Wildcats’ softball one step closer to state

Published 8:37 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SKYLINE – It wasn’t easy, but the Mount Si Wildcats girls’ softball team will be making a return appearance to the SeaKing District Tournament Friday at Fort Dent Park in Tukwila to defend their 2003 district crown following a 2-0 win last Thursday over Newport in the Kingco Conference Tournament at Skyline High School.

“Our goal at the beginning of the year was to be here today and hopefully make it back to districts. We have achieved both of those goals,” said Mount Si coach Larry White.

The Wildcats won despite a relatively flat four-hit offensive effort.

The hits came at critical points in the game though, and the pitching of Kandis Clesson, along with the team’s defense, held tough and allowed the Wildcats to tally a win.

Clesson, in addition to her three-hit, nine-strikeout effort, went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Her first inning single off of the Knights’ sophomore pitcher Anna James scored first baseman Katie Morgan and put Mount Si in the lead 1-0. Clesson held the one-run lead through a jam in the third when two straight Mount Si errors put Newport runners on base with none out. Neither runner scored after Clesson struck out the Knights’ junior outfielder Emi Tokuda, then got the next two hitters to foul out.

Clesson then was dominant through innings four, five and six, only allowing one Newport runner to reach base. The Wildcats’ bats then woke up in the bottom of the sixth.

With one out Clesson singled, and with two outs Ashley Svarthumle singled to score Clesson.

Clesson got into one final jam with two outs in the seventh. After giving up singles to the Knights’ senior Alaina Critchlow and junior Courtney Clark, Clesson got senior left fielder Taryn Halleran to pop up to shortstop Amy Trenkamp to end the game and clinch the berth.

The last out was not easy, as Trenkamp had to dive and hold on to make the catch. She had apparently been run into by Critchlow prior to making the out.

“I get run into all the time when they do that, but I don’t know, it was just … I went for the ball, and she ran into me and I still went for the ball anyway,” Trenkamp said.

Last Friday the Wildcats proved that the third try is the charm when after two regular season losses to Bellevue theybeat the Wolverines 3-0 to nab the fifth-seed to the district tournament.

There have been bright moments throughout the year for some of the newer players, and Friday it was Sam Baldwin’s turn to shine. She went 2-for-3 with the big hit, a two-run single.

Mount Si will next play Friday at noon at Fort Dent Park in Tukwila against West Seattle, the Metro League’s No. 4 seed and champions of the Metro Sound Division. The Wildcats will have to win three straight games Friday to make it back to state.

According to Trenkamp, the team being relaxed and ready will be key.

“I think we do a lot of situations during practice that are just exactly like games, so it’s like when we come to a game, we’re having just as much fun as we are at practice.”