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71 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, July 4, 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 June 25, 2004 RiverDogs eke out win over Wildcats By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune The Portland Wildcats showed no respect to Southern Oregon right fielder Dan Bruce with two runners on base and no outs in the sixth inning of Thursday’s amateur baseball game. Then the visitors got careless against RiverDogs catcher Ryan Garrett, and it cost them the ballgame at Miles Field. Portland brought the infield in to double-play depth and had its outfielders set up extremely shallow against Bruce, who struck out swinging on a bunt attempt against reliever Addam Tate. No one moved when Garrett stepped to the plate next, and the former Eagle Point High standout made them pay with a two-run triple over the head of right fielder Josh Riley. Garrett’s shot to the fence broke a 5-all tie and allowed the RiverDogs (6-2) to eke out a hard-fought, 7-6 victory over the Wildcats. Advertisement "(Tate) came with a fastball the pitch before," said Garrett, "then he tried to sneak it by me again and I just went with it the other way. "When I first hit it I thought (Riley) was going to catch it because he kinda just stood there but it ended up getting over his head." The two runs proved especially important later on as Portland loaded the bases in the ninth inning and scored one run when reliever Matt Skundrick hit Zach Kohan. Skundrick halted any Wildcat hopes of a comeback by striking out Mason Reilly to end the contest. The nip-and-tuck affair helped erase the lingering bad taste left in the RiverDogs’ mouths following last weekend’s disappointing play in a twin-bill loss to the Eugene Spartans. "We just played sloppy last weekend but we got back on track here by playing right tonight," said Garrett, who went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBIs. "It’s definitely a good win going into this weekend’s games at Bend." While Garrett provided the clinching blow for Southern Oregon, relief pitchers Brett Goble and Skundrick ensured the lead would stick with solid work on the mound. Goble came on in relief of Danny Hunter in the sixth, earning his first win of the summer with 31/3 innings of crafty work for the right-hander. The former Phoenix High standout struck out seven and allowed only three hits before giving way to Skundrick in the ninth. "I’ve never seen him throw that well," Garrett said of Goble. "He spotted the ball better than I’ve ever seen him spot the ball and he was ahead of the batters all night." Ryan Heil was 2-for-5 with one run and one RBI to help the RiverDogs’ cause, with Matt Smith going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Aaron Svarthumle and Andrew Wrisley each had three hits to pace the Wildcats, with Svarthumle and Tyler Dean driving in two runs apiece. Portland managed a 1-0 lead in the first when Svarthumle belted a ground-rule double and scored on Dean’s single to right field. The Wildcats added another run in the third on a double by Mason Reilly and RBI single by Svarthumle, who was thrown out at first base on a heads-up cutoff by shortstop Blake St. Onge and ensuing throw to Skundrick at first. After getting under a chest-high fastball in the first inning for a flyout to left field, John Jefferson didn’t miss again when given the same pitch in the fourth. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound designated hitter deposited Evan Scandling’s pitch over the left-field fence for a game-tying, two-run homer after a Garrett single. The RiverDogs tacked on another run in the inning as Brett Timmerman was hit by a pitch and moved around on a walk to Skundrick, fielder’s choice by Brian Stock and RBI single by Smith. After Scandling was pulled in favor of Jesse Spellmeyer, Heil greeted the new pitcher with an RBI single to boost Southern Oregon’s lead to 4-2. Portland tied the game in the top of the fifth, but the RiverDogs scratched back with a run in the bottom half of the inning on Skundrick’s RBI single. The Wildcats answered with a run in the sixth to tie the game at 5-all and set up Garrett’s heroics. "I didn’t even realize they were (playing shallow)," said the Oregon Tech catcher. "I usually don’t look at the outfield because I try not to think too much when I go up there. I’m just looking to hit the ball hard and hopefully have that work out." Portland Wildcats..............101 021 001 — 6 12 4 Southern Oregon.................000 412 00x — 7 9 1 Scandling, Spellmeyer (4), Tate (6), Mannex (6) and Reilly; Hunter, Goble (6), Skundrick (9) and Garrett. W — Goble (1-0). L — Tate. S — Skundrick (1). 2B — P: Svarthumle, Reilly; SO: Smith. 3B — SO: Garrett. HR — SO: Jefferson (1). Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, 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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