The Eastlake Wolves were just one out away from capturing a 6-4 victory against the Redmond Mustangs in a 4A Kingco softball matchup.
With one swing of the bat, Redmond freshman Kiki Milloy halted Eastlake’s celebration plans.
Milloy connected on a towering two-run home run to left field off of Eastlake ace hurler Julie Graf, tying the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh inning. Redmond senior Kaija Gibson singled to left field in the bottom of the ninth, scoring Keona Tibbs from third base giving the Mustangs a dramatic 7-6 win in extra innings against Eastlake on May 6 at Hartman Park in Redmond. Redmond improved to 8-10 overall while Eastlake dropped to 13-4.
Milloy went the distance in the pitching circle for Redmond, surrendering just four hits in nine innings of work. With a runner on second base with two outs in the top of the ninth, Milloy struck out Eastlake’s Ryan Vogel to quell the threat. Redmond head coach Parris Mamon said Milloy is confident despite being the youngest player on the varsity roster.
“Kiki is pitching well and she has always been a great hitter. It is tough to come through the first year as a freshman. She is only 14. To come through as a 14-year-old and face kids that are 18 and are going off to play college ball is great,” Mamon said. We (coaching staff) knew it was going to take a little bit of time but she has stepped up and did what it was she had to do.”
Graf went the distance for Eastlake, allowing eight hits in nine innings of work. Eastlake trailed Redmond 2-0 after Gibson blasted a two-run home run in the bottom of the first but responded with four runs in the top of the third, taking a 4-2 lead. Emma Bickford and Georgia Robinson had 2 RBIs apiece in the inning for the Wolves. Eastlake tacked on another run in the top of fourth and added one more in the top of the sixth when sophomore Sophia Robinson connected on a solo home-run to give Eastlake a 6-2 advantage.
Redmond outscored them 5-0 in final 3.5 innings of play to capture the one-run victory. Eastlake head coach Stephanie Fox said Redmond’s energy throughout the game was the difference. It was the final regular season home game for Redmond and it showed at Hartman Park on senior night.
“They had the momentum and they played a heck of a game. What a great way to go out for their seniors. We just needed to get more energy. That was really what I saw, they had that the whole game. They came out and played for their seniors. They were really fired up,” Fox said. “It was still a great ballgame but everything happens for a reason. We just have to take that loss and we have to turn it into something good. We have to learn how to lose, that is just the reality. We are not going to win every ballgame. We have to assess it and move on.”
