Everett, Wash.
Published: Sunday, May 31, 2009

Mountlake Terrace runs into Kelso buzzsaw in title game

The Hawks come from behind to beat Redmond in the semifinal earlier in the day, but lose in 13-2 to the Lassies in the Class 4A championship game on Saturday.

Mark Nelson
Herald Writer

 TACOMA--Despite numerous injuries and a semifinal deficit, the Mountlake Terrace softball team battled to earn a berth in the state championship game.

Unfortunately for Terrace, it ran into an offensive juggernaut and fell 13-2 to Kelso in a 10 run-rule shortened 4A state championship game Saturday afternoon at S.E.R.A Field in Tacoma.

The Hawks, who erased a 3-0 hole to take a 4-3 semifinal win over Redmond earlier in the day, couldn't manage to keep pace with Kelso.

The Lassies pounded out 13 hits, including two home runs (one to end the game), and six Terrace errors offered plenty of help.

"They're a good hitting team," Terrace head coach Kim Stewart said. "They hit Kori (Seidlitz) hard, but it was a great way to go out."

Terrace (21-5), missing two starters with injuries sustained in the earlier rounds of the tournament, had to shuffle its infield to fill the vacant spots. Things were further complicated when backup third baseman Aly Delizo was injured when a Kelso runner barreled through her during a successful Terrace double play.

Stewart, Terrace's head coach for the past 14 seasons, refused to use the injuries as an excuse and was pleased with the team's effort despite the circumstances.

The championship game was Stewart's last as coach of the Hawks, and it was the team's second appearance overall in the state tournament and first championship game berth in school history.

Seidlitz, Terrace's ace pitcher, said, despite the outcome, she enjoyed the Hawks first trip to state since 1997.

"I was just glad we made it to state in general," said Seidlitz, a South Dakota State University signee. "We were taking advantage of every opportunity (at state) ... we finally realized how good we were as a team.

"Making it to second in state is amazing," Seidlitz said.

The Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the third inning, but it woke the giant -- Kelso struck back with a six-run inning. The Lassies' smashed seven hits, including a towering two-run home run by junior Tailer Snow, to jump on Terrace. Kelso junior Karina Paavola hit a one-out, two-run home run in the sixth inning to end the contest. The Lassies, who started just two seniors, muscled out bloop hits and peppered the left side of the field.

"I've never seen so many hits off the handle in a game," Stewart said.

A resilient effort earlier against Redmond earned Terrace its first trip to the state championship.

After falling behind 3-0 in the top of the sixth inning, Terrace mounted a tremendous no-out rally to take a 4-3 lead.

"We were dead and buried and the girls rose up," Stewart said.

Five straight Hawks reached base to lead off the bottom of the sixth.

Delizo, playing third and batting in the place Terrace's injured starting shortstop, singled to lead off the inning. McKenzie Dessin was hit by a pitch and Melynda Ward beat out a bunt and an errant throw allowed Delizo to score from second. Kayla Watson, a Central Washington University signee, followed up with a two-run double to the gap in left-center field and Chelsea Crews hit a bloop single over the third baseman's head to score the eventual game-winning run.

Stewart noted that he hasn't seen a rally like that from his team this season.

"Not this year," he said, adding that he encouraged Delizo, a senior to make the most of her start.

"I said it was time she stepped up and she did," Stewart said.

Senior pitcher Kori Seidlitz struck out 11 and recorded a 1-2-3 inning to end the game.

"She's put the team on her shoulders and carried us all year," Stewart said. "She knows what she's doing."

Following the championship game, Stewart gave credit to his senior leaders:

"It (the pitcher/catcher combo of Seidlitz and Watson) is the greatest battery I've ever had since I've been here."

In the consolation bracket, Stanwood (22-5) took Walla Walla to nine innings, but failed to advance in its first appearance in the 4A state tournament with a 2-1 extra-innings loss.

With the international tie-breaker rule in effect in the ninth inning, Stanwood's aggressiveness didn't pay off when catcher Samantha Bingham was thrown out attempting to steal third.

Walla Walla's Hope Klicker struck out the next two batters to end the threat.

The Blue Devils matched Stanwood's aggression with a successful steal of third in the bottom half of the inning. After a Jill McDaniels foul out, senior Kelsie DeBroeck hit a walk-off single passed Corinne Stillman at first base.

"I knew I had good, strong hitters coming up," Stanwood head coach Cherlyn Schander said of the aggressive base running. The coach added that the only other option involved bunting Bingham over and sacrificing an out.

The Spartans started the game with back-to-back singles before a fly out. Jordan Nemo was thrown out on Carly Bosse's fielders' choice and Stillman grounded out to end the inning.

Walla Walla's DeBroeck hit a run-scoring double in the first for the Blue Devils, but Stanwood responded in the fourth inning with a Bosse RBI single up the middle.

"We had a couple different opportunities (to score)," Schander said.

Stanwood threatened in the fifth with back-to-back singles, but couldn't push a runner through.

Brittany Jeans, a junior and the Spartans ace, struck out seven batters and retired 12 in a row over a stretch of four innings.

Jeans and Bingham will be back next year for a Spartans team aiming at a second consecutive tournament appearance.

"See you here next year," Schander said.

At S.E.R.A Fields, Tacoma

Championship game

Kelso 13, Mountlake Terrace 2 (6)

M. Terrace 001 100-- 2 4 6

Kelso 006 142--13 13 1

Ko. Seidlitz, Ke. Seidlitz (5) and Watson. DeRosier and Snyder. WP--DeRosier. LP--Ko. Seidlitz. 2B--Ko. Seidlitz (MT), Bre. Sanders (K), Nyman (K), Bri. Sanders (K). 3B--Nyman (K). HR--Snow (K), Paavola (K).

Championship semifinals

Mountlake Terrace 4, Redmond 3

Redmond 000 003 0--3 4 2

M. Terrace 000 004 x--4 5 0

Hendron and P. Mullins. Ko. Seidlitz and Watson. WP--Ko. Seidlitz. LP--Hendron. 2B--Watson (MT).

Consolation bracket

Walla Walla 2, Stanwood 1 (9)

Stanwood 000 100 000--1 5 1

Walla Walla 100 000 001--2 3 3

Jeans and Bingham. Bobadilla, Klicker (5) and Reardon. WP--Klicker. LP--Jeans. 2B--DeBroeck (WW), Klicker (WW).
© 2009The Daily Herald Co., Everett, WA