Tommies lose to Redmond

Published 9:44 pm Monday, May 16, 2011

REDMOND — After following a first-round district tournament loss with three straight loser-out victories, Marysville Pilchuck was just one win away from a place in next weekend’s Class 4A state baseball tourney.

On Monday afternoon, the Tomahawks were denied that win.

Marysville Pilchuck ran headlong into a hard-hitting, hot-pitching Redmond team and the result was a 10-0 Mustangs victory in a state play-in game between two district No. 3 squads. Defending its home field, Redmond pounded out 11 hits, including five doubles and a long home run, while starting pitcher Zach Abbruzza checked the Tomahawks on a mere three hits.

“They’re a good team,” Marysville Pilchuck coach Kurt Koshelnick said of the Mustangs. “They hit the ball well. If we threw a ball over the plate, we paid the price at times. They played the game real, real well.

“Tip your hat to that team,” he added. “They outplayed us today.”

All compliments aside, this one stung for the Tomahawks. After finishing the regular season third in the Western Conference North behind division co-champions Snohomish and Lake Stevens, Marysville Pilchuck strung together wins over Snohomish, Kamiak and Mariner following its loss to Edmonds-Woodway in the district opener.

That modest winning streak, coupled with the program’s recent history of successes — two trips to state in the past three years — had the Tomahawks thinking of a return visit this season.

“Some of these guys have been in the program for a few years, and that’s kind of our mindset … that we belong there,” Koshelnick said.

Alas, on Monday it was not to be. Marysville Pilchuck yielded an unearned run in the first inning, but the big damage came in the third.

Tomahawks starting pitcher Jakob Johnson got the first two outs of the inning, including a nice running catch by center fielder Riley McKinley for the second out.

But at that point the Mustangs began finding gaps and holes in the Marysville Pilchuck defense. Seven consecutive Redmond hitters reached base safely, including four doubles in a stretch of six batters, and by the time the onslaught ended the Tomahawks were looking at a 6-0 deficit.

There was more trouble in the fourth. With one out Redmond’s Dylan Davis singled and Peter Hendron followed with the hardest hit ball of the afternoon, a towering drive to left center field that easily cleared the fence before disappearing into a large patch of distant fir trees.

The Mustangs made it 10-0 in the fifth with a two-RBI double by Davis, who finished the day 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI.

Relief pitcher T.J. Whidby ended the game and Marysville Pilchuck’s season with a 1-2-3 seventh, including two strikeouts.

“I thought our kids battled,” Koshelnick said, “and early we were with them pitch for pitch, guy for guy. But they were making some pretty good plays. It looked like we’d have something going, and then (the inning) was over.”

The Tomahawks finished the season with an impressive 18-7 record. But they will not soon forget the disappointment of what might have been, and that is particularly true for the team’s 11 departing seniors.

“I know these guys had higher expectations. And, quite frankly, so did I,” Koshelnick said. “I’m not going to lie, it’s disappointing. But we were where we wanted to be at the end. We had a chance (to get to state), and that’s all you can ask for.”

At Redmond H.S.

Marysville Pilchuck 000 000 0 — 0 3 3

Redmond 105 220 x — 10 11 0

Johnson, Williams (3), Thomas (4) and Nobach, Blagg (6); Abbruzza, Whidby (7) and McBride. WP–Abbruzza. LP–Johnson. 2B–Davis (R) 2, McGrath (R), Whidby (R), Rothermel (R). HR–Hendron (R). Records–Marysville-Pilchuck is 18-7. Redmond is 18-7.

At Redmond H.S.

Marysville Pilchuck 000 000 0–0 0 0

Redmond 000 000 0–0 0 0

Visiting starter, reliever (inning entered game), etc. and catcher, relief catcher if any (inning entered game). Home starter, reliever (inning entered game), etc. and catcher, relief catcher if any (inning entered game). WP–last name (record). LP–last name (record). 2B–name (school) number, etc. 3B–name (school) number, etc. HR–name (school) number, etc. Records–MArysville Pilchuck x-x overall. Redmond x-x.