Wildcat rally falls just short against Knights

Mount Si player Samantha Simmons had three hits against Newport.

For the final three innings of play, the Mount Si Wildcat softball team dominated the Newport Knights.

Mount Si outscored Newport 6-0 in the final three innings of play but couldn’t complete the comeback, losing 10-7 to Newport in a KingCo 4A contest on April 25 in Snoqualmie. Mount Si head coach Lauren Dumoulin was proud of her team’s comeback bid in the latter stages of the contest.

“We made all the adjustments that we needed to make. I told the girls the only thing that I would had changed was that we do it sooner in the game. I was proud of them for digging deep and making some things happen offensively and cleaning up the defense,” Dumoulin said.

Dumoulin praised relief pitcher Delaney Edwards for shutting down Newport’s offense down the stretch, giving her team a chance to cultivate a comeback bid.

“Delaney did an awesome job of coming in and keeping them off balance. A lot of good things came out of this game but we’ve just got to start it that way,” she said.

Newport led Mount Si 10-1 after three innings of play. The Wildcats scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, three runs in the bottom of the sixth and one run in the bottom of the seventh to make the game close. Newport leadoff hitter Lita Bankson went 3-for-3 with two walks. Two of Bankson’s hits were infield singles. Bankson, who is a left-handed hitter, is one of the fastest players in the KingCo 4A Conference.

“If you don’t get her out she will be in scoring position before you know it. She is a lightning bolt,” Newport head coach Parris Mamon said.

Mount Si’s offense was led by Samantha Simmons in the loss. Simmons went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored and a RBI. With only six regular season games remaining on the schedule, the Wildcats are determined to finish out the regular season strong.

“We’re looking to make a really strong run in the last six games that we have and show everybody that we’re still here and we’re still here to fight,” Dumoulin said.