The No. 2-ranked Redmond High baseball team hasn’t made it easy on itself this season, but the homer-happy Mustangs always seem to find a way to get the job done.
Case in point was Monday’s marquee matchup against Bothell, leaders of the 4A Kingco Crown division. With both teams looking to keep their unbeaten 4A Kingco records intact, neither starter was sharp as baseballs were crushed all over, and out of, Hartman Park to the tune of 14 runs in the first two innings alone.
In the end, the Mustangs settled down and held on for a thrilling 11-9 win, which ended with the tying run being at the plate after Bothell’s Ryan Morgan hit a solo shot in the top of the 7th to pull his team within two.
“There’s been a lot said and a lot written about our offense, and it hasn’t always shown up,” admitted Redmond head coach Dan Pudwill. “But it showed up tonight in bunches. It was a lot of fun to see some guys feed, guys that have been struggling a little bit.”
HEAVY HITTERS
Considering the starters that were on the hill for Redmond and Bothell, the game had the makings of being a low-scoring pitcher’s duel.
Starting for the Cougars was lefty Kevin McShane, who was coming off a brilliant three-hit, eight-strikeout shutout win over Garfield, with Oregon State-bound Dylan Davis going for the Mustangs.
With scouts in attendance clocking his fastball in the mid-90s, Davis could not find the strike zone consistently, and McShane was chased after just one inning, with the Mustangs putting up a five-spot in the first with both Michael Conforto and Davis crushing home runs.
Conforto went deep again in the fifth – a long cannon drive to right that went halfway up the bank to the Little League fields at Hartman — to pad the Mustangs’ lead. Conforto his hit first home run of the season — a game-winner in a 5-4 comeback win against Ballard last Thursday before Monday’s two-homer outburst.
“Michael got the monkey off his back (against Ballard), and he was able to get a couple more over the fence tonight,” noted Pudwill. “Baseball is such a mental game, it’s all about confidence and how you’re feeling. When you’re feeling good, good things happen.”
Added Conforto on his own power streak, “I wasn’t swinging like I wanted to, but I started getting more pitches, kept working in the cage. With lots of practice, it just came around.”
While Davis got it done at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs, he gave up eight runs, only three earned, but issued seven walks as he struggled to find the strike zone.
Even with the apparently shaky outing, Pudwill wasn’t concerned in the least about his ace pitcher.
“There’s some things we need to shore up, but he’s fine,” Pudwill said. “He’s absolutely one of the best pitchers in Kingco and he will be there at the end when we need him most.”
For the game, the Mustangs banged out 12 hits, led by Conforto’s 3-for-3 night and two long balls. T.J. Whidby, Davis, and right fielder Peter Hendron each had two hits in the win.
After a slow start, Hendron has been one of the team’s hottest hitters and deadly in the clutch, going a combined 6-for-10 with eight RBIs in the Mustangs’ last three games.
Another bright spot for the Mustangs was the first appearance on the mound for Zach Abbruzza, who currently has the highest batting average in all of 4A at .618. The Gonzaga-bound senior, who was resting a sore pitching arm during the early part of the season, threw a scoreless inning in relief for the Mustangs.
“We’ve been patient with it,” Pudwill said of Abbruzza’s highly anticipated return to the hill. “He’s eager to get out there, he wants to play and wants to compete. We need to make sure he’s ready (on the mound) in May when we need him.”
BUILDING AND PEAKING
Although Monday’s game was a big game against a tough opponent, the Mustangs know they have a long road to hoe ahead of them to achieve their ultimate goal of making the state championship game.
In order to do so, like any baseball team, they will have to peak in the postseason.
“I try to help these kids understand that certainly these games are big going forward, and we want to play the best we possibly can,” Pudwill explained. “But I feel like this group has been together long enough to understand that we want to keep building and peaking at the end.”
One of the keys to a postseason run is the ability to win close baseball games, a stat that haunted the Mustangs last season as they dropped a one-run game to Federal Way, 6-5, to fall one game short of the state semifinals at Safeco Field.
This season, the Mustangs are 3-0 in one-run games and 5-0 in games decided by two runs or less, giving the team a much-needed boost of confidence.
“We feel really good,” Conforto said. “Bothell’s a great opponent, it was great to come out here and get a win against them… we’re hitting the ball well, we’re throwing well.”
With top-tier pitching like senior three-year letterman Brian McAfee (0.95 ERA) and a potent offense, Redmond got a glimpse of a team that they will potentially have to beat again in May in order to get to the state championship. And Pudwill believes a pivotal Kingco tournament rematch with the Cougars might be on the horizon.
“They’re so well-coached and they have some talented kids over there,” he said of the Cougars. “Come the playoffs it’s about pitching matchups, and they’re a good club.”
To view and/or purchase great action photos from this game, visit photographer Matt Campbell’s website at http://www.sportspixs.com/041111_rhs_baseball
