In a back-and-forth game as wild as the weather, the Mountlake Terrace High School softball team fell to the visiting Monroe Bearcats 8-5 Thursday at Mountlake Terrace High School. Monroe broke open a tied game in the seventh inning by scoring four runs, then holding on to secure the win.
Senior Maddy Kristjanson accounted for all the Hawk runs in the game, belting a three-run home run in the third inning to give Terrace an early lead, tying the game in the sixth inning with a solo homer, and adding an RBI single in the seventh. But Kristjanson was saddled with the loss as she came in to pitch in relief of Gabby Calhoun in the decisive last inning.
Even with the loss, Terrace Coach Shannon Rasmussen was pleased with the effort the team showed in the middle innings when the Bearcats took the lead. “We battled back and we had chances,” stated Rasmussen, noting that some of her players were playing in positions that they were necessarily unfamiliar with due to the absence of Hannah Wilcox, who missed the game due to a family obligation. “We had to move some people into some different spots that they don’t usually play.”
It was a team effort for Monroe as Bearcats Bailee Seener and Kacey Hvitved both went 2-4 in the game, Rachael Delamare smacked a solo homer, and Samantha Johnson hit a two-run single in the seventh inning for the go-ahead runs.
The loss was the fourth in a row for Terrace as both the offense and the defense just isn’t clicking yet in the early season. “We can score runs with home runs — we’ve got power and we can hit home runs. But we’re struggling to get the girls, when they get on base, to get them around right now,” said Rasmussen.
“We’ve been helping (opponents) out a little bit defensively, and giving them a couple of runs here and there,” she added.
Despite the early season struggles, panic has not set in on the team. “Spirits are high,” Rasmussen explained. “They’re doing good. We know it’s non-conference and things are going to be a little different once we get into league play. We’re going to start settling down. It’s still early; there’s lots of time.”
MTHS Softball vs. Monroe, March 27
Monroe 0 0 0 2 0 2 4 — 8 7 0
Terrace 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 — 5 7 1
Winning pitcher: Kacey Kvitved
Losing pitcher: Maddy Kristjanson
Records: Mountlake Terrace 1-4; Monroe 2-2
MTHS next game: versus Newport, Friday, Mar. 28, 4 p.m. at Newport High School in Bellevue
— Story and photo by Doug Petrowski
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