Phoenix overpowers Ashland in non-conference tilt - March 27, 2003

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2003-04-02

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M/CLOUDY Temp: 50 °F Wind: W at 9 mph Tuesday, April 1, 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 March 27, 2003 Phoenix overpowers Ashland in non-conference tilt ASHLAND — Summertime teammates were springtime opponents when the Phoenix and Ashland softball teams tangled Wednesday at North Mountain Park. The non-conference affair pitted members of the Southern Oregon Bandits against each other, and it was the Pirates (1-1) who took bragging rights with an 8-0 victory. "Some of the girls were dreading going to play them because they’re their friends," said Bill Shearin, Phoenix’s second-year head coach. "But it’s nice to get a win against a (Class) 4A team." Tiffany Ross shut out the Grizzlies (1-5) on three hits, punching out eight via strikeout while walking none. Jennifer Dunlap, Jamie Escobar, Kelsey Russell, Shannon Reed and Nicole Hammers ripped two hits apiece to power the Pirates’ 11-hit eruption. Escobar drilled two doubles and accumulated two RBIs. "After the Crater game, the girls made a commitment to practicing harder," said Shearin, whose squad dropped a 4-3 decision to the Comets in opening the season March 19. "And it was evident (Wednesday) in the way they ran the bases, the way they swung the bats and also the fact that we cut down on all the errors." Conversely, Ashland was plagued by six errors as it continues to search for a consistent lineup. "I’ve used 19 different girls on varsity so far this year," said Rich Beugli, the Grizzlies’ third-year head coach. "We’re young. We’ll get better. The kids are getting experience." Phoenix ................................. 302 201 0 — 8 11 0 Ashland .................................. 000 000 0 — 0 3 6 Ross and Reed; Jeska, Brahm (4) and Carlson. W — Ross (1-1). L — Jeska (0-2). 2B — P: Escobar 2. CRATER 2-8, WEST ALBANY 1-0 — At Ashland, Crater borrowed Ashland’s North Mountain Park to record a non-conference sweep. In the opener, the Comets’ Jenni Bittle and West Albany’s Mego Erner kept the game scoreless through seven innings with brilliant pitching. Under international tiebreaking rules, the Bulldogs started the eighth with a runner at second base and got her home on Dusty Grice’s single. But Crater came back to win it in the bottom half of the inning. Becka Shelamer’s infield single scored Sam Womelsdorf for the first run, then Allesha Spradling slapped a base hit to drive in Shelamer for the game-winner. Bittle (2-0) struck out 10 and walked none, stranding 10 West Albany runners while allowing seven hits. Erner permitted just four hits, walked two and struck out three. Game 2 was Janelle Cristofaro’s show. The sophomore standout improved to 2-0 by firing a shutout, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out eight. She also drilled an RBI triple. First Game West Albany ......................... 000 000 01 — 1 7 1 Crater ................................... 000 000 02 — 2 4 2 Erner and Blasquez; Bittle and Womelsdorf. W — Bittle (2-0). L — Erner. Second Game West Albany ........................... 000 000 0 — 0 1 7 Crater ..................................... 201 230 x — 8 4 2 Balschneid, Erner (2) and Pyburn; Cristofaro and Womelsdorf. W — Cristofaro (2-0). L — Balschneid. 3B — C: Cristofaro. EAGLE POINT 1, THURSTON 0 — At Eagle Point, Kelsey Heider pitched Eagle Point to victory in a duel with Jessica Lawnstrum. Using her drop ball effectively, Heider induced Thurston into repetitive right-side groundouts and shut out the Colts on four hits. She walked one and struck out one. The Eagles (3-0-1) were limited to two hits and managed to lift only one ball out of the infield against Lawnstrum, who struck out four and walked two. But they scratched out the decisive run in the first inning, as Kristina Bateman bunted for a single, reached second base on a sacrifice, stole third and sped home on Jamie Williams’ hit-and-run groundout. Bateman accounted for both Eagle Point hits, finishing 2-for-3 with two stolen bases. Thurston ................................. 000 000 0 — 0 4 0 Eagle Point ............................. 100 000 0 — 1 2 0 Lawnstrum and Shockey; Heider and Scott. W — Heider (2-0). L — Lawnstrum. 2B — T: Rascon. 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