‘Baseball is a cruel game’: Redmond falls short against Kentwood in state quarterfinals

Published 12:18 pm Monday, May 21, 2012

By MAIAH HOLLANDER

UW News Lab

The sun’s warmth seemed to radiate off Art Wright Field in Kent last Saturday, as the Redmond Mustangs aimed to write a storybook ending to their 0-7 start to the season.

Sunflower seeds littered the ground where shadows of the American flags that lined the field danced in the breeze.

All that was missing was a lemonade stand and the crew from the Sandlot. Americana at its finest.

All that stood in the way of the Mustangs’ path to the Class 4A State semifinals in Pasco were two teams – the Kentridge Chargers (14-8), and the winner of the Kentwood/Edmonds-Woodway game.

But despite playing Kentridge in its own backyard, Redmond didn’t let it bother them.

“I told the guys we came here to play two ballgames,” head coach Dan Pudwill said. “It’s all about winning two games.”

With that, Redmond hit the ground running.

Senior pitcher Peter Hendron started off on the mound, hammering away at Kentridge with sizzling high fastballs and cruel use of the strike-zone corners. It seemed like Redmond had the upper hand with a quick one-two-three inning.

By the time the fifth inning rolled around, senior Steven Danek had taken the mound to relieve a tired Hendron. For a while Redmond kept chipping away at Kentridge, pushing their lead to four while holding their opponent at bay. However, the wheels seemed to have slipped when Kentridge showed signs of movement, picking up two runs.

“Your best beats his best!” pitching coach Brad Aeshliman yelled to Danek. “You’re there for a reason. I trust ya’!”

But even with concerted efforts by Danek and the Redmond defense, Kentridge still managed to tie up in the top of the seventh inning. The Chargers took a 5-4 lead when a runner tagged on a deep hit to center field in the top of the eighth inning.

“This is a team who has won 12 games in a row,” Aeschliman said. “I just told the guys, ‘Imagine how it feels when you win.’”

Well, Redmond must have imagined something great because in the bottom of the eighth, senior Adam Cline smashed a triple, allowing junior Brent Firth to score the tying run.

Enter senior Peyton Lutz. As he stepped into the batters box, there was a palpable tension that seemed to envelope the entire field.

It was as if time had stopped – that is, until Lutz crushed a towering shot deep into left.

The entire Redmond team rushed the field as Cline crossed over home plate for the winning run.

“It certainly was nerve wracking,” Pudwill said. “But we’re a team who has been in positions like that before, with our backs up against a wall.”

Exclamations of “Way to go kiddo!” and little siblings running up to hug their older brothers made for a heartwarming end to any baseball game.

But the day was far from over. Now with Kentridge eliminated, it was time to face the next opponent: the Kentwood Conquerors.

Former state champs, this game would be anything but easy.

Having just finished their game at 3:30 p.m., Redmond would have to be ready to go again in just under an hour to face Kentwood. Of course, when asked about what was expected from this next game Aeschliman had only one thing to say.“What’s next?” he asked. “We’re going to do it [win] again.”

With so much confidence in the team, it was hard to imagine any other outcome than another inspiring triumph. But unlike the last game, Redmond’s luck had finally run out.

After the first play it was clear that Kentwood was playing with a tenacity and sharpness that smothered the already tired Redmond team.

Bats came alive for Redmond as players blasted line drives again and again into the waiting hands of the Kentwood outfield. Meanwhile Kentwood kept finding openings in Redmond’s defense, racking up four runs by the end of the second inning.

Another run for Kentwood in the bottom of the fifth seemed to seal Redmond’s fate as time and innings kept slipping away. Even with astounding plays by the Redmond defense, particularly senior Cody Beliel, Kentwood kept pressing their advantage.

As the final inning came to a close with Kentwood ahead 5-0, Redmond had given its all but had fallen just short of its goal.

Despite the heartbreak, Redmond players still held their heads high.

“We never thought we would be here,” Peyton Lutz said. “We have a lot of seniors so it’s hard because we’ve been playing together for a long time.”

Coming so close and watching it slip away, however, still leaves a bittersweet taste for Redmond, which finished the season 16-9.

“Baseball is a cruel game,” Pudwill said. “We hit better than they did but their hits fell in, and ours fell in gloves.”