By Tim Clinton
SPORTS EDITOR

An opening day split at the Sea-King fastpitch softball tournament left the West Seattle team needing back-to-back wins to get to state.

The Wildcats launched out into the tournament by ending rival Chief Sealth's season, 11-0, but they lost a close second game to Juanita, 2-0.

"It was real close," said West Seattle head coach Trevor Leopold, who was just named as the Metro League Coach of the Year, of the second game. "A fly ball to left field scored one run, then there was a steal from third to home. The catcher threw it back to the pitcher, and Gabby (Wenn) walked off the mound, and she took off and scored. I was like, 'What?'"

The loss dropped the Wildcats into a 2 p.m. Thursday loser out game back at Lower Woodland Park in Seattle, with the winner playing the Eastside Catholic vs. Liberty winner for a state berth at 4 p.m.
"It's a tough road," said Leopold, who expressed he thought his team could pull it off and get to next week's state tournament in Tacoma. "Bellevue was second in the Kingco."
Wednesday's first game against Sealth was scoreless until the fifth inning, when the Wildcats erupted for all 11 of their runs.
"We were a little slow off the ball, but as soon as we got going we got it going," said Leopold, who doubles as the West Seattle athletic director. "We scored 11 runs, then got three outs to end it."
The Seahawks used three pitchers in the West Seattle half inning.

The Wildcats came closest to scoring in the sixth inning of the second game.
Annalisa Ursino singled and Wenn doubled all the way to the fence, then Leopold sent Ursino on home from third.
"Their center fielder threw a rope to the shortstop, and the shortstop relayed it to the catcher, and she got Annalisa out. That was the closest we came to scoring."