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CLEAR Temp: 58 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, June 5, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend May 27, 2003 Forest Grove’s first-inning surge proves insurmountable for South By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune In prep softball, four runs might as well be Mt. McLoughlin. And maybe Mt. Everest, if you haven’t scored that many in a game since May 10. Those were the sobering realities staring down at South Medford from Fagone Field’s center-field scoreboard following the first half-inning of Monday’s Class 4A first-round contest. And Forest Grove wasn’t about to come down from the mountaintop. Advertisement The Vikings rode their four-run opening outburst to a 5-0 upset of the fifth-ranked Panthers. The second seed out of the Pac-9 Conference, Forest Grove (16-9-1) moves on to host No. 1-ranked Westview in Wednesday’s second round. South Medford, meanwhile, finishes its breakthrough season with an 18-8 record. "Great season, bad inning," said Dan Marshall, the Panthers’ first-year head coach. The top of the first was indeed bad for South, as, perhaps for the first time all year, the youthful Panthers looked their age. Facing sophomore sensation Jen Mendenhall, the Vikings turned two hits, two walks, a hit batter, a couple passed balls/wild pitches, one physical error and a few mental miscues into their four runs. For comparison, Mendenhall gave up just six runs during the regular season and the Panthers collectively allowed 29, 11 of which were in a non-conference loss to Fallon (Nev.). Only two other times did an opponent score as many as four times in a game against South. "In fastpitch softball, you’re thinking two, three runs is big," Marshall said. "They get a four-spot in the first inning, and it does play on you mentally. Even though we battled, it’s tough to overcome." Conversely, the first had a galvanizing effect on the Vikings, whose lack of offense has often been their demise. "One run for us has been a mountain," said first-year head coach Doug Thompson. It might have been again Monday, had the Panthers not fallen apart in the first. After junior Shalane Campbell’s leadoff single, Mendenhall got two outs as Campbell advanced to third base. Sophomore Amanda Pittman walked, and sophomore Christina Stauber was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Senior Melissa Mulick then lined a shot toward third that South sophomore Jackie Chaplin dove to her left to glove, but the ball jarred loose to score Campbell and reload the bags. With senior Christina Drinkwater at the plate, the Panthers fell for an old baserunning trick and tried to cut down Mulick, who was midway to second, at first. As soon as sophomore catcher Alex Jordahl threw to junior first baseman Erica Corns, Pittman raced home from third and the other two runners also advanced. Mendenhall walked Drinkwater and then bounced a delivery past Jordahl, whose toss back to Mendenhall at the plate, trying to nail Stauber, was errant. Mulick took advantage to score the fourth run. Thompson credited a local legend for the baserunning aggression that fueled Forest Grove’s explosion. "Larry Binney was there at about four of the conferences I went to in the last four or five, six years," Thompson said of the former North Medford head coach. "The stuff he does and teaches, we’ve adopted. We want to run bases like he does." South was never able to respond to the early barrage, although the Panthers weren’t lacking in opportunities. Starting with junior shortstop Katie Kaufman’s single in the bottom of the first, South had at least one hit in every inning but the sixth. The Panthers got a runner as far as third base in the third and fourth frames and had someone on second in the first and second. A timely hit, however, never came against Vikings senior ace Nikki Smith. If just one had, especially early, South might have been able to mount a comeback, outfielder Crystal Powell said. "We’ll get really down if a run scores, but as soon as we score a run, our mentality jumps right through the roof again," said Powell, one of just three Panther seniors. "We usually pull through, but today we just couldn’t get that run." Forest Grove added a run in the fifth, as Pittman doubled and Stauber singled her in. Smith went the distance for the victory, permitting six hits while striking out seven and walking two. Mendenhall fell to 9-3 in giving up six hits, striking out six and walking four. Campbell laced two hits for the Vikings, and Chaplin did the same for South, which committed three errors. Forest Grove ........................... 400 010 0 — 5 6 0 South Medford ....................... 000 000 0 — 0 6 3 Smith and Campbell; Mendenhall and Jordahl. W — Smith. L — Mendenhall (9-3). 2B — FG: Pittman; SM: Mendenhall. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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