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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 7, 2004 Writing the Pine Robustelli is right: That was 'brutal' Joe Zavala So that's what it feels like to watch your team boot away a chance at an early-season, tone-setting, rock-the-SOCs-world upset against one of the top teams in the state: A kick in the gut. A golf ball in the groin. A poke in the eye. And that's what it sounds like: Fingernails on a chalkboard. A nail on glass. The wisp of a ball scooting under a glove. Ashland High baseball coach Jason Robustelli said it best. "Brutal." You can add ugly, sloppy and un-friggin-watchable to that list. But here's the ray of light: Ashland committed two errors on defense (not including several others that didn't make the book), a base-running gaffe and were tentative at the plate all day, yet still, somehow, some way had a chance to tie North Medford in the seventh inning before finally succumbing 5-2. So maybe Tuesday's loss at Miles Field wasn't all that bad. Right, Robustelli? "These guys are 18 years old and if they can't bring their brains to the game then we're not going to win." Oh yeah. That too. Lessons learned? If nothing else, Ashland learned some valuable lessons early in the season - remember, it's a 21-game Southern Oregon Conference schedule this year, so losses aren't quite as damaging as in years past - and also learned a little more about themselves. Best case scenario: the Grizzlies suddenly start looking like the focused, determined, hard-hitting bunch we saw during the AHS Baseball Tournament a few weeks back. There was one bit of good news for the Grizzlies. Sophomore pitcher Aaron San Nicholas held his own against North Medford starter Beau Hovland and is beginning to look more and more like the No. 2 guy Ashland has been searching for. He struck out Hovland with a runner on second in the first inning and pitched his way out of a two-on, one-out jam in the third to keep the Grizzlies close. "If there was a highlight, it was (San Nicholas)," Robustelli said. "Finally coming in, throwing his stuff, getting outs, getting ground balls. He did a good job." Pressure's on And, according to Robustelli, San Nicholas did it knowing that Chad Hegdahl, Ashland's undisputed king of the hill, would not be available to swoop in and save the day. "Chad wasn't coming in today," Robustelli said. "We were trying to get San Nicholas on track. This was his game and I think he got himself some confidence in his pitches again. And on the mound, he's got a little more presence out there. He's relaxed and loosened up now, so he'll be ready for this weekend." Speaking of Saturday's doubleheader against Crater, if the first week of Southern Oregon Conference play tells us anything, it's that parity rules, which means Ashland can't afford to overlook the Comets just because they're 1-3 in the SOC. Conference cellar dwellers will beat conference juggernauts. It's already happened and it'll happen again. Ashland must take care of business against Klamath Union (oops), Eagle Point, Crater and Grants Pass in order to have any shot at ending up ahead of North Medford, South Medford and Roseburg in the final SOC standings. The Grizzlies can start by avoiding defensive performances that make Robustelli say stuff like: "All of our losses are because of mental errors, giving away runs, giving away the momentum. They just give it away. If they just let teams earn their runs and earn their hits and earn all that, we'd straight up beat everybody." Here's an idea. Lets put that theory to the test. Now. 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