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CLEAR Temp: 64 °F Wind: SSE at 3 mph Sunday, September 1, 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 August 11, 2002 Error-prone Pilots suffer tourney loss By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune EAGLE POINT — This was the one weekend Ashland hoped its evil twin would not visit. No such luck. The ne’er-do-well was on the doorstep from the opening pitch Saturday as Ashland took on West Albany in the second round of the American Legion A state tournament at The Yard. And he messed things up fast: two innings, four errors, 13 runs. West Albany handed the Ashland Pilots a surprising, 14-0, five-inning drubbing and enters today’s play as one of two unbeatens. It was eye-opening because Ashland, based on its strong high school seasons the past two years and because it was runner- up in this tournament a year ago, figured to be a leading contender. The Pilots (19-19) still can contend in the double-elimination format, mind you. They just have to keep their impersonator off the field. Ashland meets Sisters at noon today in a loser-out contest. "That," said coach Josh Hamik, "was a different team than yesterday." He referred to Ashland’s errorless, 6-4 win over Wilsonville Friday. The team that showed up Saturday reminded him of the one that made six errors in its opening playoff series against Roseburg, when Ashland lost 9-6, then won two straight to qualify for state. "There are no excuses," said Hamik. "We just didn’t get it done. At this level, every team is a good team, and if you play your worst, you’re going to get beat up. "We have the potential to beat any team in this tournament. Hopefully, that will be the team that shows up tomorrow." The game began peacefully enough for the Pilots. After an opening single by Nick Rice, pitcher Brian Ross induced consecutive force outs at second base, leaving a runner at first and two away. But a double, a walk and a single plated two runs. West Albany’s seventh batter of the inning, Tim Costain, hit a chopper that died between Ross and catcher Jackson Rowe. Rowe scooped it up and fired to first base, but his throw sailed high. Another run in and runners at second and third. Then Matt Kundert lifted a fly to shallow center. Aaron Nelson charged in to try to make a difficult catch. He was unable to, got charged with an error and two more runs scored. The second inning was worse for Ashland. It began with an error, a walk and two singles, leading to two runs. Micah Weston relieved Ross, and gave up a two-run single to Steve Arnold. Then came a double, a walk, a double, a walk and another error. Eight runs crossed before the inning ended. No one player could be blamed, said Hamik, noting, "It was a team effort in the error column. When they came into the dugout, you could see their mouths drop. It’s a hot, muggy day, and when you get in a rut like that, it’s hard to get out of it." Especially against a good team. West Albany’s record had been something of a mystery coming into the tournament. Few were aware that it was 27-5 entering state and had swept a league tournament and playoff series to get here. Six players were sophomores on West Albany’s high school team that made state for the first time in 41 years, said coach Don Lien, including five starters. "They’re good enough to play AAA," said Lien, the West Albany varsity coach, "but I wanted them with me for another year. I thought it was important to have that continuity." West Albany compounded Ashland’s difficulty with solid hitting, alert base running and dominant pitching. Tyler Roberts pitched the first two innings, retiring the Pilots in order while fanning three. Brit Boydston followed with three scoreless innings. Ashland had only two hits, a double by Zach Miedecke and a single by Tim Hegdahl. James Page, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound left-hander, takes the mound today as the Pilots try to remain alive. Ashland.........................................000 00 — 0 2 6 West Albany................................580 1x — 14 8 0 Ross, Weston (2) and Rowe; Roberts, Boydston (3) and Kundert. W — Roberts. L — Ross. 2B — A: Miedecke; WA: Rice, Tucker, Costain. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] 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. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S