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North, Ashland settle for split Photo by Andrew Kemp for Mail Tribune Ashland shortstop Ryan Decker, left, tries to avoid North Medford's Jeff Adams during the first game of an SOC doubleheader on Saturday. After being handcuffed by Grizz sophomore Chad Hegdahl, the top-ranked Tornado belts around Ashland ace Mike Allen By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune ASHLAND - Having already given one game away, the top-ranked North Medford baseball team wasn't interested in making that mistake again Saturday afternoon against Ashland. Rob Folsom and Evan McArthur made that abundantly clear in the first inning of Game 2 at North Mountain Park. Folsom smoked a leadoff double against Ashland ace Mike Allen and, one out later, McArthur duplicated the feat to give North its first advantage in the Southern Oregon Conference doubleheader. The Black Tornado (11-1 overall, 3-1 SOC) used that momentum in scoring at least one run in the first five innings against Allen to win the nightcap 6-3 and earn a key SOC split. Ashland sophomore Chad Hegdahl confounded the Tornado in the opener, allowing no earned runs in 5� innings of work for a 5-4 victory. The Grizzlies (9-4, 3-1 SOC) scored three of their runs in Game 1 off three North errors. "We gave them that first game but we weren't going to stand for that in the second game," said McArthur, who allowed only five hits with six strikeouts in Game 2. The senior right-hander was also 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs. "We came out flat and didn't feel good about that first game at all. We didn't want to do the same thing twice. We wanted to prove who we are." Although not a priority, the North players also wanted to prove something against the much-ballyhooed Allen. "Evan's a really great competitor and I know all week he was looking forward to the matchup with Mike Allen because everyone had hyped him up so much," said Folsom. "Evan wanted a shot at him and he got it, and he pitched real well." Folsom wasn't too shabby himself, going 4-for-4 with two runs and one RBI against Ashland's hard-throwing senior. The sophomore catcher was 6-for-8 in the twin bill and is 11-for-17 thus far in conference play. "I guess I kind of was looking forward to hitting against Allen too," Folsom conceded with a slight smile. "Today I was just seeing the ball pretty well and having fun. When you have fun out there good things can happen." Ashland answered North's surge with a two-run double by Titus Weston in the bottom of the first inning, but the Tornado wasn't to be denied as Folsom followed with an RBI single in the second and Russ Vandell added an RBI single in the third. After Ashland first baseman Bill Rowe smacked his second straight double with two outs in the third, Allen picked up his only hit of the doubleheader with a run-scoring shot to right field that made it 4-3. It was all North from that point as McArthur didn't allow another hit and the Tornado kept tearing the cover off the ball with RBI singles from McArthur and Brett Timmerman to close out Game 2. The one time Ashland appeared ready to turn the tide in the last three innings, Timmerman pulled off the defensive play of the game in right field. Trailing 6-3 but with the top of the order up, Ashland appeared in great position after leadoff batter Charles Dotterrer sent a frozen rope to right field that had extra-bases written all over it until Timmerman made a spectacular diving catch. That proved to be the last hard-hit offering by Ashland on the day. "I told him I owe him dinner for that one," McArthur said of Timmerman's defensive gem. "That was an incredible catch and held the momentum for us." As sweet as that play was for North, the same couldn't be said for how the Tornado handled matters in the opener. Wild throws on routine plays allowed Ashland to take a 5-0 lead. As if the defensive miscues weren't enough to eat away at North, the Tornado struggled to find a rhythm against the mind-boggling Hegdahl. "You tell yourself you can hit him," said McArthur, "but if you're walking back to the dugout he's got to be doing something right." Hegdahl only had one strikeout but he never really allowed North to make good contact in back-to-back at-bats. "He's come through big for us," Rowe said of the lefty. "He doesn't blow it by guys and get strikeouts, but he gets ground balls and fly balls like you wouldn't believe." Hegdahl finally tired in the sixth, giving up a one-out double by McArthur after an error put Tyler Engle on first base. Following a run-scoring groundout by Dustin Butler, Vandell laced an RBI double to close the book on Hegdahl. Rowe came on in relief and immediately got out of the inning, but was roughed up in the sixth when two runs scored following a two-out triple by Engle that eluded a diving Dotterrer. With the tying run on third, Rowe got McArthur to ground out to shortstop Ryan Decker, whose low throw was scooped nicely by Hegdahl. "I was a little shaky," Rowe said of his relief work. "I've got a bad history with the North Medford guys. They just always hit me. I was really glad I had our defense behind me." That was about the only thing that pleased the senior lefty. "No one comes to our house and takes even one game from us," said Rowe. "We didn't want the split; we wanted the sweep." Bravado aside, Ashland coach Doug Stover opted to look at the split on a much bigger scale as his team prepares to face Crater (4-0 SOC) next Saturday. "Last year at this time I was 2-2 in the SOC and this year I'm 3-1, so I'm happy," he said. "If I can come out of next Saturday 4-2 then I'm feeling pretty good." FIRST GAME North Medford.....................................000 002 2 - 4 7 4 Ashland.................................................021 020 x - 5 7 1 Kircher, Timmerman (5) and Folsom; C. Hegdahl, Rowe (6) and George. W - C. Hegdahl (3-0). L - Kircher (3-1). 2B - NM: McArthur, Vandell. 3B - NM: Engle; A: Weston. SECOND GAME North Medford..................................211 110 0 - 6 10 0 Ashland................................................201 000 0 - 3 5 1 McArthur and Folsom; Allen, Rowe (7) and Cook, George (5). W - McArthur (4-0). L - Allen (3-2). 2B - NM: Folsom, McArthur, Vandell, Timmerman; A: Rowe 2, Weston. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.