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M/CLEAR Temp: 55 °F Wind: NW at 5 mph Sunday, June 2, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend June 1, 2002 Southern Oregon�s Phil Ouellette, right, slides back into first base before Redding�s Lucas Spagnola tags him in the first game of Friday�s doubleheader at Miles Field. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli RiverDogs open season with a sweep Slow starts don’t detour Southern Oregon in its victories over the Redding Spirits By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Nate Mayben was rustier than a nail in a swimming pool for the first three innings of the Southern Oregon RiverDogs’ season-opener at Miles Field on Friday night. Mayben allowed seven hits and three runs over the first three innings against the Redding Spirits, and needed 51 pitches over that span to wade through his struggles. But the former North Medford High and current Western Baptist College pitcher shut out the California team the rest of the way, and the RiverDogs rallied for a 6-3 victory. Southern Oregon went on to win Game 2 of the non-league doubleheader between college-aged players, 4-2. "I hadn’t pitched in four weeks, and it showed," said Mayben, who allowed 11 hits in 72/3 innings before giving way to Brent Foster, who picked up the save. "I was having a tough time keeping the ball down in the early innings and they teed off on me. "But it was a nine-inning game. I hung in there and things finally started to click." Bill Tracy’s RBI groundout that followed Lance Fox’s double staked Redding to a 1-0 lead in the second inning, and the Spirits made it 3-0 in the third following RBI singles by Fox and Lucas Spagnola. The way Redding starting pitcher Danny Ranny was throwing — he yielded just two hits and no runs through the first four innings — the RiverDogs looked to be in some trouble. But they picked up one run in the bottom of the fifth when Ken Halpin singled and scored on Phil Ouellette’s RBI grounder, and then tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth when they registered three hits and benefited from a controversial call. Andy Bartels initiated the sixth-inning rally when he drilled a one-out single to left. Don Jenkins then hammered a long fly ball to center in which Redding’s Danny Sweet made a diving attempt to catch it. Sweet jumped up with the ball in his hand, but the umpires ruled he trapped it. Bartels scored on the play to make it 3-2, and when Sweet threw the ball wildly to the infield, Jenkins moved all the way to third base. Charlie Jensen then hit a sacrifice fly that scored Jenkins and tied the game. "I caught that ball," Sweet insisted. "I dove for it and it came down in my glove. Too bad the instant replay wasn’t working." Responded Jenkins: "I didn’t think there was any way he caught it. He dove for it and the ball came out. The umpire made the right call." The RiverDogs then erupted for three runs in the seventh to win going away. A double by pinch-hitter Pat Jolley, a walk to Steve DeClerck and Dan Bruce’s perfectly-placed bunt loaded the bases with no one out, and Colby Gonzales followed with a two-run single to right for the game-winning hit. Bruce scored on an error for Southern Oregon’s final run. Halpin led the RiverDogs in Game 1 with a 3-for-4 performance. After sitting out most of last summer with a hamstring injury and then getting limited playing time at Willamette University this spring, Halpin is thrilled to be playing full-time. "I love being on the field," said the 6-1, 220-pound catcher, who attended the University of San Diego before transferring to Willamette last year. "I was playing behind a fifth- year senior and the team captain at Willamette this year and only got eight at-bats. It feels good to get some playing time." In Game 2, Foster’s two-run double off the wall in right field capped a four-run fifth inning for the RiverDogs, who had fallen behind 2-0 in the top half of the inning. A single by Jenkins and walks to Ryan Garrett, Bruce and Mayben forced in one run and a passed ball scored another before Foster’s double that nearly left the park. Bartels, who held the Spirits scoreless over the final 22/3 innings, picked up the Game 2 victory in relief. Redding’s season record fell to 4-6 with the two losses. FIRST GAME Redding................................... 012 000 000 — 3 12 4 Southern Oregon.................... 000 012 30x — 6 10 1 Ranny, Lawson (8) and Neiman; Mayben, Foster (8) and Halpin. W — Mayben (1-0). L — Ranny. 2B — R: Fox; SO: Jolley. SECOND GAME Redding......................................... 000 020 0 — 2 6 0 Southern Oregon.......................... 000 040 x — 4 4 0 Jones, Sweet (3) and Wilong; Jefferson, Bartels (5) and Garrett; W — Bartels (1-0). L — Sweet. 2B — SO: Foster. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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