SNOQUALMIE – The Mount Si Wildcats’ softball season was one to remember, especially since it actually was a tale of two distinctly different halves.
The Wildcats’ softball players this season broke new ground for a program that clearly is on the rise. What had been a tough start, largely due to lack of offense, turned into a season where hard work, team unity and gritty play from veteran players resulted in a dream season that simply was not expected to happen. Even up until the end of the regular season, it looked as if the state tournament in Tacoma was not going to be in the cards. But Mount Si proved the many doubters wrong and lived a dream as a result, and in doing so proved how difficult it is to win in the postseason.
Here’s a rundown of the season that found the Wildcats capturing second place at the state tournament.
Regular season (home team listed second)
March 19: Mount Si 5, Liberty 6. Wildcats blow 5-2 lead, lose the game and Katie Morgan to injury. Patriots score four times in bottom of the seventh, with junior pitcher Brittany Morgan lining a walk-off base hit into left field to give Pats a come-from-behind win.
March 22: Sammamish 3, Mount Si 1. Wildcats lose home opener at new home, Centennial Fields in Snoqualmie, as team comes to grips with absence of Morgan, who has a broken finger.
March 29: Mount Si 11, Interlake 0. Wildcats come off a weather-induced break to spank the hapless Saints. Kandis Clesson fires first of two no-hitters in 2004 to put Mount Si in win column. Clesson and Kayla Jayne each go 3-for-4.
March 30: Mount Si 0, Bellevue 1. A difficult early-season loss for Wildcats at Hidden Valley Park against a Wolverines team that came into the season looking dangerous. Offense was cold in this one, mustering two hits. Lack of hitting was a constant throughout the first part of the season.
March 31: Cedarcrest 2, Mount Si 3. Jayne goes 2-for-2 to drive the Wildcats to the first home victory of year.
April 1: Skyline 2, Mount Si 0. Spartans, under a new coach, roll into Snoqualmie for final time as the Kingco 3A team and leaves with one-hitter in their back pocket.
April 2: Newport 0, Mount Si 5. The Wildcats pick up a big victory behind a home run from junior Amy Trenkamp.
April 5: Mount Si 8, Mercer Island 0. The Wildcats swat the Islanders, thanks to the effort of Tricia Coccia. The sophomore goes 2-for-3 in breakout performance.
April 7: Mount Si 0, Issaquah 2. Eagles’ junior pitcher Brenda Bray beats Clesson for first time in four tries, thanks to a one-hitter.
April 8: Liberty 1, Mount Si 9. In a must win for Mount Si to preserve hope for success down the road, the Wildcats’ bats delivered. Freshman Lacey Blais hit her first high-school triple and Trenkamp added two hits.
April 19: Mount Si 0, Sammamish 1. Another cold offensive performance dooms the Wildcats. Mount Si’s bats picked up only two hits against the Sammamish pitcher.
April 21: Bellevue 9, Mount Si 4. The contest was only minutes from being called by rain, but the rains stopped in time for Wolverines to manhandle a short-handed Wildcats’ squad without Clesson, who was under the weather. Trenkamp and fellow junior Emily White did admirable jobs on the mound in Clesson’s place.
April 23: Mount Si 3, Skyline 2. Those who follow the team will see this as the victory that saved a season. Jayne and Erika Evans’ with big hits in the fifth gave Mount Si the lead, and Clesson came in for White to slam the door.
April 26: Interlake 0, Mount Si 7. Clesson picked a good time to return to regular form as she one-hit hapless Saints. Blais and Coccia got big hits for Mount Si – each of them hit a two-RBI double.
April 28: Mount Si 2, Cedarcrest 0. In the final meeting ever between the two teams, the Wildcats score a crucial victory against Red Wolves behind Clesson’s one-hitter.
April 30: Mount Si 6, Newport 2. Wildcats get big double from Trenkamp, and after slow start to season, make it into the driver’s seat for fourth and final automatic district berth.
May 3: Mercer Island 0, Mount Si 7. Ashley Svarthumle goes 3-for-3 and turns into a key offensive threat as the Wildcats make quick work of Islanders to hold serve in the race for fourth.
May 5: Issaquah 3, Mount Si 0. Bray combines with reliever to shut the Wildcats out on three hits, and Mount Si falls to No. 6 seed in the Kingco Tournament
Regular season: 10-8
Postseason
May 13: Newport 0, Mount Si 2 (Kingco Tournament at Skyline High School). Mount Si clinches district berth with first of four loser-out wins.
May 15: Mount Si 3, Bellevue 0 (Kingco Tournament at Skyline High School). Mount Si picks up No. 5 seed to SeaKing tournament behind Sam Baldwin’s 2-RBI single.
May 21: Mount Si 5, West Seattle 2; Skyline 4, Mount Si 1; Mount Si 7, Bainbridge 0 (SeaKing District Tourney at Fort Dent Park in Tukwila). The Wildcats win both loser-out games to advance to second day. Trenkamp and Morgan scored twice each to help Wildcats beat West Seattle, then JV callup Sophie Hart gets first varsity hit in win over Metro Spartans.
May 22: Mount Si 3, Blanchet 0; Mount Si 9, Holy Names 1 (SeaKing District Tourney at Fort Dent). Clesson pitches a gem against Blanchet to clinch state berth. She no-hit Braves and was only one walk short of perfection. The Wildcats’ bats then take entire season of frustration out on Holy Names to get No. 3 state seed.
May 28: Mount Si 1, Anacortes 0; Mount Si 1, WF West 0 (9) (WIAA 3A State Tournament in Tacoma). The magic carpet now in overdrive after dramatic wins. In the Anacortes game, a Clesson single scored Trenkamp in top of seventh to send Mount Si into round of eight, then Jayne’s single and strong Clesson pitching destroyed state title hopes of Chehalis-based Bearcats, who had won some 18 straight games prior to loss.
May 29: Mount Si 4, Mount Rainier 3 (9); Yelm 1, Mount Si 0 (WIAA 3A State Tournament in Tacoma). Wildcats overcome 2-0 deficit to tie, then take the lead late, only to lose lead in seventh against Rams. Not a problem for Mount Si as Baldwin’s sacrifice bunt is misplayed by Mount Rainier, allowing Evans to score from second and send Wildcats to state title game. The Wildcats would fall one run short in the title game.
Postseason: 9-2
Final: 19-10
