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June 4, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels May 19, 2004 Writing the Pine Playoff time - in a perfect world Joe Zavala This is the way the 2003-04 school year would end in a perfect world: Friday o Playing with the poise of a player five years her senior, Ashland High sophomore Kayla Moyse forces a third and deciding set in the second round of the 4A girls' state tennis tournament against top-seeded Qu Momie. In the third set, Moyse battles back from triple-match point to hold serve and force a tie-breaker, then overcomes a quadruple match point there to tie Qu at 7-all. After an epic back-and-forth battle, Moyse finally pulls out the stunner, clinching the match on a between-the-legs topspin lob that kisses the corner for a 20-18 win. Moyse is carried off the court on the shoulders of head coach Karl Carstensen, who just returned from watching Chelsea Van Lehn and Kate Morris upset the No. 7 seeds. o Ashland senior pitcher Micah Weston allows just two hits and strikes out 11 in a surprise start that spearheads Ashland's 1-0, first-round playoff win over Dallas. An unassisted triple-play by third baseman Rocky Reeser and a solo home run by pinch hitter Sam Littleton in the bottom of the seventh saves the day. The performance allows Ashland coach Jason Robustelli to rest Grizzly ace Chad Hegdahl, who wakes up to find his arm completely healed of the tendinitis that's been nagging him all year. Saturday o In one of the greatest performances in Southern Oregon Conference track and field history, Ashland's Erika Boehnke sets SOC records in the high jump, triple jump and long jump at the district meet. The performance inspires her teammates, who put up personal records across the board on their way to capturing the team title. o Moyse caps her remarkable run with a 6-7, 7-6 (12), 7-6 (14) win over second-seeded Grant junior Julia Strang in a 4A championship match instantly hailed as the best ever. Moyse's backhand winner down the line off a Strang overhead proves to be the difference. Meanwhile, in the girls' doubles tournament, Van Lehn and Morris obliterate the No. 2 seeds in the finals, 6-0, 6-0. Monday o Hegdahl strikes out 13 on the mound and crushes two homers at the plate, as the Grizz baseball team pounds No. 4 Redmond into submission and raises eyebrows across the state with a 16-3, five-inning win in the second round of the state playoffs. Arron Nelson and Ben Dodds set the tone for the afternoon by hitting back-to-back inside-the-park home runs in the first inning. The abbreviated game allows Hegdahl to save his arm for Wednesday's third-round clash with Corvallis. May 26 o As it turns out, the Grizzlies don't need Hegdahl. Aaron San Nicholas pitches a three-hit shutout and the Grizzlies stay hot at the plate in a 12-1, six-inning win over the Spartans. John Goldberg and Jackson Rowe each hit two home runs, including Rowe's 430-foot shot to left in the second inning that destroys the scoreboard at North Mountain Park. May 28 o Sophomore distance runner Natalie Hemphill overcomes a 45-meter deficit in the final lap to pull out the 800 state championship. The unprecedented comeback, dubbed "The Kick" in a Daily Tidings headline, draws national attention and leads to the design of a new Nike shoe: The Hemphill Infinity 45-800. Meanwhile, Boehnke completely clears the pit on her first long jump attempt for the Grizzlies' second state championship of the day. o Westview takes an 8-0 lead in the first inning, but Ashland overcomes its first deficit of the postseason by scoring nine runs, eight on squeeze bunts, with two outs in the seventh. Hegdahl's head-first slide caps the comeback and gives the senior pitcher his second win of the playoffs. Seven of Westview's runs are unearned. After the game, Dodds guarantees the Grizzlies will beat South Medford in the semifinals. "It won't even be close," he says. May 29 o Sporting a pair of Hemphill Infinities, Brynn Cogdill becomes the first double-national champion in Southern Oregon University history when she wins both the 1,500 and 5,000 in record times. June 1 o Dodds was right. Playing before a standing-room only crowd of 5,000 at Miles Field, the Grizzlies score four runs in the first inning on Goldberg's grand slam and never look back in a 9-1 semifinal win. Weston shuts down South Medford for the second time this season, holding the SOC champs to two hits while striking out 10. Afterwards, in a show of respect that breaks all boundaries, South Medford shortstop Andy Narus implores the crowd to make the trip to Keizer Stadium and support the Grizzlies. The gesture is praised by all, save the Grizzlies' championship game opponent: North Medford. June 5 o Playing in front of the largest, loudest crowd in state championship history, the Grizzlies and Black Tornado match each other blow for blow through 14 magical innings. With the score tied 3-3 in the top of the 15th, North scores two runs on a double by Rob Folsom for the first earned runs against Hegdahl all day. In the bottom the inning, Beau Hovland strikes out Ashland's first two batters, prompting the North Medford fan section to chant, "it's all over." Consecutive base hits by Nelson and Dodds brings up Hegdahl, who fouls off six would-be strikeout pitches before finally getting to a full count. With the crowd on its feet, Hegdahl launches a drive to deep left field. The ball looks destined for foul territory, but a strong wind gust at the last moment saves the day. It hits the foul pole, igniting an explosion of cheers reportedly heard as far away as Wilsonville. The crowd storms the field and carries off Hegdahl, who's wearing a pair of baseball-modified Hemphill Infinities. The headline in the Tidings echoes the North Medford fans: 'It's all over." Hey, we can dream, can't we? 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