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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW SOU student films screen Tuesday in free showing at Varsity Theatre ... Remembering her roots ... Daniel Meyer Pool reopens June 17 ... SOU student films screen Tuesday in free showing at Varsity Theatre ... Remembering her roots ... Daniel Meyer Pool reopens June 17 ... PREP BASEBALL Grizz bring their bats Sanderson HR sets tone as Ashland soars into state quarterfinals Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted May. 26, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted May. 26, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News Nick Sanderson is used to playing the waiting game. Pitchers have avoided his big, lefty bat all season, often choosing to nibble at the edges of the strike zone rather than attack Ashland’s dangerous cleanup hitter. On Wednesday, in an OSAA Class 5A first-round playoff game, Wilsonville’s Tom Gomez opted instead to go right at Sanderson, and the junior slugger used his head then his bat to make the visiting Wildcats pay. “He threw a nice fastball low and away first pitch, so I knew that he was going to come back with a curveball,” Sanderson said. “And lucky for me he hung that curveball and I just put a good swing on it and it ended up over the fence.” The line drive home run gave the Grizzlies the lead for good and set the tone for what turned out to be a high-scoring, error-plagued slugfest that Ashland won 16-10 at North Mountain Park. Sanderson went 4-for-5 with six RBIs and also picked up the pitching victory for the Grizzlies, who advanced to the 5A state quarterfinals for the second time in three years. Ashland (19-8), seeded seventh, will face No. 2 seed and defending state champion Hood River Valley (21-6) on Friday in Hood River. The Eagles trounced Eagle Point 17-3 in another round of 16 game Wednesday. Wilsonville (17-10) brought a four-game winning streak to Ashland and scored on a fielding error in the top of the first, but the Grizzlies bounced back in the bottom of the inning and jumped out to an 8-1 lead through three. They led 11-2 through five and would have finished the game in the sixth by the 10-run mercy rule had the OSAA not dropped that limit for postseason games. There was still nobody out and two on when Sanderson came to the plate with the game tied at 1-all in the first. “For Nick, if he doesn’t chase pitches, if he stays within the zone, he just murders the ball,” Ashland coach Nick Hall said. “So I think, (we’re) just emphasizing with him, if it’s in the zone crush it. And that’s exactly what he did.” The homer zipped over the high fence in right about 20 feet inside the foul pole for Sanderson’s fourth and most significant home run of the season. The Grizzlies were only getting started. Carroll went 2-for-3 with two doubles, including a two-run rip down the third-base line that scored two in the sixth, leadoff hitter Kellar Edwards was 2-for-4 with the leadoff double that started the first-inning splurge and Peyton Fuller was 2-for-4 and slammed the door with a relief appearance on the mound. Sanderson, Carroll and Edwards scored three runs apiece. The Grizzlies finished with 14 hits as a team, knocking around four Wilsonville pitchers in a game that also included 10 errors — five by each team — and 14 walks, eight issued by Wildcats’ pitchers. Sanderson dominated after his shaky start, holding Wilsonville to one run on four hits in five innings. He struck out seven and walked four. “I didn’t have my best fastball today, but I just battled with the stuff that I had,” Sanderson said. Wilsonville chipped away at the lead by scoring eight runs in the last two innings. But the Wildcats never were closer than six runs after the second inning, and Ashland inserted Fuller to finally put an end to a last-gasp rally in the seventh. Fuller, who committed to the University of Oregon only 24 hours prior, needed only seven pitches to work the Grizzlies out of a two-on, one-out jam and send them to the elite eight. “It’s been a pretty crazy week and it’s good to get that win and go on the road and hopefully get one Friday,” said the lanky righty who’s expected to start at Hood River. “I was just thinking about the seniors, just wanting to close it out and get them another game. Just wanted to throw strikes, and with that lead keep it in the zone and just try to get outs.” Now, it’s on to Hood River and a date with the defending champions, who blanked all four of their playoff opponents during a sensational postseason run last season. The Eagles jumped out to a 10-0 lead over Eagle Point through two innings and were never seriously threatened. Hall said he doesn’t know a whole lot about Hood River, but he’s fine with going in as the underdog. “At this point, these first two games we’ve been the favored team just by the rankings, so there’s the added pressure that you should win and I think now we almost have a little weight off our shoulders because we just need to show up and the best team’s going to win,” he said. “I think making sure that these guys understand that it’s just going to be a dog fight and you have to leave it all on the field.” Sanderson agreed. “I think that Peyton Fuller’s going to be on the mound,” he said. “Any time he’s on the mound it’s good, so I like our chances.” Wilsonville 100 013 5 — 10 13 5 Ashland 422 125 — 16 14 5 Gomez, VavRosky (2), Munson (5), Gloster (6) and Enbody; Sanderson, Bell (6), Edwards (7), Fuller (7) and Hamik. W — Sanderson. L — Gomez. 2B — A: Carroll 2, Edwards. HR — A: Sanderson (4). By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Follow @@Joe_Zavala99 Posted May. 26, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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