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71 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, September 3, 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 9, 2004 Medford Mustangs catcher Rob Folsom, left, slaps the tag on Salem�s Rocky Gale during the eighth inning of Sunday�s game. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Mustangs lose heartbreaker Salem Withnell Dodgers rally through the loser’s bracket to stun Medford in championship game By DON HUNT Mail Tribune GRANTS PASS — The Salem Withnell Dodgers took a page out of Medford’s book to win the American Legion baseball state championship at the All Sports Park on Sunday. The scrappy Dodgers, who lost their opening game of the tournament and had to win five straight to take home the first-place trophy, scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to overcome a 4-1 deficit and pin a 7-5 loss on the Mustangs. Salem (29-14) will now journey to the American Legion Northwest Regional in Roseburg, where it will meet Chino, Calif., in a first-round game Thursday at 4:30 p.m. What made the Dodgers’ state title run especially impressive was that they had to win two games Sunday in searing heat. They beat McMinnville 7-4 early Sunday before rallying past the Mustangs. Advertisement "We had a meeting after our first game today and our coach (Jeff Sigado) told us we had all day tomorrow to be tired," said Salem standout Erik Ammon, who pitched two innings of quality relief to preserve the victory. "To come back through the loser’s bracket like we did really feels good. It just shows how much character we have." Ammon, the Dodgers’ regular catcher, had to sweat out some anxious moments in the ninth inning after he yielded a leadoff single to Kyle Williamson and back-to-back walks to Corey O’Neill and Dan Chancler to load the bases with no outs. That brought up Folsom, one of the Mustangs’ all-time great players who thrives on pressure-packed scenarios. With the crowd rhythmically clapping its hands and stomping its feet, Folsom worked the count to 3-2 and fouled off two pitches before looking at a third strike on the outside and lower part of the plate. Chad Hegdahl hit a sacrifice fly to pull Medford within 7-5, but Ammon ended the game by striking out Abe Eubank. "Folsom is the Barry Bonds of American Legion baseball in this state," said Ammon, who is headed to the University of Hawaii on a baseball scholarship. "My adrenaline was flowing so hard I had to compose myself and just concentrate on throwing the ball to the catcher’s glove. "It was one of those epic battles, and I just happened to win this one." Medford fans thought the called third strike was low, but Folsom wasn’t making excuses. "It was a borderline pitch, but bottom line is, I should have swung at it," said Folsom, who went 0-for-4 on the day. "When you’ve got two strikes on you, you’ve got to swing at those pitches." For 6½ innings, Medford appeared on its way to victory. Left-hander Josh Suarez held the Dodgers to five hits and one run up until that juncture, while the Mustangs had built a 4-1 lead on the strength of RBI singles by Charles Behnke, Hegdahl and Chancler, along with an RBI groundout by O’Neill. But the Mustangs, who outhit Salem 17-10 and left 18 runners on base, would pay dearly for not taking better advantage of their opportunities. With Suarez tiring in the seventh, Lee Eklund greeted him with a double to start the inning. Casey Griffin then got aboard on an error by shortstop Williamson and Aaron Haugen followed with a walk to load the bases with none out. Leadoff hitter Jamie McGraw came through with an RBI single up the middle, cutting Medford’s lead to 4-2. Brenton Ferguson relieved Suarez and fielded a bunt by Joey Wong, but he threw wide to first base and another run scored. Ferguson then strike out Ammon — Salem’s No. 3 hitter — but Joey August followed with a sacrifice fly to tie the game and Josh Forgue and Robby Newbill hit RBI singles to put Salem ahead to stay. "That seventh inning was huge for us," said Jeff Sigado, the Salem manager. "Their starting pitcher (Suarez) pitched a great game for six innings but it looked like he tired a little in the seventh and they kicked the ball around and helped us out. "But anytime you beat Medford it’s a great win." Salem starting pitcher Jordan Emery picked up the victory despite giving up four runs and 15 hits over seven innings. O’Neill, Eubank and Williamson each had three hits to pace the Mustang attack, while Wong had three hits for Salem. Medford, which lost four of its final five games of the regular season, wasn’t expected to do much of anything in the postseason. But the Mustangs beat the Mid-Valley Rockets of Albany to qualify for the state tournament and then rattled off three victories to make the championship game. "This team didn’t have a big slugger or an overpowering pitcher, and it was one of our younger teams in years," Folsom said. "We went further than we probably should have, but it’s frustrating to be on the brink of a state title and not win it." Medford will return 11 of the 16 players on its roster next season, including all but one of its pitchers. Medford.....001 001 201 — 5 17 4 Salem.......000 001 60x — 7 10 2 Suarez, Ferguson (7) and Folsom; Emery, Ammon (8) and Eklund. W — Emery. L — Suarez (9-3). 2B — S: August, Eklund. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] 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. 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