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Pirates ride Kessler to win over RR ROGUE RIVER - Eric Kessler's fifth-inning catch robbed Rogue River of at least three runs and his 4-for-5 performance at the plate helped power Phoenix's offense as the Pirates concluded the baseball regular season with a 10-4 win over the Chieftains on Tuesday. Phoenix (14-11 overall, 14-7 Skyline Conference) finishes third in the conference and will travel to the Far West League's second seed for a Class 3A state tournament first-round game on Monday. Kessler homered, doubled and singled twice in collecting three RBIs, while teammates Nathan Emerson (3-for-5, including a solo home run) and Brady Rhodes (three hits) added more thunder to the attack. But it was Kessler's catch of Matt Frederick's bases-loaded drive in the fifth that had Chieftains head coach John White shaking his head. "He took away at least a three-RBI double and possibly a home run," said White, whose squad posted marks of 9-17 overall and 5-16 in the Skyline this season. Ryan Girodat exploded for his third consecutive three-hit outing to lead Rogue River's 11-hit charge. With most of the team back next year, the future looks promising for the Chieftains. "We're gonna have about 14 lettermen coming back," White said. "We were really, really young this year." In the meantime, White said Phoenix's camaraderie should continue to serve it well in the postseason. "They play well together," White said. "They've got a good attitude and a good group. I think that's been the secret to their success this year." Phoenix ........................................ 314 020 0 - 10 16 1 Rogue River ................................... 000 112 0 - 4 11 3 Goble, West (4), Rhodes (7) and Ellis; Hunter, Frederick (4) and Bashans. W - Goble. L - Hunter. 2B - P: Stovall, Kessler; RR: Girodat 2, Carbone. HR - P: Kessler, Emerson. NORTH VALLEY 9, ILLINOIS VALLEY 1 - At Cave Junction, North Valley completed its season with a win to finish 11-10 in the Skyline and 13-13 overall. Drew Dechenne tossed a two-hit complete game to pick up the pitching victory, allowing no earned runs while striking out six and walking two. The Knights' 11-hit parade was paced by Paul Mitchell (3-for-3), Luke Hall (2-for-3) and Ariah Nead (2-for-4). Daniel Houston drove in Illinois Valley's lone run with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the first inning. The Cougars end the season 2-19 in the Skyline and 3-23 overall. North Valley ................................... 131 003 1 - 9 11 1 Illinois Valley ................................... 100 000 0 - 1 2 0 Dechenne and Beck; Hedrick and Lock. W - Dechenne. L - Hedrick. 2B - NV: Mitchell, Nead. 3B - NV: Silva, Hurst. Nonconference CASCADE CHRISTIAN 14, MILO ACADEMY 4 - At White City, Cascade Christian ended the game on Adam Rutledge's two-run single in the sixth inning of the non-league game at the V.A. Domicilary. Sammy Okada opened the sixth inning with a walk and Tyson Walker and Jon Gettman followed with singles to load the bases. Then Rutledge delivered his game-winning hit. Rutledge, Gettman and Josh Bellamy each went 3-for-4 for the Challengers (4-14, 2-8 District 6). Cascade erased a 4-0 deficit by scoring seven runs on six hits and three walks in the second inning. The Challengers complete the District 6 season by hosting Lost River in a doubleheader at noon Saturday. Milo Academy...................................400 000 - 4 6 7 Cascade Christian............................073 112 - 14 17 4 Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.