TACOMA
Conventional wisdom says that nobody remembers who came in second place.
Don’t tell that to Mountlake Terrace, especially after its amazing run in the Class 4A state softball tournament.
The Hawks, who finished fourth in the Western Conference South Division and who were making their first appearance at state since 1997, shocked the softball community and themselves by advancing to the championship game May 30 at the South End Recreation Area Fields.
Mountlake Terrace’s wild postseason ride ended with a loss, however, as Kelso pounded the Hawks 13-2 in a game shortened to six innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.
None of that really mattered to senior pitcher Kori Seidlitz and her teammates.
Playing for a state championship was just about the furthest thing on their minds when they arrived at the fields on Friday afternoon.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all,” said Seidlitz, who is headed to South Dakota State. “I was just glad we made it to state in general. Then when we started winning games, well, ‘Why don’t we win the next and why don’t we win the next one?’ When it came down to it we were shocked that we were here (finals), but we were taking advancing of everything we could get, every opportunity.”
The Hawks (21-5) opened with a 1-0 victory over Kentwood and then knocked off Mountainview 3-0 in a May 29 quarterfinal matchup. But the game that coach Kim Stewart will remember is a stunning 4-3 comeback victory over Redmond in the semifinals on May 30.
The Mustangs broke through for three runs in the top of the sixth to break open a scoreless game. Stewart figured Mountlake Terrace was headed for a loss.
But the Hawks rallied for four runs in the bottom of the inning and Seidlitz shut down Redmond in the seventh to preserve the victory and send Mountlake Terrace into the finals for the first time in school history.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Stewart said. “We were dead and buried and those girls rose up and made it happen. They kept fighting.”
Five straight Hawks reached base to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
Aly Delizo 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.
Much of Mountlake Terrace’s success in what is Stewart’s final season as head coach goes to Seidlitz and senior catcher Kayla Watson, the top battery he’s ever coached.
“You’ve got to give Kori a lot of credit for our season, for our success,” Stewart said. “She put us on her shoulders and said, ‘Let’s go.’ We kept scrapping and coming up with runs here and there for her. I asked her at the beginning of the year to just keep us in every game and give us a chance to win and she did that.”
Watson, who also has been on varsity since her freshman season, was the perfect complement to Seidlitz.
“They’ve been a team for a long time,” Stewart added. “Kayla calls a great game. … There’s probably not a more prolific hitter.”
After coming up short in the playoffs the past three years, Mountlake Terrace broke through in a big way this season, winning the district championship.
It was just a matter of realizing how good a team the Hawks could be, Seidlitz said.
“Everyone always was talking freshman year, sophomore year, junior year, how good that we could be,” she said. “You’re going to make it to state. I think we finally realized how good we were together as a team and everything came together.”
Added Watson, “We finally started working together as a team and stringing our hits together and helping out Kori.”
Not all of the team was on the field in the championship game. Right fielder Vanessa Jones sprained her foot at practice Thursday night and was pulled from the first-round game. Starting shortstop Mindy James was lost due to a leg injury in the quarterfinal game and Delizo was knocked out of the championship game when a Kelso runner ran into her at third base.
But Stewart didn’t use the injuries as an excuse.
“That really didn’t make a difference in the game,” he said. “They hit Kori hard. It’s the most runs we’ve given up this year, most definitely.”
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Kenzie Dessin reached first on an error to start the inning, stole second and then scored when Chelsea Crews stroked a single to right field.
The lead didn’t last long.
Kelso scored six runs on seven hits, including a two-run home run by Tailor Snow. Mountlake Terrace responded with a run in the fourth.
Seidlitz hit a lead-off double and was replaced by courtesy runner Jesse Printz. A bunt by Amanda Kristjanson moved Printz over to third and she then scored on an error to cut the deficit to 6-2.
The rest of the game was all Kelso as the Lassies added a run in the fourth, four in the fifth and then ended the game when Karina Paavola smacked a two-run home run off of Kelsi Seidlitz, Kori’s younger sister, who came into the game in the fifth inning.
“I’ve never seen so many hits off a handle in my life,” Stewart said. “They made it happen.”
When Stewart went out to relieve Kori Seidlitz he asked her if she wanted to move shortstop, a position she’s never played before at Mountlake Terrace.
She said yes.
“It’s my dream position,” Kori Seidlitz joked.
Even though Mountlake Terrace was losing badly, Seidlitz was glad that she and her teammates still could have fun at the state finals.
“Making it second in state is amazing,” Seidlitz said. “I’ll always remember that experience.”
The finals marked the final game for Stewart, who is stepping down as coach this season after 14 years. He will continue athletic director/activities coordinator duties at Mountlake Terrace.
His impact goes far beyond the softball field.
“He’s always been there for us when we needed help for anything both on the field and off the field,” Watson said.
Stewart could not have asked for a better way to close out his coaching career.
“They were great kids,” he said of team. “They’ve been an absolute joy to coach all year.
“It was a fun weekend. It was a great way to go out.”
Herald writes Mark Nelson contributed to this story.
Seidlitz pitches Mountlake Terrace into 4A semifinals
By Aaron Lommers
For The Enterprise
TACOMA
After six innings of Mountlake Terrace’s 4A softball state quarterfinal game against Mountain View, Kori Seidlitz was staring a perfect game right in the face. She didn’t get it, but this time of the year perfect games and no-hitters don’t mean much. Winning does. The Hawks did that, advancing to the semifinals with a 3-1 victory on May 30.
The Hawks defeated Kentwood 1-0 in the first round despite being no-hit by Kayla Evans.
“I never distrust the softball gods. They can come up and bite you at any minute,” Mountlake Terrace coach Kim Stewart said.
Seidlitz had the only RBI of that game, earning a bases-loaded walk.
“I have been trying to get her to relax a lot up there,” Stewart said. “It paid off, obviously she helped herself.”
Seidlitz also struck out 13 batters and gave up just three hits and no walks.
In the quarterfinals, Terrace put up early runs and Seidlitz wouldn’t need many. Kayla Watson drove in Mindy James in the first inning. Seidlitz added a second first-inning run with a sacrifice fly.
Then she took the mound in the bottom half of the first inning, the first of six perfect innings.
“One I start getting into a routine, I just expect that I am going to throw strikes,” Seidlitz said.
Seidlitz lost the perfect game bid in the bottom of the seventh inning after James went down with a knee injury in the bottom of the sixth inning. It took several minutes to get James off the field, delaying the start of the bottom of the seventh inning. All of the Terrace players were concerned about James and visibly shaken. After the game Stewart said James in out for the remainder of state.
“I think Mindy’s injury had an impact on me,” Seidlitz said. “That maybe distracts you a little bit.”
Jessica Guy led off the bottom of the seventh with a single she was batted in by Paige Martin, who hit a triple, but that was all the Mighty Thunder could get off Seidlitz.
“I let them get a few hits there, oh well, we got the win and that’s all that’s important at state,” Seidlitz said.
“We have been dreaming about this for so long,” Stewart said. “It will last forever, people are never going to forget this.”
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