The Mustangs had to win three games in two days just to stay alive in the 4A playoffs, then travel to Vancouver after playing the previous night to sandwich in another game before rushing back for prom. Evergreen was hosting, and it had nine days between games to rest.

Advantage Evergreen, right?

Not quite.

After scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie and holding off a bases-loaded rally, Redmond continued scraping its way to the state playoffs with a 12-8 win over Evergreen (15-9) to end the Plainsmen’s season.

“We just weren’t sharp,” Dean said. “It wasn’t our day. You’re not going to win too many games if you give up 12 runs.”

And there were several bad breaks that put Evergreen in that position.

There was first-baseman Lacey Olesen’s broken right hand, which forced her to play in a cast. It contributed to a throwing error in the fifth inning that allowed Maria Reisinger to score the first of two runs in the inning and take a 5-4 lead. Dean even felt that the nine day layoff worked against

Evergreen, helping to get them out of sync while Redmond’s tight schedule helped the Mustangs build momentum.

And then there were the black uniforms Evergreen wore on one of the year’s hottest days. It helped tire out starting pitcher Shannon Miller, who admitted to wearing down in the seventh inning, when three walks and a wild pitch helped Redmond break out with seven runs on only three hits.

“I think that the heat just got to me,” Miller said. “I think it was after the first couple (batters). It kind of went down from there.”

Evergreen got back into the game in the bottom of the seventh, though, loading the bases with one out before scoring three runs on Miller’s RBI single and a fielding error by Redmond second baseman Lauren Nabseth that allowed two runs to score — some of the five unearned runs the Plainsmen recorded.

But Olesen grounded out with two runners on base to end Evergreen’s rally and send Redmond to its first state tournament in 15 years.

“It’s been a crazy three days,” said Redmond coach Jackie Bloom. “So to pull it off is history in the making.”