Document text
60 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, April 24, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 24, 2005 South Medford�s Mark Austad, left, leaps for a high throw as Grants Pass� Craig Dolmage steals second. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Panthers punch out split with GP South rallies to win first game, Cavemen halt Panther bats in second game By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune It almost stands to reason that on a day when South Medford was anemic at the plate, the Panthers’ biggest hit may have been their weakest one Saturday at North Medford High. Marcus James’ seeing-eye single up the middle sparked a four-run sixth inning for South Medford in the opener as the Panthers rallied past visiting Grants Pass, 6-4, in Southern Oregon Conference baseball. The Cavemen regrouped for a 2-0 triumph in the nightcap, but things certainly could have been much worse for South had James not found a seam with one out and the bases loaded in Game 1. "I was kinda nervous at first but then I realized I could open up the game for our team," said James, a senior first baseman. "I just knew I had to come through. All I saw was fastball and I just swung through it." Advertisement And the rest was simply a treat for the eyes of Panther fans as James’ roller somehow dipped under the glove of GP ace Nolan Morgan and limped over second base as shortstop Mike Mills and second baseman Andrew Gallego nearly collided in an effort to cut off the elusive grounder. All the while Logan Boyd and Justin Meyer raced home to give South (13-4, 9-3 SOC) its first lead at 4-3. Ryan Odell followed with an RBI groundout that plated Jared Adamson, and Ben Koziol put a capper on the outburst with an RBI single that put the Panthers up 6-3 heading into the seventh. Patrick Allen’s second leadoff home run of the game offered Grants Pass (8-7, 8-4) some hope and Steve Draper followed with a single, but South reliever Tommy George nailed down the win by inducing three straight outs. George, who came on in the fifth for Rick Imhausen and got out of a two-on, two-out jam, allowed three hits and one run in 21/3 innings in improving his record to 2-1. "You don’t really go in thinking about it," George said of entering a game with runners in scoring position for the second straight Saturday. "You’ve just got to go in and pitch and let the rest take care of itself. You can’t dwell on a baserunner, because then you’ll never get the guy at the plate." In last Saturday’s come-from-behind win over North Medford, George came in under similar circumstances and kept the Black Tornado at bay long enough to give South a chance to score a 12-6, eight-inning victory. "He kept us in it," South coach Steve Antich said of George closing the door on GP. "If they get much more that inning, that could’ve been a loss, too." For his part, George deferred much of the credit for Saturday’s win. "That’s always a good feeling when you can come in and help your team win," said the junior right-hander, "but I couldn’t do it unless I had the defense I have behind me. Those guys are playing amazing." Boyd belted a one-out double over the head of left fielder Craig Dolmage to set the stage for South’s sixth-inning rally. Meyer followed with a hot shot back at Morgan, who unsuccessfully relayed the ball to third baseman Steve Draper in an attempt to nab Boyd. While the throw definitely beat Boyd to the bag, the umpires ruled that Draper didn’t apply a tag to Boyd and, consequently, put Panthers on the corners. After GP coach Stacy Morgan unsuccessfully challenged the ruling, Adamson was hit by a pitch to load the bases for James. After missing on a bunt attempt and falling behind 1-2 in the count, the senior supplied his heroics. Like last Saturday against North, South missed its chance to post a sweep over a leading conference contender when Ben Murray tossed a one-hitter with five strikeouts for GP in the nightcap. Murray faced only two batters over the minimum and had six three-up, three-down frames. "Murray’s pitching performance was awesome and Nolan pitched well enough to win (the opener)," said GP coach Stacy Morgan, whose team allowed eight hits in the twin bill. "If we get the other side of a couple calls in that (first) ballgame ... who knows. But we had our chances." As did the defending SOC champions, who are struggling to distance themselves from their chief challengers. "You have opportunities to jump up on some teams that you’re in a race with and we just haven’t," said Antich. "We’ve lost some pretty tough games in league, one to each of the top three teams we’re going against (Roseburg, North and Grants Pass). "But ultimately the team that’s able to put others away obviously is going to win. Right now we’re just setting it up for a dogfight and a race to the finish." Allen was 3-for-4 in the opener with three runs and leadoff homers in the first and seventh innings, and added a double in the nightcap for GP. The Cavemen used an RBI single by Dolmage and a wild pitch by Kenny Licea to score their only runs of Game 2. Mark Austad had South’s lone hit in the nightcap, with Koziol going 2-for-3 in the opener. FIRST GAME Grants Pass..............................102 000 1 — 4 8 1 South Medford.........................010 014 x — 6 7 0 Morgan and Donnelly; Imhausen, George (5) and Koziol. W — George (2-1). L — Morgan (3-2). 2B — SM: Boyd. HR — GP: Allen 2. SECOND GAME Grants Pass..............................010 010 0 — 2 6 1 South Medford.........................000 000 0 — 0 1 1 Murray and Donnelly; Licea and Koziol. W — Murray. L — Licea. 2B — GP: Bennett, Allen. Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s