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July 14, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 2, 2004 Pilots show potential in split with Comets By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings CENTRAL POINT - Aaron Decker finished on the mound what Andrew Del Carlo started at the plate. It's a combination both Pilots and Grizzlies fans alike will probably have to get used to. Ashland Pilots center fielder Ben Morris ropes a run-scoring single in the fourth inning of Game 1 Thursday at Anhorn Field. Central Point took the opener, 9-3, but Ashland used 16 hits to win the nightcap, 16-5. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings Del Carlo homered to spark a six-run rally in the fifth, and Decker struck out four in the last 3 1/3 innings of relief, as the future of Ashland baseball enjoyed a coming out party of bombastic proportions in an American Legion A romp Thursday at Anhorn Field. After suffering through another frustrating setback, 9-3, in the opener, the Ashland Pilots used 16 hits - five for extra bases - to overwhelm the Central Point Comets 16-5 under the lights. It was the easily the most impressive performance to date by the young Pilots (2-11 overall, 2-10 Area 4) - made up predominantly of 14, 15 and 16 year olds - and the first to hint at Ashland's enormous potential in the years to come. "I think we just came out determined," said Del Carlo. "We came out slow in the first game and we didn't like how that turned out, so we just came out with more passion and heart and went for the win." Following the error-filled letdown that was Game 1, Ashland made sure the nightcap would not come down to defense. After the Comets scored three runs in the fourth to cut a 5-1 deficit to 5-4, the Pilots watched Del Carlo's 340-foot blast to leadoff the fifth sail over the left field wall and never looked back. John Goldberg, Sam Littleton, Tyson Synestaro and Decker also came through with hits in the inning, as the Pilots went through two pitchers and gained an 11-4 cushion. "I think coach (Hank Munn) really told us, 'You gotta want to do this, you gotta get sick and tired of losing,'" said Goldberg, who will go under the knife for a season-ending shoulder surgery Tuesday. "We had the momentum right from the beginning when Dylan Steves made a diving catch (in right field). Everyone just felt good and I felt it, too." Del Carlo nearly hit his second home run of the inning with two outs in the fifth, but the towering shot had too much lift and was caught in deep left. "I was thinking, 'that could be two in an inning,'" he said. "That would have been nice." Decker moved from shortstop to the mound with two on and two out in the bottom of the fourth and was immediately effective. He got Tyler Schmidt to fly out to end the inning, then held the Comets to two hits and one unearned run the rest of the way. Decker also struck out the side in the sixth, utilizing his loopy curve ball to get the last three batters of the inning to go down swinging with a runner at first. "Best ever, pretty much," Decker said, comparing his Game 2 performance with his previous work on the mound. Goldberg went 3-for-3 with two runs batted in, Decker went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a walk, Ben Morris was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and Synestaro went 2-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. Tyler Davis (single) and Charlie Reina (double) each had run-scoring hits in the fourth to lead Central Point, which used five pitchers. Griff Sollinger started on the mound for Ashland and allowed four hits and four runs (two earned) in 3 2/3 innings. He struck out two and walked four, including three in the fourth inning. In Game 1, Central Point scored four runs on three hits in the third and rode starting pitcher Chuckie Grabowski to the easy win. Ashland scored three in the fourth - two on an error - to cut the deficit to 5-3, but could get no closer and watched the Comets separate by tacking on two in the fifth and two in the sixth. 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