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90 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, May 25, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 15, 2005 Comets sweep to SOC title By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Crater needed a little help from its friends Saturday afternoon. And when North Medford lent a hand by sweeping league-leading Roseburg, the ninth-ranked Comets swooped in for their second straight Southern Oregon Conference softball crown. Senior Janelle Cristofaro tossed a one-hit shutout during a 5-0 victory over Grants Pass in Game 1, and Mindy Banks provided an exclamation point to the sweep with an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning in Game 2 to cap a thrilling, 2-1 triumph. The Comets entered the final day of the regular season one game behind third-ranked Roseburg in the race for the SOC title. A split or sweep of North Medford would have given the Indians, who held the tiebreaker edge over Crater, the title outright. "We talked in practice about what could happen," said Crater coach Chris Arnold, who received word in the seventh inning of Game 2 that North had swept. "We knew coming in what had to happen. It would have been a moot point if we didn’t get our end of it done." Advertisement Last year, the Comets were never seriously threatened en route to an unbeaten campaign. This year, however, they spent the entire season playing catch-up after dropping a twin bill to Roseburg in the SOC opener. "This definitely feels good," said Cristofaro. "I thought we deserved to win it. We had a rough start but pulled through. We just needed some time to get everyone on the same page." The Comets knew what they had to do, but getting there proved difficult against a game Grants Pass team. The Cavers, who could have forged a tie with North had they swept the twin bill, jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third on Allie Farmer’s solo home run to left field. Pitcher Ashley Franko, helped by a number of spectacular defensive plays behind her, made the lead stand up until the fifth. Cristofaro started the rally with a one-out walk and moved to second on a Tyler Sutherland hit. Junior Kirstin Davidson followed with an RBI single to center to even the game at 1-all. Crater loaded the bases in the sixth inning with one out, but Franko induced two straight grounders that led to force plays at home. The Comets once again had a chance to win it in the ninth. Davidson came up with one out and the sacks full and lifted a shallow fly to right-center field. Right fielder Kim Gonzales hauled in the fly and threw a perfect strike to the plate to nab Ashleigh Cuddie, who was tagging from third, and end the threat. "That’s the way we’ve played all season," said GP coach Clay Rounsaville of his team’s defense. "I’m proud of the kids. Crater’s a very good team. They’re district champs. "We had some opportunities, but we didn’t get it done." Banks put an end to Grants Pass’ season the following frame. Senior Staci Bauer doubled with two outs and Kristen Haga, who entered as a pinch runner, came home on Banks’ single down the right-field line to set off a celebration at the plate. "I was just thinking I had to put it in the grass," said Banks, who played junior varsity last season. "This (hit) makes you feel like this is where I belong, that (the coaches) made the right choice in bringing me up here." Davidson finished with three of Crater’s 11 hits. Susan Winningham added a pair of hits and Cuddie recorded her fifth pitching win against no losses. Jennifer Dolmage went 3-for-4 to lead the Cavers. In the opener, Crater jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings, with Becca Shelamer’s two-run single in the first sparking the early surge. Banks again had a solid outing at the plate, going 2-for-3 to help Cristofaro improve to 16-3 on the mound. Cristofaro and shortstop Sutherland, two of five Crater seniors, are both four-year varsity players heading to the state playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. "It’s a great feeling," said Sutherland, a first-team all-SOC performer last year. "There’s not one person on the team that didn’t play a part in this. We all came together." Crater will host a first-round Class 4A state playoff game on May 23. Roseburg has to travel for its opening game against the Metro League’s No. 2 team, while third-place South Medford visits the Mt. Hood Conference’s No. 2 team. Fourth-place North Medford hosts the No. 4 team from the Portland Interscholastic League on Friday in subtournament action. FIRST GAME Grants Pass..............................000 000 0 — 0 1 2 Crater.......................................210 002 x — 5 8 1 Chamberlain, Franko (3) and Dolmage; Cristofaro and Winningham. W — Cristofaro (16-3). L — Chamberlain (9-8). 2B — C: Winningham, Davidson. SECOND GAME Grants Pass.......................001 000 000 0 — 1 5 1 Crater...............................000 010 000 1 — 2 11 2 Franko and Dolmage; Cuddie and Winningham. W — Cuddie (5-0). L — Franko (3-3). 2B — GP: Cerda; C: Davidson 2, Bauer. HR — GP: Farmer. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . 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