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Comets escape Eagle Point sweep Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Eagle Point�s Chris Boyd crosses home plate as Crater catcher Jared Maddocks mishandles the throw in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. By Don Hunt CENTRAL POINT � The Crater High baseball team had to be put on life support Tuesday afternoon at Anhorn Field. The defending state champion Comets suffered a 10-4 loss to Eagle Point in their Southern Oregon Conference opener, then found themselves trailing 7-1 after 2� innings of the nightcap. A double defeat seemed imminent. But just as the Comets were about to be administered last rites, they rallied for a 9-8 victory. Ryan Gipson was the hero for the hosts. The senior shortstop delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Comets and went 6-for-7 at the plate in the two games. "We easily could have lost both games and probably should have," Crater coach Chuck Dominiak said. "They had us on the ropes in that second game but we finally started to play some good baseball. "We feel real fortunate to get the split." Eagle Point, which was picked to finish seventh in the SOC in a preseason coaches poll while the Comets were picked third, watched its 7-1 lead diminish into a 7-7 tie. The equalizing run scored on David Sills� RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. But the Eagles weren�t about to give up. Senior catcher Ryan Garrett, who entered the twin bill with a .560 batting average, singled to open the seventh and eventually scored on Dan Acrey�s sacrifice fly as Eagle Point re-took the lead at 8-7. All the Eagles needed were three more outs to complete what would have been a stunning sweep. They couldn�t get them. Winning pitcher Chris Pettegrew doubled down the right-field line to lead off the bottom of the seventh. He then tied the game when he went from second to home on an errant pickoff throw from Garrett that sailed into left field. Craig Mulder then got aboard on an error and pinch-hitter Shane Lumpkin followed with a perfectly-executed bunt single. Following a walk to Ken Strate, Gipson stroked his game-winning hit to left. "I just wanted to drive the ball out of the infield and get the game over with," said Gipson, who had three doubles in the opening game and three singles in the latter contest. "I knew I was going to make contact � I�d been hitting the ball well all day." Gipson went into the doubleheader hitting just .172 on the season. He came out of it hitting .306. "It was just a matter of time," said Dominiak, whose team upped its season record to 9-2. "Ryan has hit the ball solidly all year but mostly right at people. He�s only struck out once (in 11 games)." For Pettegrew, the second game was a survival test. After yielding six hits and seven runs through the first three innings, the junior left-hander was nearly removed from the game. "I was set to take him out but (Andrew) Norum was having a tough time finding the strike zone in the bullpen," Dominiak said. "So I said to Pettegrew, �It�s up to you to keep this thing from getting any uglier.� "He did a great job of bouncing back." Pettegrew allowed just one hit � Garrett�s single in the seventh � over the final 4� innings and at one point retired 11 straight batters. "I just kept pitching hard and hoped that sooner or later we�d get something going offensively," said Pettegrew, who moved his record to 3-0. "It was pretty embarrassing there for awhile." Acrey scattered 11 hits, struck out five and walked only two in going the distance and getting the win for Eagle Point in the opening game. The Eagles (5-6, 1-1 SOC) blew open the first game with four runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth to build a 9-2 lead. "To get a split against a team of Crater�s caliber is a pretty good accomplishment, but it�s bitter-sweet because of the way it happened," Eagle Point coach Tom Britton said. "We beat them in the first game and had them by the throat in the second. But I knew seven runs might not be enough because of the way they hit the ball. "They�ve got kids who battle every inning and we never quite delivered the knockout blow." FIRST GAME Eagle Point ......................................002 431 0 � 10 11 1 Crater...................................................200 011 0 � 4 11 5 Acrey and Garrett; Petersen, K. Mulder (5) and Maddocks. W � Acrey . L � Petersen (2-1). 2B � EP: Farrell 2, Gray 2; C: Gipson 3, Lumpkin. SECOND GAME Eagle Point...........................................025 000 1 � 8 7 6 Crater ..................................................103 021 2 � 9 12 2 Gray, Farrell (3) and Garrett; Pettegrew and Maddocks. W � Pettegrew (3-0). L � Gray. 2B � EP: Nelson, Boyd, Willer; C � Strate, Pettegrew. 3B � EP: Garrett. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.