Document text
62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, August 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 July 31, 2004 Mustangs finish off Mid-Valley ALBANY — The Medford Mustangs used a power surge to punch their ticket to the American Legion baseball AAA state tournament. Rob Folsom smashed a pair of home runs and Abe Eubank and Brenton Ferguson added one each as the Mustangs rolled to a 10-5 victory over the Mid Valley Rockets of Albany to win their playoff series 2-0. The victory earned the Mustangs (30-13) a berth in the state tournament in Grants Pass next week. They’ll meet either Southridge or McMinnville at noon on Wednesday at the All Sports Park. Medford’s sudden success in the postseason comes after a late-season losing streak in which they lost four of their last five regular-season games. "We had a practice earlier this week and I challenged the kids," Medford manager Sandee Kensinger said. "When things go bad it’s easy to sit around and feel sorry for yourself, and that’s what we were doing. Advertisement "We had to get rid of that attitude." With Medford clinging to a 2-1 lead over the Rockets in the top of the fifth inning, Corey O’Neill and Dan Chancler singled before Folsom ripped a three-run homer to left center field. One batter later, Eubank blasted a solo shot to boost Medford’s lead to 6-1. "Rob had struck out on a ball in the dirt in his previous at-bat, but he doesn’t let things like that get to him," Kensinger said. "That home run was a shot and it fired up the whole team." Folsom’s other homer was a two-run clout in the eighth. Left-hander Chad Hegdahl went the distance on the mound for Medford, scattering seven hits. Mid Valley loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but the Mustangs turned a crucial double play to get out of the inning. The twin killing came after Mid Valley’s Bryan Stone hit a come-backer to Hegdahl, who threw home for the first out. Folsom, the Mustang catcher, then threw wide to first baseman Eubank, but the alert Eubank threw back to Folsom, who tagged out a sliding Jonathan Higgins at home plate to end the Rockets’ threat. "That’s not how you draw it up, but it worked," Kensinger said. "We were only up three runs at the time, and so that was big." O’Neill went 3-for-5 at the plate for Medford, while Folsom was 2-for-4 with five RBIs and three runs scored. Hegdahl added two hits and two RBIs. Medford Mustangs... 200 041 120 — 10 11 1 Albany........................ 100 022 000 — 5 7 0 Hegdahl and Folsom; Apchley, Alexander (6), Cope (9) and Ruden. W — Hegdahl (4-3). L — Apchley. 2B — M: Hegdahl; A: Sim, Ardaiz. HR — M: Folsom 2 (9), Eubank (3), Ferguson (3); A — Higgins. 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 RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times