Document text
Ashland is navigating an uncharted territory Behind the pitching of Allen, it wins a playoff game for the first time ASHLAND - Doing what no team in program history had before, the Ashland High baseball team earned a victory in the Class 4A state playoffs Monday, knocking off Sheldon, 3-0. Senior right-hander Mike Allen stymied the Irish with a four-hit shutout, striking out seven, hitting one batter and walking none. Senior first baseman Bill Rowe fueled the Grizzly offense with two doubles in three at-bats, driving home one run and scoring once. Ashland (18-7 overall), co-champion of the Southern Oregon Conference, travels to Oregon City, the Three Rivers League champion, for a second-round contest Wednesday at a time to be determined. Grizzlies head coach Doug Stover enjoyed what he witnessed Monday. "The kids have worked hard all year, and their goal was to get to the playoffs and win some games once we were there," said Stover, who directed the Grizzlies. "They've started off pretty good in that last regard." In improving to 8-3, Allen pitched both economically - limiting his pitches - and near-flawlessly - needing to work out of only one real jam. With two outs in the top of the sixth inning, Sheldon (14-12) threatened with a single by pitcher Alex Brink and a ground-rule double from Zach Moran. But Allen induced a ground out from Tyler Brown to retire the side. "You couldn't have gotten the ball out of his hands," Stover said of his ace. "This was his game. ... He was more focused today than I've ever seen him. He showed a lot of poise." Ashland was playing in just its second-ever postseason game, the first coming a year ago when the SOC-champion Grizzlies were upset by Gresham, 1-0, in the first round. "We're .500 now," Stover quipped. "It wasn't too big of a monkey." Torr George and Ryan Decker smacked two hits apiece to join Rowe in pacing Ashland's eight-hit attack. George's third-inning single marked the third of three consecutive Grizzly singles and plated Tim Hegdahl to give Ashland a 1-0 edge. Rowe doubled in the fourth and eventually scored on Chase Cook's squeeze bunt. In the fifth, George led off with a double and raced home on Rowe's double. Brink (7-2), the first-team all-state quarterback last fall, gave up three earned runs on eight hits, two hit batters and one walk. He struck out five. Sheldon ............................................ 000 000 0 - 0 4 1 Ashland ............................................ 000 111 x - 3 8 0 Brink and Powell; Allen and George. W - Allen (8-3). L - Brink (7-2). 2B - S: Moran; A: Rowe 2, George. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.