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--> --> July 12: Fire win again, beat P/T By Randy Johnson For the Tidings It was only 101 degrees in the dugout on Thursday at the District 6 Little League Softball Tournament in Medford, but on the field the 9-10 year-old girl's Ashland Fire managed a controlled burn on the Phoenix/Talent team - securing a 13-2 win in just four innings. After Wednesday's error-marked 25-23 loss to Medford American, Ashland Fire Manager John Souza had a pre-game message for his girls before the game: "Have fun ... and play to win." The Fire dominated the game from the start with a transformed infield playing like a machine, led by sure-fire pitcher Laurel Wallace. The Fire scored four runs in the second on a double by third baseman Drew Van Vleck and hits by Hannah Wilson, Sarah Marston, Crystina Brought and Olivia Mesco. The Fire added two runs in the third on hits by Shelley Johnson, Van Vleck and Marston. Ashland turned P/T into embers in the fourth with two strikeouts by Wallace and a dramatic pop-up catch by first baseman Amanda Bottimore that left the bases loaded. The Fire racked up its final three runs on hits by Van Vleck and walks by Amanda Brought, Johnson, Natalie Knight, Marston and Bottimore. Fire Manager Souza was exhilarated afterward, saying, "This was our best game of the tournament." Ashland meets Klamath's South Suburban team today at 6 p.m. If successful, they will meet Medford American for the championship on Saturday. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing