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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 Controversy mars EP-Roseburg game By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Eagle Point was in position to pull off its second baseball upset in three games Saturday at Roseburg, but an umpire’s decision to end the game early thwarted that possibility and set in motion a heated controversy. In the second game of the Southern Oregon Conference doubleheader, Eagle Point scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to tie it, 6-6. But before the players could take the field for the final half-inning, the plate umpire called the game because of what he deemed unsafe conditions at Legion Field. Because the inning wasn’t completed, the game reverted to the last full inning. Roseburg led after six innings, 6-4, and thus was declared the winner. Coupled with a 2-1 victory in the opener, the Indians (13-4 overall) remained atop the conference with an 11-1 record. Eagle Point, which upended playoff contender North Medford on Tuesday, is 5- 12 overall and 2-10 in the SOC. Advertisement Eagles coach Tom Britton was livid over the decision. He claimed the field was playable and said the umpire made a hasty, emotional decision in response to complaints by the Eagles and their fans over calls. An animated Britton confronted the umpire, who was not identified, and Roseburg athletic director Thurman Bell, who watched the games. Britton was then ejected by the umpire, even though the game was over. Britton could face a one-game suspension for the ejection. "It was absolutely a bogus call," a furious Britton said by phone during his team’s return trip. "Never in my 28 years have I seen a call like that by an umpire. Our kids got cheated. It was really bad. It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth and my players’ mouths. That game should have been played." It had rained in varying degrees much of the day. The field was covered after the first game, and the start of the second game was delayed for a short period. Britton insisted the field was in better shape when it was called than when the first game started. He said wet balls weren’t being exchanged for dry ones, that he could grab a handful of dirt at the time it was called and that Roseburg players raked the infield afterward. Neither Bell nor Roseburg coach Troy Thompson would comment on whether the game should have been stopped. Both said it was the decision of the umpire, who has full authority in such situations. Bell said it rained throughout the day and the field was getting worse. "The decision to end the game was probably very untimely," said Bell. "I feel for Britton and his kids. They battled all day long, then all of a sudden, whoops, the game is over." The suddenness of the decision caught Bell by surprise, he admitted. "That’s their (umpires) judgment," said Bell, "and in their judgment, they didn’t want to take responsibility for someone getting hurt. I can’t argue with them." Jim Moriarty, the commissioner of Douglas County baseball and softball umpires, said umpires aren’t required to confer with coaches or administrators when deciding whether a game should continue in adverse weather. He received a call from the plate umpire immediately after the game and was told of the ejection. Moriarty will gather more information and have input on whether Britton should be suspended. Britton, convinced the field was usable, said the umpire made the decision after a confrontation at the Eagles’ dugout. In the seventh inning, Eagle Point’s Ryan Augino and Jonathan Harvey were at third and second bases, respectively, when Shasta Bateman lined a hit to center field. Both runners scored, tying it at 6-6. With Nick Staller on third and Bateman at second, the Eagles’ Logan Fosenburg was caught looking on a third strike, prompting an outcry from the Eagles’ dugout that the pitch was low. It was the sixth time an Eagles hitter was caught looking at the third strike. Britton said the umpire heard someone make a disparaging remark — someone yelled that the call was "brutal" — and went to the dugout to root out the culprit. He removed a player, said Britton, then walked back to the plate and called the game. In the opener, Roseburg’s Blake Keitzman pitched a one-hitter — including no-hit ball through five innings — and struck out 14. In the second game, Roseburg’s Dusty Brigham blasted a home run and doubled twice in going 4-for-4. FIRST GAME Eagle Point...............................000 001 0 — 1 1 1 Roseburg..................................200 000 0 — 2 7 1 Bateman and Harvey; Keitzman and Benson. W — Keitzman (7-1). L — Bateman. 2B — R: Buxton, Walker. 3B — R: Benson. SECOND GAME Eagle Point..................................000 400 — 4 2 1 Roseburg.....................................000 213 — 6 9 0 Staller, Grieve (6) and Grieve, Harvey (6); Thompson, McLaughlin (5) and Bruggeman. W — Thompson (2-0). L — Staller. 2B — EP: Bateman; R: Brigham 2. 3B — R: Keitzman. HR — R: Brigham. Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, 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