Mount Si Wildcats senior pitcher Michael Collins was determined to finish what he started against the Issaquah Eagles in a matchup between rivals.

Collins unveiled a complete game gem on the hill, surrendering a meager three hits and one earned run, propelling the Wildcats to a 4-1 victory against the Eagles on April 18 at Issaquah High School. Mount Si improved their overall record to 9-6 while Issaquah dropped to 10-5 with the loss.

Collins said there was no absolutely no question in his mind that he would take the hill for the bottom of the seventh after pitching proficiently through the first six innings.

“I have thrown a lot of complete games in my career. It is something I feel very comfortable with. My pitch count was pretty low too,” Collins explained.

Issaquah took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a RBI single by junior Lucas Senatore. Unfortunately for the Eagles, it was the only run they would score against the Wildcats throughout the duration of the game.

Mount Si tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third after Issaquah pitcher Jared Jongejan walked Mount Si’s Tank Brewster with the bases loaded, scoring Clayton Waltz from third base. With two outs, Mount Si took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth on a RBI infield single by Wildcats’ junior Spencer Marenco scored Trace Halvorson from third base. Issaquah shortstop Derek Gellos made a sensational defensive play to prevent the ball from going to the outfield but couldn’t throw out a hustling Marenco before he reached first base. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh, Mount Si hitter Dusty Dover connected on a single to the outfield, scoring Troy Baunsgard and Marenco to extend Mount Si’s lead to 4-1.

“It was a huge win for us. Mike Collins threw a great game. The offense played great. We were hitting a lot of balls hard even though they were right at people. Our defense played solid,” Mount Si head coach Zach Habben said.

Collins concurred with Habben’s sentiment.

“I feel no pressure (on the mound) because we have the best defense in the league. There is no doubt about it,” Collins said. “Going into this game we were hyped up. We wanted to show them (Issaquah) that we’re better than them. It was a huge game for us. I’m sure we will see them again at the KingCo tournament.”

Issaquah head coach Rob Reese credited Mount Si for playing a complete game. Despite the loss, Jongejan pitched well for the Eagles on the hill, surrendering just six hits against Mount Si.

“Their pitching was great and I thought our pitching was really good too. They scored all four of their runs with two outs, those are back breakers. They put the ball in play and they hit the ball harder than we did today,” Reese said. “You have to give them credit. They were more aggressive than we were.”