Mount Si softball rising to form

Published 10:59 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SNOQUALMIE – The preseason predictions of success for the Mount Si Wildcats in girls softball are starting to come true. After two big wins last week, the team sees itself right where many had expected them to be this season: at the top.

The Wildcats traveled to Newport last Monday and beat what has become a good Knights team, 3-1. Katie Morgan and Kayla Jayne each had two hits, and Kandis Clesson, in addition to her 1-3 effort, struck out eight in seven innings of work. Speed was also critical as Jayne and Ashley Svarthumle each stole bases to help Mount Si’s cause.

Wildcats blowout Islanders

On Wednesday the Wildcat girls returned home and played what quickly became a one-sided contest. Everyone played and had a hand in a 16-0 five-inning shellacking of the Mercer Island Islanders. Mount Si scored in all four offensive innings, batted around in the second and third innings and sent 12 hitters to the plate in the fourth. While the lopsided victory may have been fun, Mount Si coach Larry White said he could see a negative in such blowouts.

“You almost worry about games like this because you know you got a tough game last)Friday and come out here and have a little bit too much fun,” White said.

Jayne thinks practice is key.

“We’ve been doing a lot of offensive drills in practice and we’re learning how to adapt to the pitchers really well,” Jayne said, adding that continued hard work at practice will shape the success of this team. “I think practice has a lot to do with it. I think if we keep focus in practice, and we work hard, then we beat the players at practice. If we practice harder than them at practices we’re going to beat them in games.”

The reserves got some playing time late in the contest, and White thinks fans have a lot to look forward to next season, despite the loss of the senior corps of Jayne, Svarthumle, Amy Trenkamp and Emily White to graduation.

“I’m really happy with the way that the younger girls are stepping in and doing their job. It was kind of fun to take a look into the future. If you notice at the end there, with Kyleen [Sweepe] at second, and Lacey [Blais]) at short, and Katie Morgan over there at first, that’s pretty much the nucleus of what we’re going to have next year and I kind of like what I saw,” White said.

The Friday contest at Hidden Valley Park in Bellevue against the Bellevue Wolverines was rained out so Mount Si ends up in the midst of a busy week of games. On Friday the Wildcats will wrap the week up with a contest against the Interlake Saints. Considering that Mount Si walloped the Saints 9-0 in the teams’ first meeting of the year a couple of weeks ago, it looks likely that the Wildcats will put another one in the win column in advance of their games next week against Issaquah, Newport and Mercer Island. First pitch at Centennial Fields is scheduled for 4 p.m.