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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 12, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend August 11, 2004 Phoenix-Talent comes up short in title bid By JODI NOFZIGER for the Mail Tribune THE DALLES — One win shy. That’s what happened to Phoenix-Talent’s baseball team of 14-year-olds in Tuesday’s championship game of the Pacific Northwest Babe Ruth regional tournament at Quinton Street ballpark in The Dalles. North Kitsap of North Washington arrived in the evening finals game with a relatively fresh outlook — after about a six-hour rest following a 7-5 victory over Bozeman, Mont., in the morning semifinal. Phoenix-Talent, however, had about 2½ hours to recuperate from the 100-degree plus temperatures of their 6-2 semifinal win over tournament favorite Kennewick of Tri-Cities, Wash. It might have been the difference as North Kitsap nabbed a 7-0 lead on Phoenix-Talent and went on to claim a 12-2 win in five innings. Advertisement With the tallest trophy, North Kitsap earned a spot in the 2004 World Series in Wilson County, N.C., Aug. 14-21. "(Phoenix-Talent) is a great team," said North Kitsap manager Mike Jones. "They knocked off one of the favorites, (previously unbeaten) Kennewick, and they came out to play ball." Phoenix-Talent, which ripped through the district tournament and the South Oregon state tourney unbeaten, wasn’t making any excuses. "North Kitsap is the only team to beat us this year in Babe Ruth, and they beat us twice," said manager Brian Lewis. "This (regional runner-up spot) was far overdue. It’s our year. The kids played a lot (today) and the weather is to be considered." Phoenix-Talent coach Mike George added, "We’re proud of these kids. We were first in state and now we can say we are the No. 2 team in the region out of over 300 teams." The two squads both played in the American Division pool, meeting in their first game with North Kitsap clinching a 16-1 win in five innings. "We felt we could beat this team on the second round," said Lewis, "because we were hitting the ball. But it wasn’t our day today." North Kitsap scurried to a 7-0 lead after two innings, breaking it open in the second with six runs off five singles. Starting Phoenix-Talent pitcher Jae McEvoy was relieved in the second by Ryan Robinson, who also went parts of two innings. In all, Phoenix-Talent used five pitchers to try to slow North Kitsap, including three pitchers (Cody Barrett, Mike McIntire, Neil Emerson) in the final frame. In the bottom of the fifth, the trio walked seven straight batters, walking in four runs, including the game-winning run, to end the game by the 10-run rule. Phoenix-Talent ace left-hander Jordan Lewis pitched all seven innings in the earlier semifinal win, but the other pitchers have "all come through for us, too," said Brian Lewis. "They’ve carried us through." The quintuplet of pitchers gave up six singles. North Kitsap left fielder Jordan Tucker went 2-for-3 to lead his team, with catcher James Smith driving in two runs and pitcher Jamaal Smith driving in three runs. North Kitsap’s Smith allowed two runs off seven hits, while striking out three for the complete-game win. Phoenix-Talent left fielder Kory Locken went 3-for-3 to lead his team. Also with hits were McEvoy, Robinson, third baseman Nick Workman and right fielder Chris Short. The Phoenix-Talent team made its push in the fourth inning, scoring two runs when Short and Robinson hit back-to-back singles to left field. Short scored on a wild pitch, shortstop Andrew George got aboard after getting hit and Locken singled in a run to pull within 7-2. But it was all Phoenix-Talent could muster, giving up five more runs in the 12-2 loss. In Tuesday’s morning semifinal, Phoenix-Talent upended Kennewick behind the crafty pitching of Jordan Lewis and stellar play at shortstop by George. Phoenix-Talent led from the start, scoring one run in the top of the first inning when George, the leadoff hitter, singled and scored on Locken’s single. In the second, Lewis gave up a hit, but Short ended Kennewick’s inning with a diving, rolling grab in right field for the third out. In the third, Phoenix-Talent added two runs for a 3-0 lead. The team drew three straight walks to load the bases. Catcher Jake Murphy and Workman scored runs after getting a free pass. Lewis drove in a run, while second baseman Neil Emerson drove in Workman. The fifth inning added three more runs to Phoenix-Talent’s tally as Emerson scored on a wild pitch and Locken rapped a bases-loaded double to score both Short and George. Kennewick, which had scored 47 runs in four prior wins at the regional, rallied with two runs in the sixth. Lewis and a strong supporting defense kept Kennewick at bay from there. Lewis tossed a complete game with six strikeouts, allowing three hits and two walks. SEMIFINALS Phoenix-Talent.........................102 030 0 — 6 6 2 Kennewick................................000 002 0 — 2 3 0 CHAMPIONSHIP Phoenix-Talent.............................000 20 — 2 7 2 North Kitsap................................160 14 — 12 6 0 Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities