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Medford team falls in regional LL tourney By Chuck Hickey SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. � The second half of the game was tougher than the first, and that meant trouble for the Medford American Little League team Thursday. The 11- and 12-year-old all-stars finally played their first game in the Western Regional tournament, but it's one they'd just as soon forget, blowing a two-run lead and losing to Hazel Dell of Vancouver, Wash., 8-2 in front of about 700 fans at Al Houghton Stadium. The loss drops the Oregon champs into the loser�s bracket of the double-elimination tournament, which determines the West's entry in the Little League World Series at Williamsport, Pa. Medford American plays either North Boulder, Colo., or Reno, Nev., at 2 p.m. Saturday. It must win six games in as many days to reach the World Series. Medford American had a first-round bye and had to sit around at this inland Southern California city since Sunday to play its first game. But right-hander Tyler Heil didn't seem to be bothered by the long wait. He allowed only three hits and struck out four in the first three innings. And in the third, Medford American staked him to a 2-0 lead when Tom George doubled in Heil, and George scored on a throwing error. "When we got up 2-0, I felt pretty good, and I thought that it would hold up," Medford American manager Jeff Adamson said. "But that's a tough team." Hazel Dell showed how tough by batting around in the fourth inning to score four runs, batted around in the fifth inning to score three runs, and added a run in the sixth. Catcher Dustin Corl got Hazel Dell going by belting a home run to lead off the fourth, and he capped the scoring in the sixth with another homer. "They have some good hitters. You could tell they've worked a lot on hitting," Adamson said. "They get a lot of rain in Vancouver, so they probably have some indoor facilities. "But they're really good, and it wouldn't surprise me if they got to the final game against the Southern California team or whoever else comes out of the other division, but I think we have the team that can come back and get another shot at them." The runs Hazel Dell produced were more than enough for Jay Ponciano. He fired a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts and four walks. He allowed only one base runner in the last two innings, and both runs were unearned. Heil struggled after the third inning, giving up nine hits. "He's our No. 1 pitcher, and he hasn't been hit like that all year," Adamson said. "And the umpire's strike zone was pretty low, and it was hard to adjust to. He was consistent, but some of the pitches were just above the shoelaces, and he was calling them strikes. And their pitcher was able to adjust to that and get some calls. "We probably should have practiced on a driving range instead of a batting cage before the game." Still, Medford American, which is in the regional for the first time since 1991, remains alive. It is in an easier part of the bracket, which could help it reach the semifinals on Tuesday. "It was nice to get the bye, but it might have hurt us," Adamson said. "This wasn't our best game. I didn't expect us to come out here and hit six home runs, but certainly need to hit better than we did." Hazel Dell 000 431 � 8 12 1 Medford American 002 000 � 2 3 1 Ponciano and Corl; Heil and Happeny. W _ Ponciano .L _ Heil. 2B MA: George. HR HD: Corl 2 Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA