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--> --> April 29: AHS tallies senior day split with Grants Pass By Chris Miller Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland High softball team celebrated its senior day with a Southern Oregon Conference doubleheader split against Grants Pass Saturday afternoon at North Mountain Park. The Grizzlies dropped the first game 1-0 on a seventh-inning miscue, but rallied in the seventh for a 2-1 victory in Game 2. Stephanie Hargis, Stacia Jones,and Cat Clason each played their final home games as Ashland Grizzlies. In a short ceremony before the game, Grizz head coach Rich Beugli introduced the three seniors to the crowd. As each player was introduced, they were handed balloons and T-shirts by junior varsity team members. All three seniors said they would miss playing for the Grizzlies. "It's kind of sad," Hargis said. "Knowing this is the last time on this field for me after three years with the team." "It's really sad, this is my fourth year of playing for Ashland," echoed Jones. "But I am really glad that we won that second game and stuck it through. We will keep working hard to make the playoffs." "Oh wow," Clason added,"I didn't think it would affect me that much, but toward the end there I really started thinking about it and it made me play better. I just loved it, it was a lot of fun." The 1-1 day moved Ashland to 12-8 overall, 4-6 in the SOC, while Grants Pass went to 6-4 in conference play. With four league games left the Grizzlies are settled in sixth place - five games behind SOC-leading North Medford (9-1 SOC), three games behind both Crater and Roseburg, two games behind Grants Pass and one game behind South Medford. Both games were pitching duels with all four runs crossing the plate in the seventh inning. Grizz junior pitcher Megan Beugli allowed just one base runner through six innings in the opener. She did not walk a batter and struck out nine. Grants Pass did all its damage in the seventh inning of Game 1. After Beugli gave up a double to Ashley Bellum on a shot to left field ruled just fair, the Cavers advanced her to third on a fielders' choice. With two outs, a routine ground ball hit to Grizz freshman Alysse Carlson went between her legs for the only error of the game, allowing Bellum to score the winning run. "The ball could have been fielded and we would have been out of the inning," Beugli said. "Then we tried to get some (runs) across ourselves, but it didn't happen, and they did a nice job of finishing out the game. We have to keep working on it. It would be nice to have a game where we have a four or five-run cushion like we did against North (Medford). That was fun." Grants Pass' Jessica Morton was Megan Beugli's equal in the opener. She struck out nine Grizz batters, allowed one free base and gave up just four hits. Coach Beugli gave credit to Morton for keeping the Grizz in check. "She is a good pitcher," Beugli said. "She has real good stuff and was first-team all-conference last year. But she gives you stuff to hit and you have to take advantage when it's there and we didn't always do that." In the nightcap the Grizzlies looked as if they were going to run away with the game early. Ashland loaded the bases in the first inning with no outs, but a double play and a ground out ended the threat. Ashland's pitching combination of sophomore Aimee Jeska and Beugli held the visitors to three hits. The Cavers stuck with Morton, who surrendered four hits. A Grizzlies' throwing error on a suicide squeeze bunt gave the Cavers the 1-0 lead in the seventh. Grants Pass returned the favor in the bottom of the inning. Jones drew a walk to lead off Ashland's seventh and junior Anna Harris ripped an infield single to put base runners on first and second. Both runners advanced on junior Stefani Talbott's bunt and scored on a throwing error. "The seniors did a nice job," coach Beugli said. "They were focused and ready to go." AHS Baseball At Grants Pass, the Grizzlies destroyed the Grants Pass Cavemen in Game 1 but blew a 4-0 lead in the nightcap in what could prove to be a devastating Southern Oregon Conference doubleheader split Saturday. Ashland (13-6 overall, 7-3 SOC) won the opener 16-7, but Grants Pass (12-8, 4-6) scored five runs in its last four at-bats for a 5-4 victory in Game 2, delivering a serious blow to Ashland's conference title hopes. The Game 2 loss creates a logjam at the top of the conference, where four teams - Ashland, Crater, North Medford and Roseburg - each hold 7-3 conference marks. Sophomore Chad Hegdahl started the opener for Ashland and picked up the win to improve to 5-1. Senior ace Mike Allen pitched all of Game 2 and fell to 5-3. The Grizzlies had six extra-base hits on the day, including homers by Allen in Game 1 and senior Bill Rowe in Game 2. Ashland had 14 hits in the opener, where Allen went 3-for-4, senior Ryan Decker went 3-for-6 and senior Nick Danis went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Grants Pass' Patrick Allen hit an RBI single in the sixth inning of Game 2 to drive home the winning run. 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