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37 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, March 24, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 23, 2005 South Medford senior pitcher Jen Mendenhall uncorks a pitch during Tuesday�s nonconference tilt with Churchill. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Deja vu for Panthers In rematch of a state-playoff game from last season, Churchill again bests South By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune South Medford wanted revenge against the team that knocked it out of the softball state playoffs last year. It had to settled for a measure of satisfaction in the North Medford Invitational Tuesday. Churchill, a powerhouse from the Midwestern League, scored a run in the top of the eighth inning under the international tiebreaker rule, then held on for a 2-1 victory at chilly, wet Fagone Field. "There was a lot (of motivation)," said Panther pitcher Jen Mendenhall, mindful that 10 months earlier, the Lancers bounced South from the Class 4A playoffs. It didn’t translate to a win, but Mendenhall, who struck out 17 batters in her first setback of the season, found a silver lining. Advertisement "We made some mistakes," she said, "but we know we can compete with high-level teams. Churchill is a good team. They’re a good hitting team and a good defensive team, and I think we’re right up there with them." A year ago, she was dominant in the playoff matchup but left the game for a couple of innings because of an injury. It was while she was out that Churchill scored all its runs in a 4-2, second-round triumph. The Lancers, who have five starters back, including first-team all-state catcher Lily Rogers and second-team pitcher Kelly Dyer, lost in the quarterfinals, 1-0, to eventual champion Westview. "I definitely wanted a second chance at them," said Mendenhall, a fireballing senior who allowed five hits Tuesday. "I wanted to be able to pitch a full game and not hurt myself. We knew we could beat them, and we definitely wanted to redeem ourselves for last year. Even though we lost, we did that." The loss was the second of the day for South (4-2). It was beaten by South Salem, another playoff team from last season, 5-0. South played right with Churchill until the eighth inning, when the Lancers, who suffered their only loss in six games to Crater earlier in the day, forged a 2-1 lead. Under the international rule, teams begin each extra inning with a runner at second base. With Mindy Bean at second, Mendenhall struck out the first two Churchill hitters. But Rogers squibbed a single up the middle that eluded shortstop Jackie Chaplin and scored the go-ahead run. Despite a fine throw by South center fielder Bethany Stousland, Bean slid in just under the tag of catcher Simone Hubbard. "Stousland made a great throw to the plate," said Panthers coach Dan Marshall, "and it looked like the runner made a great slide. I thought the ball was there before the runner." In the bottom of the eighth, the Panthers’ Jonni Byrne started the inning at second base and moved to third on a wild pitch. But that’s all Dyer allowed as she struck out three straight to close it out. Dyer allowed six hits and fanned 11. South threatened to win it in regulation when it loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh. Stousland walked to start the inning and, with one out, Chaplin blistered a single up the middle — her third hit — and took an extra base on the throw from the outfield. With runners at third and second, Hubbard was walked intentionally, but Byrne popped out to Dyer to end the threat. Churchill had broken a scoreless tie in the fourth inning, in part because of a Chaplin throwing error. But Chaplin and Byrne got the Panthers even again in the sixth. Chaplin beat out an infield hopper to shortstop, then Byrne ripped a shot over the first-base bag to score her. "I felt like that runner that got on and scored did so on my error," said Chaplin of her fourth-inning error. "She wouldn’t have been on if it wasn’t for me. I really wanted to get it back for my team." With Byrne’s help, she did. "Jonni’s always been a clutch hitter," said Chaplin. "She always hits it when you need her to hit it." Hubbard, who caught last year and made first-team all-Southern Oregon Conference when regular catcher Alex Jordahl sat out with a left ankle injury, moved from third base to behind the plate when Jordahl injured her right ankle sliding in the second inning. The severity of the injury is unknown, but Jordahl was walking gingerly after the game. In the first game, South Medford fell to South Salem despite an impressive outing by pitcher Jill Jeter. Jeter allowed six hits and struck out 14, but the Saxons used an error, four hits and a walk to score all their runs in the second inning. Jordahl was 2-for-3 for the Panthers. South Salem...........................050 000 0 — 5 6 0 South Medford.......................000 000 0 — 0 6 3 Jeter and Jordahl; Johnson and Jenkins. W — Johnson. L — Jeter (1-1). 2B — SS: Jenkins. Churchill...............................000 100 01 — 2 5 0 South Medford.....................000 001 00 — 1 6 1 Mendenhall and Jordahl, Hubbard (2); Dyer and Rogers. W — Dyer. L — Mendenhall (2-1). Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s