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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 25, 2005 Rough defense in seventh cost Grizzlies win By Ezra Mannix Tidings Correspondent Inconsistent defense was again the main culprit in an Ashland High baseball loss. The Grizzlies fell 5-3 to Newberg in the third-place game of the Ashland Spring Break Baseball Tournament. Thursday's loss dropped the Grizzlies to 2-3 to close out preseason play. Unlike the 15-2 loss to Churchill on Wednesday, the Grizzlies looked as good or better than the Tigers for six of the seven innings. The top of the seventh inning - with the score tied 3-3 - is when poor fielding gave the game away to the Willamette Valley visitors. Pitcher Aaron San Nicolas gave up a walk and a sacrifice bunt to put a runner on second base with one out. The junior hurler struck out the next batter, but catcher Sam Littleton, a junior, mishandled the pitch, picked it up but hesitated because a Newburg runner was stealing third, and didn't throw the ball to first in time to nail the runner. The rare play is called a passed ball strike three and usually results in the runner thrown out at first. Instead, the Grizzlies faced runners on first and third with one out. San Nicolas then gave up a bunt single, which Littleton retrieved along the third base line; but he made a tardy throw home and Newberg took a 4-3 lead. Moments later, senior shortstop Steve Jorgensen mishandled a grounder with two outs following another walk that loaded the bases. All Newberg's runners advanced for a 5-3 cushion. "Mentally, we're breaking down. When we do that we physically breakdown from there. The kids aren't thinking ahead," head coach Don Senestraro said about Ashland's defensive woes. "A lot of kids this is their first year playing varsity and they're just not mentally ready yet. That's where a lot of these errors are coming from." The Tigers stranded three runners, so it could have been worse, but the damage was done. Ashland went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh concluding with an Andrew Del Carlo groundout. Ashland impressed at times, however, especially early. Sophomore third baseman Justin Meza got the Grizzly offense going with a single in the bottom of the first. Following an infield single by sophomore left fielder Tysin Senestraro, Jorgensen drilled a double to the gap in deep left center field, scoring Meza. With runners on second and third and two outs, Newberg pitcher Jacob Greber, who pitched a complete game, walked Littleton with the bases loaded for a 2-0 Ashland lead. Del Carlo, a senior who started for Ashland, performed well, giving up one run in three innings. Coach Senestraro pulled him after three innings and 45-50 pitches, however, because he's recovering from an injury to the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder. Senestraro has been working him up to full strength gradually, starting with 15 pitches, then one inning, then Thursday's effort. "That's good for him," he said of the most recent outing. Del Carlo will likely be the third starter in the rotation behind San Nicolas and sophomore Gus Gaviglio. The coach also hopes the anger of losing a game they could have won will fuel better performances in league play. "The positive thing is the kids are really down, I know that may sound weird. Maybe they'll come back recommitted to baseball and give that much better of an effort," he said. Ashland's other run came in the bottom of the third on some shoddy Newberg defense. A wild throw to first base off a very short grounder along the third base line allowed pinch runner San Nicolas to score all the way from first for a 3-1 lead. Newberg 001 101 2 - 5 7 3 Ashland 201 000 0 - 3 6 5 Grebec amd Slaaler; Del Carlo. Dodds (4), San Nicholas (5) and Littleton, Bruce (6). W - Grebec. L - San Nicholas (1-2). 2B - N: Lee, Wright; A: San Nicholas. Ezra Mannix is a correspondent for the Ashland Daily Tidings. To comment on this article, contact Sports Editor Joe Zavala at 482-3456 ext. 3020 or [email protected] DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Online Pharmacy Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams