May
20, 2006
Kangs
Season Ends with 5-3 Loss to Jackson
The Lake Washington Kangs season came to an
end Saturday with a 5-3 loss to top-ranked Jackson. The Kangs battled all the way to the end,
scoring two in the top of the seventh and getting the tying run on second base,
before a pop-up ended the game. Geoff
Brown picked up the win for Jackson allowing 5 hits and 2 earned runs over
six-plus innings of work. Kawika Emsley-Pai got the save,
allowing a run and two hits in the seventh.
The Timberwolves
started the scoring in the bottom of the third, with an RBI single from Emsley-Pai and a run-scoring double by Joey Lind. Ben Thielsen's
groundout in the top of the fifth scored Hilton Richardson from third cutting
the lead in half at 2-1. Jackson
answered right away, as Curt Nelson's triple high off the right field wall
scored Travis Snider and Joey Lind, extending the lead to 4-1. A single run in the bottom of the sixth gave
the Timberwolves a four-run lead headed into the
final frame.
The Kangs started their charge in the
seventh with a towering pinch-hit home run from Will McKenney. Richardson drew a walk and advanced to third
on two Kang groundouts. Aaron Fox's
single scored Richardson from third and brought Josh Ashenbrenner
to the plate representing the tying run.
Ashenbrenner walked and Josh Rosser followed
with an infield single, loading the bases.
Kurt Haakenstad battled through a six-pitch
at-bat against Emsley-Pai, popping up to third base
to end the contest.
The Kangs had a balanced offensive attack,
with seven different players having one hit.
Hilton Richardson was 1-2 with a double and two runs scored and Ben Thielsen was 1-2 with an RBI. Kurt Haakenstad
took the loss for LW, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) and 6 hits over 5 1/3 innings
pitched.
The Jackson Timberwolves
were the eventual state champions, winning their final three games of the state
tournament 18-0, 8-0 and 7-1. Their
season ended at 27-0, with two of those wins against to Lake Washington, both
two-run games. The Kangs season ended in
the first round of the state tournament for the second consecutive season, with
a final record of 17-6.