Hot-hitting Mustangs beat Kentwood 6-0, reach state semifinals for first time since 1993

Published 12:46 am Sunday, May 22, 2011

The red-hot Redmond High baseball team notched their 20th, and biggest, win of the year at Heidelberg Park in Tacoma on Saturday, shutting out Kentwood 6-0 to reach the state semifinals for the first time since their state-championship win in 1993.

With the win, the Mustangs (20-7) have won six straight loser-out games and will face top-ranked Jackson (24-2) at 4 p.m. on Friday at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma. The winner of Friday’s game will advance to the state finals against either Bothell or Richland on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Senior starter Dylan Davis shut down the defending state champion Conquerors, throwing a five-hitter while striking out seven.

Offensively, Zach Abbruzza found the stroke he had during the early part of the season when he was leading the nation in slugging percentage, smashing a solo shot over the left-field wall to give his team an early lead.

The Mustangs played add-on as eight out of nine starters notched a hit, and the only player that didn’t, Davis, hit a deep sacrifice fly to add to the lead in the second inning.

In their state opener against Olympia, the Mustangs banged out 15 hits in their 15-2 blowout on Saturday morning.

Abbruzza drove in four runs and was a triple away from the cycle, with Davis lighting up the plate with a home run as part of a 3-for-4 effort. In addition, senior and Oregon-state bound Michael Conforto homered for Redmond.

On the hill, Abbruzza gave just two runs on four hits, improving his record to 3-0 in the postseason.