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Grizz in search of an SOC win By Chris Miller Ashland Daily Tidings After taking some lumps in its first Southern Oregon Conference home games of the season against Klamath Union, the Ashland High softball team is looking forward to hosting Crater Saturday at North Mountain Park. Last year at Crater, the Grizzlies and Comets played six scoreless innings before two straight triples gave Ashland a 1-0 Game 1 win, ending Crater's unbeaten season. This season's contest will decide which team can break into the SOC win column first. Ashland (0-2 SOC) got beat 4-3 and 7-3 by KU, while the Comets (0-2 SOC) were swept by Grants Pass in league play 3-0 and 4-2 last weekend. The Comets brings to the field two of the league's best pitchers. Both Crater starters, junior Jenni Bittle and sophomore Janelle Cristofaro, made the All-SOC team last season. The Comets also have senior Leann Foster, who is a two-time, first-team All-SOC outfielder. "We will be facing two very good pitchers and we will have to create some offense," said Grizzly head coach Rich Beugli. "I'm not concerned with what they are going to do - I know what they can do - I am more concerned with what we are going to do." What the Grizz did in their home opener was show off some bright spots and some dark holes. Ashland committed eight errors in the doubleheader, including four in one inning that led to three Pelican runs. But they were 9-for-9 on stolen bases and a perfect 2-for-2 on bunts. Sophomore catcher Alysse Carlson gunned down 2 of 3 base runners who attempted to steal, and she did it with a leg injury. Beugli acknowledged his team's good baserunning and execution of smallball, but said his team won't be as aggressive on the basepaths this week. "No disrespect to Klamath Union, but those are probably two of the weakest catchers in the league," Beugli said. "Stealing eight or nine bases in two games - that's not going to happen all of the time." Beugli said his team looked much better in practice this week, partially due to having his full varsity squad back. "For the first time all season we had what we picked for our varsity team," Beugli said. "We looked much better defensively. This group of girls is working very hard." Even though the Grizz have played only one conference doubleheader this year, they got a sneak preview of the state's No. 1 team Tuesday. Ashland traveled to North Medford to take on the Black Tornado in a non-conference match. North won the game 3-0, but Beugli said even being invited to play in this game showed his team has garnered some respect. "They are the one that insisted on this game," Beugli said. "Because they wanted to play us before they got us in the conference, because we beat them last year." One very big question looms for the Grizz: who will pitch Game 2. Last week's nightcap pitchers, junior Aimee Jeska and sophomore Natalie Braham, are nursing injuries. Beugli said that his Game 1 starting pitcher, senior Megan Beugli, could go both games, but that isn't a good strategy. "After seeing the same pitcher three times in the first game, you need to show them something else," he said, "give them a change of pace." Coach Beugli said his team is ready to go and has showed a real interest in improving by showing up early to practice. "Our plan is to put together a solid game from the first inning to the last, for two games," Beugli said. "We think we can minimize the errors and go forward." At the very least, Beugli seemed to wax philosophically about this weekend's matchup. "It would be nice to have good weather and a park full of people," he said. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -