BELLEVUE – The Mount Si Wildcats’ baseball team opened the week by losing a heartbreaker to the Bellevue Wolverines.

The 1-0, eight-inning game was a pitching gem as the two teams could only muster eight hits combined.

Junior pitcher Adam Dentz threw a complete game, 87-pitch effort that saw him only throw 20 balls. However, the Wildcats’ offense fell flat with only three hits and left 11 men on base. Those Wildcat hits were picked up by senior Evan Hillburn and juniors Tyler Starkel and Craig Weber.

The Wildcats returned home April 1 to open their home schedule against the Skyline Spartans.

Skyline took advantage of early trouble by Mount Si senior starting pitcher Alex Smart. Smart had control issues and walked five Spartans in only two-plus innings of work.

Coach Gary McGregor replaced Smart with fellow senior Ian Opsal. Initially, Opsal ran into the same trouble, and Skyline ultimately built a 5-1 lead with all five runs charged to Smart.

Opsal then settled down and pitched well the rest of the way.

“Coming in with the bases loaded, just giving up those two runs making it 5-1, I’ll take that. I would have liked no runs, but he did a good job. He came in [and] threw strikes,” said McGregor.

Mount Si’s offense was unable to respond right away, as Skyline starting pitcher Aaron Hessen pitched four innings before being lifted to start the bottom of the fifth. His replacement, Brett Kaluza, was in for a rude welcome.

The Wildcats’ offense lit up Kaluza right away, as the first two Mount Si hitters, Dentz and Weber, each hit singles. With one out, junior infielder Chris Brown drove a pitch to the left-center field wall, scoring Dentz and Weber to put the Wildcats back in contention at 5-2.

Brown then scored on a single by senior pinch-hitter Alec Sattler, but was unable to score.

Opsal singled to open the seventh, then stole second base. Starkel then singled, scoring Opsal from second to tie the game. After junior catcher Brandon Sales grounded out to end the seventh, the umpires suspended the game due to darkness tied at 5-5.

Mount Si Athletic Director Greg Hart said the game will be resumed prior to the scheduled April 23 rematch with the Spartans at Skyline High School. First pitch of the resumed game will occur at 3 p.m., prior to the regularly scheduled 4 p.m. game.

The Wildcats host Cedarcrest Wednesday and Newport Thursday. First pitch for both games at Mount Si High School is 4 p.m.