UPDATED: Redmond Falls To Jackson

After an hour and 20 minute rain delay, the Redmond Mustangs finally stepped onto the field Friday against the No. 1 ranked Jackson Timberwolves looking to earn a berth in the state championship game.

Jackson starting pitcher Nick Kiel had other ideas, as he pitched his team to the brink of a state title with a complete game 4 hitter.  Kiel threw all seven innings, allowing 3 runs on just 4 hits while striking out six Redmond Mustangs to lead his team to a 5-3 victory.

The game was close early on, as Jackson took a 1-0 lead by getting an RBI groundout from center fielder Sam Brown in the bottom of the first. Redmond evened the score in the third when Patrick McGrath stroked a sacrifice fly that plated Dylan Davis.

The pivotal point in the game came in the bottom of the third inning. Davis threw 2 2/3 innings of no-hit baseball but struggled mightily with his control, walking nine Jackson hitters, the last of which came with the bases loaded to give Jackson a 2-1 lead. Coach Dan Pudwill had seen enough at that point and replaced Davis with TJ Whidbey. Whidbey went ahead 0-2 on Jackson shortstop Conor Plaisance, but Plaisance lined the next offering down the left field line that scored all three Jackson base runners. In the blink of an eye Jackson had a 5-1 lead after what would be their only hit of the game.

Kiel was too much for the Mustangs from that point forward as he made quick work of the Redmond offense. Redmond got a bit of a threat going in the top of the seventh when Michael Comforto led off the inning with a home run. Davis would score later in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Peter Hendron but it wasn’t enough as Redmond’s state title hopes ended when a Jackson center fielder ran down and caught a fly ball off the bat of Patrick McGrath 410 feet from home plate.

“Baseball is a pretty cruel game sometimes,” Pudwill said after the game. Pudwill had every right to be upset with the result, as Jackson’s winning line score gave them 5 runs on only one hit while committing 4 errors.

Jackson advances to play in the state championship game on Saturday night at 7 against the winner of the Richland-Bothell game taking place later on Friday night.

The Redmond Mustangs will play in the third place consolation game Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will be at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma.