Wildcats rally on their way to postseason
May 14, 2009
By Ryan Piersol
Better late than never — if the Mount Si softball team adopts that perspective as well as it did against Interlake May 8, the Wildcats will be a force to reckon with down the stretch.
Battling for positioning in the upcoming KingCo 3A tournament, Mount Si mounted an unlikely comeback in a 2-1 victory against Interlake. The Wildcats trailed, 1-0, with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, when they put together a rally that won them the game.
Now they head to the league tournament, where they’re scheduled to face Liberty in the first round at 7 p.m. May 14 at Inglemoor High School.
“I didn’t give up on this team, because I remember what happened last year,” head coach Larry White said. “You just never know what’s going to happen with these girls.”
Trailing Interlake 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, though, it certainly appeared another loss was on the way for Mount Si. But Melissa Webster doubled to right-center field and came home on a gutsy base-running play after Brielle Buhner beat out a groundball throw to first. After Danielle Covello singled to put runners at first and second, the game-winning situation was left up to Carly Weidenbach. She singled to right field and the Wildcats managed to pull out the win.
The victory came on Senior Day, something Weidenbach said provided a little extra incentive.
“I wanted to win one for them,” the sophomore said of Webster and Kelsey Walker, the team’s two lone seniors. “They’ve shown great leadership and are two of the best people I’ve known my whole life.”
Alex Johnson was fantastic for Mount Si on the mound. She allowed just one hit over the full seven innings and struck out 12 batters.
That win was followed three days later by a 13-1 drubbing of Sammamish. The Wildcats scored six runs in the top of the third inning to take a 7-0 lead and had three-run rallies in both the sixth and the seventh inning to completely put the game away.
Buhner had a monster game, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three runs scored. Johnson also went 3-for-4 with a run scored, while Maura Murphy was 3-for-4 with a double and Megan Stone 3-for-5 with a double.
As a result of the wins, Mount Si is the No. 4 seed going into the KingCo 3A tournament. First-round opponent Liberty has one of the best traditions of anyone in the league, but the Wildcats have managed a split with the Patriots this season. Mount Si won a 4-2 decision on April 7, before Liberty took a 6-4 decision on April 27.
The winner will meet the winner of a Sammamish vs. Bellevue contest at 5:30 p.m. May 15. Mount Si goes into the tournament with an 8-8 record and, thanks to recent victories, lots of confidence.
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we’re kind of right where we thought we’d be,” White said. “And, if we just eliminate our mistakes, I think we can surprise some people.”
The top four teams from the league tournament move onto the district tournament. The finals of the league tournament are set for 7:30 p.m. May 15 at Inglemoor High School.
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