With the bases loaded and a championship just around the corner, Lauren Lund ripped a triple and put the 3A KingCo softball title into Redmond’s eager hands.

Lund’s blast gave the Mustangs a 14-2 win over Juanita as the game ended in the bottom of the fifth inning on May 11 at Inglemoor High. Both teams advanced to the upcoming 3A SeaKing District tourney. Redmond beat Roosevelt, 10-0, in five innings on Tuesday at the Southwest Athletic Complex in West Seattle.

“We just brought the energy, and the dugout was just loud and everyone was just feeding off of each other. We obviously performed — it worked,” said Redmond’s Lindsay Tsujikawa, who plays first base, after the Juanita game.

Kiki Milloy led off the Mustangs’ first with a double and Jennifer Cummings doubled her home. The 1-0 advantage held until the fourth inning when Juanita’s Jordan Schroeder evened the score with an RBI single.

“It was really cool getting the first run. We always say, ‘first blood,’ get the first run. It just changes the tone and gets you going,” Mustang catcher Cummings said.

The floodgates opened for Redmond in the bottom of the fourth when the Mustangs tallied nine runs to go up 10-1. Cummings had a three-RBI double and Milloy had a two-RBI ground-rule double during the run-scoring spree.

“I think our team is really good under pressure. When the situation’s tight, that’s when people get those big hits, and it’s a great feeling,” Tsujikawa said.

Also giving Redmond an offensive boost were Tsujikawa, Audrey Walker and Kaia Bradford with two hits each, Mara Kipnis with a single and two RBIs and Haley Hanson with a single and an RBI.

For Juanita, Abbie Reynolds had an RBI, Kaci Gordon doubled and Megan Murray singled.

Milloy earned the win from the pitchers’ circle and fanned eight batters.

“She was on. She knows what she needs to work on, but she knows when it gets down to it, she can just make it happen,” Cummings said. “It’s so exciting, especially on a good pitch or a change up — her change up is outstanding right now — and we both jump up and scream and it’s super hyped and awesome.”

As Tsujikawa watched her teammates celebrating after the game, she said the Mustangs are a special group of players.

“It’s amazing — it’s a family experience,” she added. “We’re all super close and we jell well. We all get each other. When someone’s down, we know how to pick each other up.”