitcher can be re-entered as the pitcher as long as the starter plays another field position while the other pitcher is pitching. In Clesson’s case, she played center field for the fifth inning while Brett was pitching.

The Wildcats won despite just four hits, two of them belonging to catcher Katie Shaw. Senior infielder Amy Trenkamp had the game’s biggest hit, hitting a double that scored Lacey Blais and newcomer Kyleen Sweepe. Clesson and Brett, en route to the combined shutout, struck out 11 Skyline hitters.

The game was the final non league tune-up for the Wildcats prior to starting the Kingco 3A schedule. The Spartans this season are members of Kingco 4A. Mount Si will play two more non league contests over spring break in Yakima. This week, the Kingco 3A season starts up. Thursday, the Wildcats host Liberty at Centennial Field. Game time is 4 p.m. The Patriots were named by the King County Journal last week as one of two league favorites. Liberty is led by two star seniors: pitcher Brittany Morgan, who has had trouble against Wildcat bats in the past, and shortstop Marine Koziol, who was a first team shortstop in 2004 after hitting .419.