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South snaps Crater's win streak Panthers win latter game of twin bill, 14-13 By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Dreams of a perfect season for Crater High's top-rated baseball team fizzled on Saturday. South Medford's fast-improving Panthers ended Crater's hopes for an undefeated season in the second game of a Southern Oregon Conference doubleheader at Miles Field. The Panthers exploded for seven runs in the first inning and added five more in the second and held off the hard-charging Comets in the late innings, 14-13, to salvage a split of the doubleheader. It was Crater's first loss of the season after the Comets flamed to a 17-0 start. In the first game, Crater ace Casey Campbell improved his record to 8-0 in a 7-3 Comets' win. "The odds were against us," said Crater coach Chuck Dominiak, referring to his talented team's chances of going through the season unbeaten. "This league is so tough, (a loss) could happen any time. We knew that. "When you are No. 1, they're going to come after you," said Dominiak. "They came out swinging in the second game. It seemed like they hit everything." The loss dropped the Comets into a tie for first place with North Medford atop the Southern Oregon Conference at 7-1. South Medford improved to 3-5 in the SOC and 9-10 overall. Sophomore third baseman Jimmie Maddox lashed six hits in seven at-bats to lead the Panthers in the doubleheader. Maddox had three hits in four at-bats and drove in two runs in the second game. "We were fired up to play the No. 1 team in the state," said Maddox. "We felt we could have won the first game with a couple of breaks, and we wanted to come right after them in the second game. "This win will do a lot for our confidence. It's a big one." Freshman second baseman Ryan Heil of South also had three hits in the second game, including a bases-clearing triple in the first inning as South took a 7-0 lead against Crater pitcher Brent Foster. South Medford pitcher Chris Empio had a two-run double in the second inning and Josh Tompkins and Maddox had run-scoring singles in the inning. Trailing 12-2 after three innings, the Comets scored four runs in the fourth inning, three in the sixth and four in the seventh before their final push fell just short against South left-handed reliever Graham Foster. In the Crater fourth inning, Jason Korthals got the Comets rolling with a three-run double. In the Comets' sixth, Brent Foster, K.J. Chubb and Steve Rice had run-scoring doubles, while Campbell stroked an RBI single. Crater fell shy of its comeback bid in the seventh despite RBI singles by Korthals, Foster and Rice. "I'm really pleased with the way we battled back," said Dominiak. "That shows me a lot about these kids. They showed a lot of heart, and they expected to win in the end. "That's a good sign. But give South a lot of credit. They came out hitting and didn't stop." South Medford coach Pete Whisler said his team's aggressive approach on Saturday, especially in the second game, should bode well for the Panthers as they strive for the playoffs. "I liked how we went after them," he said. "We played with good discipline, and it's a big win for us. The biggest so far. "But there will be more. We had chances of beating Roseburg and North (Medford) earlier, and the kids are starting to believe me about what hard work does. We're getting better and better." In the first game, Campbell allowed just one earned run in seven innings. He struck out nine batters to stretch his season total to 60. Craig Knight of the Comets hit a three-run homer in the second inning of the first game to give Crater a 5-1 lead. In the first inning, Knight doubled, Brent Foster had an RBI triple and then scored on a single by Chubb. FIRST GAME Crater ..................230 002 0 --7 10 0 South Medford .....100 200 0 -- 3 8 2 Campbell and Hinojosa; G. Foster and Skundrick. W -- Campbell (8-0) L -- G. Foster. 2B -- C: Knight, Hinjosa, B. Foster; SM: Tompkins. 3B -- C: B. Foster. HR -- C: Knight. SECOND GAME Crater ................020 403 4 -- 13 12 2 South Medford ...750 200 x -- 14 15 2 B. Foster, Chubb (2), B. Foster (4) and Hinojosa; Empio, Skundrick (3), G. Foster (7) and Shine. W -- Empio. L -- B. Foster. 2B -- C: Korthals, B. Foster and Shine; SM: Empio, Bock, Maddox. 3B -- SM: Heil. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.