Kelly puts on a show as Wingers win Missota

Pat Kelly hit three home runs Thursday at the Athletic Field to help Red Wing sweep a doubleheader against Farmington and clinch the Missota Conference title.

Kelly hit a solo home run in the third inning of the first game, which Red Wing won 9-2. An inning later the a senior shortstop hit a three-run bomb to the opposite field.

In Game 2, Kelly hit a two-run home run in the fourth and the Wingers went on to win 12-9 in nine innings.

Kelly finished the day 6-for-9 with four runs and eight RBI.

“I don’t remember ever seeing anybody in our league since I played that was such a tough out, a dangerous hitter like that,” Red Wing coach Jim Bohmbach said.

Bohmbach said he heard from the Farmington coach that players in the Tigers’ dugout were hollering at their pitchers to throw Kelly strikes so they could see how far he’d hit it.

“It was kind of a show,” Bohmbach said.

In addition, Kelly earned the victory in the second game.

He took the mound in the bottom of the seventh with one out, two on and the Wingers up 9-7. He gave up a run-scoring double to the first batter and then allowed the tying run to score on a wild pitch; however, he got out of the inning without any further damage.

Kelly remained on the mound for the rest of the game and finished with five strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings.

In the top of the ninth, Ryan Boldt, David Goggin and Kelly hit back-to-back-to-back RBI singles enabling the Wingers (13-5 overall, 11-3 Missota Conference) to pull away from Farmington for good.

Joel Newman started the second game for the Wingers and allowed five runs over five innings.

Zach Garner earned the complete-game victory in the opener by allowing two earned runs on six hits. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.

Red Wing’s next game is at home Saturday night against Hastings.

To read more about Kelly and the Wingers, pick up Saturday’s paper.

Tags: red wing, prep, baseball, wingers