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P/CLOUDY Temp: 63 °F Wind: NNW at 14 mph Saturday, June 21, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend May 29, 2003 North waylays Wilson’s best-laid plan Patience at the plate vaults the Tornado into the state quarters By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune Wilson’s baseball team came into Miles Field with a simple game plan Wednesday: Feed North Medford a steady diet of off-speed pitches and watch the aggressive Black Tornado come out of its shoes in frustration. Memo to the rest of the state: Devise another game plan. Top-ranked North patiently waited out Wilson’s offerings, then turned the pitches right back around to notch 17 hits for a 15-2 pounding of the Trojans in the second round of the Class 4A state playoffs. "We made a little adjustment, scooted up and were patient today," said North senior Jimmy Ulrey, who reached base and scored in his first four plate appearances. "It was a lot different than our last game (a 10-1 win over Tualatin), when we focused on one pitch a little too much." Advertisement The Tornado (25-3) used a nine-run fifth inning to break away from Wilson (19-9), sending the No. 2 seed out of the Portland Interscholastic League home with its fifth loss in its final seven games. Wilson’s downward trend coincided with internal issues that brought about the dismissal of a couple players. "Coming in, everyone said that you have to be perfect (to beat North Medford), and we weren’t perfect," said 21st-year Trojans coach Mike Clopton. Wilson might not have been perfect, but the Tornado was pretty close. Eight of North’s nine starters drove in at least one run, with the same ratio crossing the plate at least once. Tyler Engle, Reese Lamson, Dustin Butler and Brett Timmerman each drove in two runs, with Beau Hovland adding a back- breaking three-run homer in the fifth. Folsom, Engle, Lamson and Charlie Behnke each scored twice as the Tornado hitting machine went 17-for-34 against the overmatched Trojans. Ulrey, Folsom and Lamson had three hits apiece, with Ulrey providing a solo homer to give North a 5-2 cushion in the third. "(Wilson starter Evan Dunn) just left it right there, and I stayed back on it and got hold of it," Ulrey said of his bomb to left field. "It was nice to sit back and just watch it go." The right fielder might have gone 4-for-4 had he not gotten a little greedy in the sixth. After watching floater after floater go by, Ulrey sized up a 2-and-2 offering by reliever Dylan Stanford but whiffed with a mighty swing on a pitch best clocked by a sun dial. "I was going for the long ball there," Ulrey sheepishly admitted. "I was definitely trying to hit another one out." The way the postseason is going, few would have been surprised to see Ulrey get his wish. He hit .375 entering the state playoffs but boasts a cool .714 postseason average as North readies for its quarterfinals matchup at Oregon City at 4 p.m. Friday. The Pioneers, the No. 2 team from the Three Rivers League, beat Sheldon 4-1 in another second-round game Wednesday. "I want to do well out there, especially now," Ulrey said. "When it comes to stuff like this, I usually turn it up a little bit." Somewhat lost in the shuffle of North’s offensive barrage was the relief pitching performance by Travis Glass. The senior came on in relief of an ill Timmerman in the third inning and improved to 5-2, allowing no runs and only one hit with four strikeouts and five walks. "I kinda had a feeling it might happen," Glass said of his call to duty. "Brett got sick yesterday, and I noticed this morning that he wasn’t doing too well. "I was a little nervous at first, but after I talked with Robbie (Folsom) and he told me about their hitters, I wasn’t worried about it. He told me to just go in there and throw strikes, and that’s what I tried to do." And with run support being a pitcher’s best friend, few enjoyed North’s fifth-inning surge as much as Glass. "Our lineup’s so unbelievable; everyone on this team hits the ball," said the right-hander. "It makes it a lot easier to pitch and takes a lot of pressure off all of us." That pressure most likely now goes on the capable shoulders of Oregon City’s Jonah Nickerson. The first-team all- state pitcher is expected to get the start Friday against Butler, forging a rematch of a March 26 tilt that the Tornado won 5-1 at Miles Field. "Jonah Nickerson is probably one of the top pitchers in the state," said Ulrey. "We know what’s going to be coming next game, and we’ll be up and ready for it. It’ll be a lot different than this game, but we’ll be ready." Oregon City advanced to the state semifinals last season, losing 6-3 to eventual champion Southridge. Wilson......................................110 000 0 — 2 6 2 North Medford.....................311 091 x — 15 17 0 Dunn, Peirce (5), Setzer (5), Stanford (6) and Fairfax; Timmerman, Glass (3) and Folsom. W — Glass (5-2). L — Dunn. 2B — W: McEwen; NM: Folsom 2, Timmerman. 3B — NM: Lamson, Folsom, Engle. HR — NM: Ulrey (5), Hovland (3). Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times