Document text
- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 12, 2004 Grizzlies' last gasp saves split By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Somehow, 11 hits and a complete game by Chad Hegdahl weren't enough for the Grizzlies in Game 1, but three major breaks and Brian Ross' heroics were enough-barely- in Game 2. Ashland catcher Brian ross hits the ball during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader split with Crater. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland High baseball team scored three unearned runs the bottom of the seventh of the second game to salvage a doubleheader split with Crater Saturday at North Mountain Park. The comeback gave the Grizzlies a crucial 7-6 win two hours after they dropped the opener 3-2. Ross slapped a single to shallow right with the bases loaded and two outs to complete the game-saving rally, improving the Grizzlies to 7-3 overall and 2-2 in the SOC. "It was just a pressure situation," Ross said. "You either do bad or you do good so I tried really hard to just focus. It didn't have to be a deep hit, it didn't have to be anything, it just had to be out of the infield. So I just took an outside pitch to right field. I'm not renowned for that or anything, but I did it so I'm happy." Crater (3-7, 2-4) squandered leads of 4-0 and 6-4 thanks to a disastrous final inning that included two errors, an intentional walk and a passed ball on a strikeout. The Grizzlies needed only two hits to score their last two runs - Ross' game-winner and Arron Nelson's bloop single to left that went off the glove of left fielder Jeff Weiss with two outs. "Sometimes you make your own luck," Grizz head coach Jason Robustelli said. Ashland had no such luck in the opener, when it out-hit Crater 11-7 and committed zero errors to Crater's two, yet still suffered a painful league loss. Hegdahl (3-1) went the distance in Game 2 and was tagged with his first loss of the season, while Aaron San Nicholas started Game 2 for Ashland and was relieved by Micah Weston in the fifth. Weston picked up the win to improve to 2-1. While Game 1 left Ashland frustrated and losers of three in a row, the comeback victory in the nightcap had the Grizzlies feeling elated and more than a little lucky. It began when Steve Jorgensen reached on second baseman Evan Seegmiller's fielding error with one out in the seventh. After Ben Dodds popped up for the second out, Nelson singled to put runners at second and third for Grizz No. 3 batter Jackson Rowe. Rowe hit an innocent grounder to Seegmiller, who threw the ball away, allowing Jorgensen and Nelson to come all the way around and tie the game. The Comets then walked Hegdahl, setting up a two-on, two-out situation for John Goldberg. Crater pitcher Kurtis Knutson, who went the distance, struck out Goldberg on four pitches, but the last strike bounced past Crater catcher Joe Kahut to load the bases. Ross took advantage, drilling a 1-1 pitch to clinch the Grizzlies' first win in a week. "I had to make sure I touched first base," Ross said. "I almost didn't make it all the way because I was so happy." Ashland scored four runs on two hits, two errors and two hit batsmen in the fifth tie the game. Rocky Reeser and Nelson each came through with RBI hits. Crater responded in its next at-bat by scoring two runs on two hits, two errors and a walk. Crater's Joe Kahut was thrown out at home for the final out. Beat by the throw, Kahut lowered his head and bull-rushed Ross, Ashland's catcher, in a failed attempt to knock the ball out of his glove. The collision led to a stare down at home and seemed to give the Grizzlies a much-needed spark. "I stopped him and then gave him a little nudge," Ross said. "I couldn't help it; he tried to run me over." The split sets up another highly anticipated Tuesday clash at Miles Field for the Grizzlies, this time against league-leading South Medford (9-2, 5-1). Last Tuesday, Ashland lost to North Medford, 5-2, at the Medford ballpark. "Now, we've got our momentum going," Nelson said. "We've got some good teams coming up, but I think it helps to have a win at the very end so we can really excel through all the other games." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams