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Eagle Point gets split with Indians By DAVID DAUGHERTY EAGLE POINT -- Roseburg's Nick Bowers had yet to have a good outing on the mound this season, according to his coach. That didn't bode well for the Indians, as Bowers was penciled in as the starting pitcher in the second game of their doubleheader with Eagle Point Saturday. Also on the minds of coach Ron Goodell and his troops was the possibility of being swept by the Eagles after a fanciful eight-inning, 1-0 victory by Eagle Point hurler Nick Newmann. But, like Newmann in the opener, Bowers came through with a two-hitter in a 6-2 victory, salvaging the Southern Oregon Conference split. Eagle remained in third place in the SOC at 6-2, while Roseburg stayed in a tie for fourth with South Medford at 4-4. "He (Bowers) did a heck of a job," said Goodell. "We were worried about our pitching today; when instead, we should have been worried about our hitting." "It was a pivotal game for both of us," said Eagle Point coach Tom Britton. "I'm sure Ron's happy to leave here with a split, but I'm not." After being limited to four hits in the first contest by Newmann, the Indians' bats came alive in the second inning of Game 2. Second baseman Kellen Walker belted a two-out, two-run double off Eagle Point starter Jesse Stevenson, and designated hitter Cory Baird followed with a two-run single to give Roseburg a 4-0 lead. "Finally, we broke loose," said Goodell. "We were very frustrated after the first game, but this is a determined group." The four-run cushion settled Bowers, as the right-hander retired 10 of the first 12 hitters he faced before issuing a walk to Newmann and a two-run homer to first baseman Jake Kleker in the fourth inning. "I've been fighting my mechanics all year," said Bowers. "I just mislocated one pitch today, and the minute I threw it I wanted it back." Outside of the 0-2 mistake to Kleker, Bowers was in total control, blanking the Eagles' hitters without a hit over the final three innings. "He dominated us," Britton said of Bowers. "And he did it against a good hitting team. I thought we could carry our emotion into the second game, but we didn't." The Indians tacked on another run in the fourth on a Matt Liston RBI single off Stevenson, who endured his first loss of the season. "We've relied on Jesse this year, but he just didn't have it today." Britton said of his left-hander. "We just seemed to lose our focus and played lethargic." In the first game, Newmann locked horns with Roseburg's Mike Myrhre in a pitching duel each throwing seven shutout innings. Newmann looked to be on the ropes in the top of the seventh inning. Roseburg loaded the bases with one out, and Newmann was behind in the count, 3-1, to catcher Barry Smith. But the Eagle Point senior responded by blowing two straight fastballs by Smith to end the inning. "He made every tough pitch when he had to," Goodell said of Newmann. "He's that kind of player," Britton said. "He likes pressure and throws better when the pressure is on." Myrhre was equally tough, scattering six hits and not allowing a runner to third base until the eighth -- despite a defense that committed four errors behind him. The Eagles finally ended the drama in the eighth, when right fielder Charlie Jackson lined a two-out single with the bases loaded. "The difference was, when they (Indians) had the bases loaded, they didn't score, and when we had them loaded, we did," said Britton. "It just came down to one hit." Newmann was 2-for-3 in Game 1. FIRST GAME Roseburg ..........................000 000 00 -- 0 4 4 Eagle Point .......................000 000 01 -- 1 6 1 Myrhre and Smith; Newmann and Garrett. W -- Newmann (4-3). L -- Myrhre (1-2). 2B -- R: Sheldon. SECOND GAME Roseburg .............................040 100 1 -- 6 11 0 Eagle Point ..........................000 200 0 -- 2 2 3 Bowers and Smith; Stevenson, Strodthoff (4) and Garrett. W -- Bowers (2-3). L -- Stevenson (6-1). 2B -- R: Walker, Liston; EP: Holte. HR -- EP: Kleker. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA