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46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, November 25, 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 Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley 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 April 23, 2004 It’s all about perfection Rogue River pitcher Laura Jones has tossed two untarnished gems this season By DON HUNT Mail Tribune ROGUE RIVER — The adage "No one’s perfect" doesn’t always apply to Rogue River High softball pitcher Laura Jones. Jones would be the first to admit that’s not without faults, but in two separate games this season, the hard-throwing senior has thrown perfect games. No runs, no hits, no errors, no hit batters. And no one left on base. Jones’ first impeccable outing came in an 11-0 victory over Phoenix on April 3; her other untarnished gem came in a 9-0 win over Hidden Valley 10 days later. Advertisement No-hitters are not uncommon in girls fastpitch softball, where the pitchers have a greater advantage than their baseball counterparts because they’re stationed just 45 feet from the plate as opposed to 60 feet, 6 inches. Perfect games, though, are quite rare. "Those are the first two perfect games I’ve had and I was pretty excited both times," Jones says, "although not as excited as my dad." Ted Jones, Laura’s father, has been her pitching coach ever since she first picked up a ball at the age of 6. He’s the one who taught her to throw her rise ball, drop ball and her recently-acquired curve that leaves batters tied up in knots. Ted Jones is also the one who reminded his daughter, as she was about to walk out for the final inning against Phoenix, that she was just three batters away from perfection. "He said, ‘Do you know you’re one inning away from a perfect game?’ And I said, ‘No Dad, but no pressure, right?’" "To tell the truth, I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just out there trying to get people out." Jones, who has posted a 10-1 record and routinely pitches 1½ games in a doubleheader, wasn’t as dominant in her perfect game against Hidden Valley. The Mustangs put the ball in play 13 times, but Jones’ teammates made all 13 plays, including a spectacular stop by third-baseman Lacy Scroggins. Scroggins made a diving stop of a sharply-hit grounder, whirled around and threw to first for the game’s final out. "My supporting cast has been great," Jones says. "There are a lot of aspects to it (a perfect game) and pitching is just one of them." Rogue River starts two freshmen — shortstop Cass Giesbrecht and right fielder Serena Lee — along with a handful of other underclassmen. Jones admits she had some doubts about how the Chieftains would fare this spring, but, heading into Thursday’s showdown against Illinois Valley, they had charged to the top of the Skyline Conference standings with an 9-0 record and stood 12-1 overall. "We lost a lot of seniors from last year and I didn’t know which way our season would go with all the new starters," says Jones, who’s as perfect in the classroom — she carries a 4.0 GPA and is the class valedictorian — as she’s been on the diamond. But the new girls are doing great. "Rogue River has never won the conference (title) before, but we know we can do it." For the Chieftains and their star pitcher, that would be a perfect ending to the regular season. 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. 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